The Fake Or The Real Thing

 Can a chicken be cloned? Or a filet mignon copied? They may someday soon and wind up in our supermarkets. It may sound like a science fiction story but it's true.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this new facet of the food industry in today's New York Times Food section. Cloning has been around for decades, and a form of it is interesting a number of people.Ms. Severson spent time at Upside Foods in San Francisco. The scientists there take healthy cells from chicken ad create cutlets that even taste better than the actual birds. They soon will be experimenting with beef and lobster. The idea for this came from Dr. Uma Valeti, a cardiologist who helped start the company in 2015. He was convinced that the same medical technology used to grow stem cells or repair a human heart  could now grow food. Now tissue engineers and scientists  in several countries are trying to transform stem cells in the pricey Wagyu steak, oysters and sushi-grade salmon. Nearly three billion dollars in investments are funding this , the money coming from such giants as Archer-Daniel-Midlands and the Brazlian meat giant JBS. Bill Gates and Leonardo di Caprio, a big environmentalist are also funding it as is the Agriculture Department and Qatar Investment Authority

Despite their potential good, lab grown meats have their down side. Opponents say that the process ignores both culture and nature. It could be scientifically risky,  creating potential allergens and untested byproducts.It could also create waste that would be a biohazard. Stem cell meats also ignore the time tested regenerative agricultural practices in favor of unproven gains of environmental gain. Alan Lewis, one skeptic who works for the Natural Grocers health food chain. He questions why eat this meat when you can have the plant based ones. The leap to consume synthetic protein seems entirely unnecessary. How does synthetic meat come into being? It begins with stem cells from an animal biopsy, an egg or even a feather. These multiply rapidly in a stainless steel tank called a bioreactor or cultivator. The cells feed on a complex broth that contains nutrients like carbohydrates and amino acids. There's also some type of unnamed growth factor that can turn into muscle fat or connective tissue.  Taste and nutrition are controlled by cell selection and the broth they grew in. Some find the meat tastes better than the real thing and chefs like Jose Andres and Dominqu Cren are behind it.Yet only one in ten Americans would try this while only a third in Britian said they would give it a shot.

Is cultured chicken, beef or lobster the food of the future? Possibly. If plant based burgers  can make it , then so can this,

Spain In New York

The Iberian Peninsula has so many delicious and flavorful dishes. Now New Yorkers can have the best of Spain thanks to culinary greats Jose Andres and Ferran Adria. These two famed chefs along with Chef Adria's brother, Albert have brought the best of their country to underneath the famed High Line walkway and Manhattan's newest mall. Their mercado or market is worth a trip to the city on a hot summer's day.

Pete Well,s restaurant critic for the New York Times visited the market and highlighted the best dishes for yesterday's NYT 's Food section. This is a drool worthy pictorial that features a vast array of savory and sweet dishes.The place itself , called Mercado Little Spain, is situated underneath Hudson Yards, a melange of mall, hotel (home of the famed Equinox Hotel),  food court and residences.  You can easily see most of the above however it's the mercado that is the most interesting. According to Mr.  Wells, stick to the kiosks. The restaurants , in his words "are poky and a bit green". There are Lena - which offers grilled suckling pig(!) and lamb and Mar - a seafood restaurant featuring all sorts of seafood. There is also The Spanish Diner which is a Spanish take on American diner cuisine.It offers classics such as pan con tomate and French toast. Best to stick to the many kiosks that offer everything from savory to sweet, decadent to awesome.

There are pictures of the best dishes and all can make you take a trip to the mercado. There is the classic gazpacho which would drive me over there. It's blended with bread crumbs which undoubtedly gives it another layer of flavor and texture.Another must try is pan con tomate made with pan cristal or glass bread. Its' crumb is so delicate that it breaks like glass yet toughens up when olive oil is poured in it. Another worthy bite is chistorria con patatas fritas, a potato chip like fritter stuffed with a small sausage. There are the original empanadas, not those crescent shaped pasties but squares of flaky crust filled with tuna or stewed pork.  Of course the sweets rule too. There is the classic churro, crispy and dense with a rich bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce. Another must taste is Albert Adria's cardenal,  meringue domes gracing a sponge cake.It comes with a small creamer of dark molten chocolate for more decadence. For a real naughty treat try the pina borracha or drunk pineapple, shot through with dark rum and spiked with chopped mint and lime zest.A more sedate yet heavenly alternative is the tarta de queso, a cheesecake with a blackened crust and fluffy , light interior.

New York in the summer can be hellish. Get a bit of heaven and visit the Mercado Little Spain. It is worth visiting for the variety of delicious foods of Spain.