Julie and Julia blogger slammed, 69 fish species banned, McDonald’s reward planned
• Food bloggers are ganging up on the real-life writer who inspired half of the film Julie and Julia. The rom-com chronicles Julie Powell’s journey though every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which Powell blogged about along the way. Now her foodie peers are mocking her credentials (“had she even heard of poulet au Bresse?”). [Gawker]
• Compass, the world’s largest caterer, has banned 69 species of threatened fish from its 6,500 locations in Britain and Ireland. That means no more bluefin tuna in Compass-run cafeterias and that most Atlantic cod will be off its menus. The ban could increase demand for the Pacific salmon, which means a smaller supply for Canadian chefs. [Guardian]
• McDonald’s will “reward” 300 of its top-performing Canadian employees with a trip to Vancouver to work at its restaurants during the 2010 winter games. The Olympic Champion Crew will staff restaurants in the Athlete’s Village, where they’ll get to serve both media and Olympians (although we doubt many figure skaters will order Big Macs). [Marketwire]
• A Seattle food blogger is envious of Toronto’s bagels, saying she can eat three of Gryfe’s before she even reaches the cash register. Unfortunately she also has a soft spot for St. Viateur’s of Montreal, stoking the city rivalry. [Seattle P.I.]
• The owner of the Flatiron and Firkin arrived at her restaurant yesterday morning to find chicken fingers and wet naps floating on the floor. A main burst near the Church and Wellington landmark around 6 a.m., causing water to rush in and seriously damage the floor. Here’s hoping they can at least get the patio open soon; it’s going to be a sunny Saturday. [Toronto Sun]
