And shades of Calvin Trillin, the food writer who during the eighties campaigned against Mid-American restaurants called something like, “La Maison de la Casa House, Continental Cuisine.” When someone wanted him to go to one, he’d ask, “When you take your family out to eat, where do you go?” It was generally to a barbecue place. Trillin loved barbecue . . . but what would you expect of a man who said, “The best restaurants in the world are, of course, in Kansas City. Not all of them. Only the top four or five.”

     I tried the Trillin system in New Orleans (before Katrina), and wound up in a great place with linoleum floors and baby highchairs. And a waitress who called me “honey” and showed me how to pick apart about a bushel of crawfish. A lovely meal.

     ROADFOOD will introduce you to many more. Check it out when you’re planning a trip.

http://roadfood.com/

SLOW FOOD

     Yes, there’s a real SLOW FOOD organization, and, yes, they’re serious. In 1986 the founder, Carlo Petrini, recognized that the industrialization of food was leading to the destruction of thousands of food varieties and flavors. Ones that, once they’re gone, can’t be retrieved. SLOW FOOD is taking the lead to save food after food of our world heritage!

     For SLOW FOOD, USA, go to:

http://slowfoodusa.org/

     For SLOW FOOD, INTERNATIONAL, go to:

http://www.slowfood.com/

WHERE TO PICNIC IN AMERICA

     Alan Eastep has been picnicking his way across the U.S. for some summers now, taking a different route each year. He has “researched over 291 places to picnic and things to do in over 40 USA cities with photos, maps and more.”

http://www.alanskitchen.com/PICNICKING/default.html

IMAGINATIVE PICNICS

     RECIPE LINK has some of the most imaginative Fourth of July picnic ideas I’ve seen – as in barbecued shrimp and grilled pizza.

http://www.recipelink.com/picnics.html

     And then there are . . . romantic picnics. Which leads to the question: Ants are romantic? Well, the site has a picture of a couple at a romantic picnic, and it does look like ants are the last thing on their minds. The site, LOVING YOU, is in fact a website about romance, as in “romantic finger foods.” The Internet has everything else, and I suppose romantic finger foods were bound to arrive sooner or later.

http://holidays.lovingyou.com/summer/picnicfortwo.shtml