{"id":6072,"date":"2014-06-09T13:10:42","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T12:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=6072"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:10:57","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:10:57","slug":"the-power-of-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/6072\/the-power-of-food\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: The Power of Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Cork City last week I found a little treasure near City Hall.\u00a0 It\u2019s called L\u2019atitude 51<\/a> and is situated in what used to be The Lobby Bar.\u00a0 Indeed throughout the 1990s and I remember upstairs at the Lobby for the hundreds of great music gigs held there.<\/p>\n

Outside hasn\u2019t changed much from those heady days of single life visiting Cork but the inside has been transformed by the clever use of a pale colour palette with plum accents.\u00a0 Stylish but not in the least pretentious, it is a Wine Caf\u00e9 as opposed to a pub or a wine bar or a caf\u00e9 or a restaurant – but with all the best elements of those types of establishments.\u00a0 While the philosophy hangs on the wine offering it had everything I love about traditional European restaurants while still retaining the charm of an Irish pub. You could easily spend all day in L\u2019atitude 51<\/a> as they open for morning coffee right through to light evening meals seven days a week.\u00a0 They have a huge selection of wines with over 25 varieties available by the glass. \u00a0Along with wines you can try craft beers and interesting ciders along with gourmet coffee.\u00a0 So if you are visitingCorkit is only a short walk from the main shopping area and it\u2019s the perfect place for a little breather.\u00a0 Even if you are just after a coffee in the middle of the day L\u2019atitude 51 is worth the extra few steps.\u00a0 It is the antithesis of your typical chain coffee shop.\u00a0 It\u2019s got character that would be hard to replicate and roll out across the country.\u00a0 Sitting there, as I was, on a quiet afternoon accompanied by just the paper, you got that wonderful feeling of discovering a little oasis that you will return to again and again.\u00a0\"latitude-51-logo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However as I glanced at the flyers for the evening events on offer one in particular caught my eye.\u00a0 Along with wine tastings and wine workshops they also, throughout the winter, have a film night specialising in films about food and or drink.\u00a0 What a great idea, it\u2019s a food and or tasting event followed by a movie.\u00a0 \u00a0It got me thinking about the movies I\u2019ve seen where food is one of the main themes.\u00a0 The mainstream films come to mind immediately, Julie and Julia \u2013 a film based on two real people in different times.\u00a0 Julia Child the famous cook who taught America the art of French cooking and Julie Powell the food blogger who attempted to cook and document 365 Julia Child recipes in a year.\u00a0 The film combines both the book that stemmed from those efforts and Julia Child\u2019s memoir, My Life inFrance.\u00a0 The result is a movie that might just make you want to cook beef bourguignon for dinner.\u00a0 Sideways with Paul Giamatti is another favourite.\u00a0 For anyone interested in wine this might be the movie, although it may be difficult for you to watch a 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc being downed from a disposable cup rather than the finest crystal.\u00a0 I\u2019m convinced that Ratatouille is not just an animation for kids.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably food preparation at its most charming.\u00a0 Linguini, the kitchen boy and Ratatouille the little country mouse who together cook amazing food.\u00a0 It\u2019s a Pixar classic and one for all the family.\u00a0 If you\u2019re looking for something a little more art house then Like Water for Chocolate might tick some boxes.\u00a0 This is all about food at a sensual level and the power of food on the emotions.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll find it on Netflix, but make sure you\u2019ve eaten before watching it.<\/p>\n

There are many more films and documentaries that hang their core around the food arts and let\u2019s not even mention the novels and books that have food and eating as a central theme.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt about it, food and drink are so much part of every facet of our culture that it never ceases to amaze me how many people are willing to eat just for fuel.<\/p>\n

\"\"Even if you are having a quick snack, it should be important.\u00a0 I\u2019d go far as to say if we all ate with such consciousness there would be less obesity.\u00a0 We eat tons and tons of processed food each year almost unknown to ourselves. Yet the taste that is compromised in these chemically laden, manufactured substances is off the scale.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is also the great myth about processed food being cheaper and so you get more for your money.\u00a0 In quantity, perhaps, but in satiety, nutrition and taste the numbers don\u2019t add up.\u00a0 Less is more where real food is concerned and your body and taste buds will thank you for it in the long run.\u00a0 The magic lies in paying a little more and eating a little less to treble the satisfaction levels.\u00a0 This rule could be easily applied to how the French eat.\u00a0 On the face of it the French diet could be derided for having too much white flour and fat but they win on the quantities.\u00a0 The French eat smaller portions, don\u2019t tend to go back for seconds and have no real snack culture. \u00a0When we try eating a \u2018French\u2019 diet we pile on the pounds because our portions are far too big.\u00a0 French sticks, croissants, cheese, red wine, rich sauces, wonderful pastries; the list goes on.\u00a0 The French don\u2019t get fat on French food but the rest of the world does.<\/p>\n

Whenever you eat, choose the best and choose less of the best rather than more of the mediocre or poor and cheap.\u00a0 It should be a rule for life, insist on only putting something truly worthy into your mouth and your priceless body.\u00a0 Cook something simple but delicious with real food.\u00a0 For great ideas check out the mini how to videos and the great recipes at www.JamesWhelanButhers.com<\/a> or drop by the store in the Oakville shopping centre for a little food inspiration. I welcome your feedback to info@jwb.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of \u00a0James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin.\u00a0Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In Cork City last week I found a little treasure near City Hall.\u00a0 It\u2019s called L\u2019atitude 51 and is situated in what used to be The Lobby Bar.\u00a0 Indeed throughout the 1990s and I remember upstairs at the Lobby for the hundreds of great music gigs held there. Outside hasn\u2019t changed much from those heady […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[717,722,99,718,715,48,720,719,721,716,47],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n