Rachel Litner Associates

Mr. Roboto Gets a Byline

Robotic journalism has arrived.  In a recent New York Times article, Steve Lohr writes about a technology start-up in Illinois that’s come up with a computer program that can write news articles. Right now, the company’s software can take information from sports statistics or financial data, and turn it into a story using a specific set of algorithms.  One of the owners of the company predicts that in five years his technology will win a Pulitzer Prize.

What’s wrong with this picture??  Whatever happened to the writer connecting with the reader?  This whole concept kind of freaks me out, to tell you the truth.  I’m not knocking efficiency, and totally get that now, more than ever, journalism is both an art and a business.  But this business model is taking the art right out of the equation, and it’s insulting.  This software merely relays information in a mechanized fashion – barely a step above box scores or a stock ticker – and comes nowhere close to connecting with readers.  For the sake of readers and writers everywhere, let’s hope that this glorified paper mill never wins a Pulitzer.

ProPublica’s Latest Venture: “Reporting Recipes”

I’ve been a fan of Paul Steiger’s for years, so when the former WSJ managing editor left the newspaper in 2007 to start ProPublica, an online venture devoted to covering stories that would spur change, I thought it spoke volumes about where journalism was heading. Now ProPublica has expanded its approach by sharing what it calls “reporting recipes,” case studies that show how a news organization can prompt change through journalism.

Here’s a case where a brick & mortar newshound who spent most of his career in print found a voice within a new web platform. A platform that serves a definite purpose and is evolving with the times. This is worth checking out

http://www.propublica.org/feature/why-were-giving-away-our-reporting-recipe-304

What NPD Says about our "Daily Meal Clock"

Here are some more good nuggets from last week’s “Eating In” webinar presented by The Food Institute, based on a new survey from The NPD Group:

Breakfast takes about 24 minutes from start to finish (5 minutes to prep, 5.2 to cook, 13 to eat)

• Despite a rapid increase in breakfast meals purchased at restaurants, 76% of breakfasts are still eaten at home using products from the supermarket.  (This is especially interesting because there’s such a big push for breakfast food these days from all kinds of companies.  Even Subway came out with a breakfast sandwich recently.)
• Home-prepared breakfasts cost about a third of breakfasts bought away from home.

People spend more time eating lunch than any other meal.  Lunch averages 44 minutes (7 minutes to prep, 9 minutes to cook and 28 minutes to eat).

• And for all you PB&J lovers out there, guess what the most popular sandwich is? Ham, with PB&J in second place.

Dinner takes about 60 minutes from start to finish (11 minutes to prep, 16 to cook, 23 to eat and 11 to clean)

• Taste is still the top motivation driving dinnertime food and beverage choices, followed by convenience.
• Almost 60% of decisions on what to serve for dinner are made within an hour of the meal and another 26% are made the same day. So, consumers need to have all the necessary ingredients at home before they decide what to make or they will likely fall back on the option of bringing home a prepared meal.

 

Making the Most of Being Immobolized

Breaking my foot was not on my list of things to accomplish this winter. But lo and behold, it happened. With my foot in a boot and crutches, everyday tasks such as getting a glass of water (or wine), talking on the phone while cleaning, or cooking has become a delicate balancing act. However, there are some tricks that have made the process go a lot smoother.

 In the kitchen, it’s all about consolidating trips: trips to the refrigerator, cabinets and stove. I take everything out at once and sit down during meal prep to cut mega amounts of veggies and fruits for cooking and snacking. Since I can’t exercise, I’m trying to stock up on as many healthy munchies as I can. By the way, Kellog’s “chocolatey drizzle” 90-calorie breakfast bars are great to satisfy your sweet tooth. I can’t live without my chocolate.

For a much more comprehensive resource on real menu planning on one leg, check out this post from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn:  Recipes To Make While Standing On One Foot. There are some great tips and ideas that work for anyone looking for easy, interesting recipes – even without the crutches!  

"Eating In" Insights from NPD

What a great webinar I sat in on yesterday! The Food Institute presented “Eating In,” based on a new 2,000 household survey from The NPD Group that was packed with insights and stats about the challenges consumers face around mealtimes, and what food manufacturers and retailers can do about it. NPD is one of the first websites I turn to when looking for housewares and cooking trends, so I figured it would be an hour well-spent. And I was right.

The overall premise of the survey is that consumers are looking for meal solutions, not just product info that can’t be translated into practical applications.

Here are some of the points that struck a chord with me:

• The average cost per person of an in-home meal is $2.36 vs. $6.37 from a restaurant.

• Convenience is still the golden rule for home cooks (as if we haven’t heard this stressed enough over the years).  Mealtime starts before the pantry door is opened and it isn’t finished until the dishes are done. That’s a key reason that menus have become simpler and the definition of an “eat-at-home” evening meal has expanded to include the full range of options: ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, ready-to-cook, and scratch ingredients.

• The web continues to play a critical role in the way consumers plan their meals and in reaching the people who influence the decision-making.  Consumers are trying to do more pre-planning when it comes to meals and they are looking for help – which makes online planning tools and recipe widgets more important than ever.

• As for reaching the decision-makers, we all know that moms are a huge target market. What we don’t hear as much about is that they are primarily basing their meal decisions on requests from their own family members. NPD says that family requests are the most valued source of meal-planning ideas, trumping cookbooks and store flyers.  Which is why Facebook and Twitter should always be factored into the marketing equation since they are used by moms and kids alike.

• Mealtime planning gets especially complex for families at dinnertime, when everyone is on a different schedule and has varying food preferences to boot. How can moms bring all these variables together and still come up with a meal that’s healthy, flavorful and prepared quickly? Enter the web, and a call to develop more online planning tools for families that make it fun – even educational – for family members to contribute to meal planning.

 

Walking the Housewares Show...Virtually

                         

                                              

I’ve never missed a Chicago Housewares Show- until last month when I broke my foot by slipping on ice while walking the dog. At first, I couldn’t imagine not being there. There were so many people I looked forward to seeing, not to mention checking out what’s new and well, just being there.

Luckily there were lots of “eyes and ears” at the show and people to fill me in. One of them is Bev Bennett, an author and recipe developer who has a great way of bottom-lining everything. Here’s her take on the key trends at the show:

Overall, the show was a greater reflection of green, easy, aspirational cooking, and home entertaining, since fewer people are eating out these days. For example:

·         Most cookware companies introduced nonstick cookware without Teflon but marketed it as green or eco-friendly, not diet cookware

·         Water bottles and filtration are big

·         Slow cookers are evolving. Some aren’t even called slow cookers anymore but are designed with more versatility to handle broader cooking applications

·         Indoor electric stovetop grills, griddles and waffle makers are prominent

·         There’s more evidence of healthy eating with make your own yogurt kits and grind your own grains (shades of the 70’s)

·         Lots of make your own soda sparkling water equipment – not necessarily new but available in greater numbers

A Big Demand for Small Plates

Small plates are everywhere. In new menu offerings at restaurants, holiday recipes, party themes, food trend articles, you name it. And for good reason. They offer great variety and give us an excuse to share our dishes around the table - which is more fun anyway. Tapas-style menus are among my favorites, but that's also because I love bread so I get the best of both worlds. Anything that has to do with Meditteranean food is at the top of my list, for that matter.

Here are just a few recent stories about small plate offerings and trends that caught my eye: 

Restaurant of the Future? from The Wall Street Journal 

2010 Trend: Artisanal Breakfasts from Food & Wine

And, among the latest small plate menus worth checking out, of course, there's Bugaboo Creek Steak House (check out the sharable starters)  and The Office Beer Bar & Grill, to name a few.

Home Composting: What took me so long??

I finally started composting, which was on my "to do" list forever. It's become so second nature that I can't believe it took me so long. A recent workshop given at the Livingston, NJ library on home composting basics was a great help in answering questions and sharing info with other residents. Tricia Idrobo, teacher by day and composting maven, led the workshop and drew a solid crowd, including writers from www.patch.com, which led to some lively conversations. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with composting - it's essentially the transformation of organic material (plant matter) through decomposition, into a soil-like dark rich material - "black gold."  It involves purchasing a composting bin (I got mine for about $50 through the town, it's the size of an outdoor trash can). Then, you mix "browns" and "greens" together in your bin on a regular basis. Browns include shredded paper, cardboard, and brown leaves, and Greens include vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters. Add water as needed, and then aerate for oxygen every week. 

I set everything up in early November, so it will still be a while before I see significant results. It could take six weeks to six months to produce harvest finished compost that can ultimately be used for garden fertilizer, soil building or potting mix. Will keep you posted! For great articles and other info, check out www.howtocompost.com.

Food Bloggers on Gourmet, Hot Shows and Trends

We all know food is the stuff that sparks deep emotions and a sense of community that goes way beyond your basic recipe. Last night's food blogger event in NYC was all about giving people a "platform for their passions," as Kat Kinsman (AOL FOOD/Slashfood) says.  Other panelists were from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn, The Food Section, and The Nibble. A really good discussion, sponsored by PRSA-NY.

Here's a quick recap:

• Did the food bloggers kill Gourmet? No, it was a business decision, McKinsey killed Gourmet. And of course, Chris Kimball's anti-blogger NY Times op ed about Gourmet came up too.

• What are readers talking about? Gluten-free, slow cooking and bacon (now there's a wacky trio). Plus, the ever-addictive Food TV shows. And in between all the nail-biting competitions, sometimes we even pick up a cooking tip or two. Remember PBS?? 

• What's on their "must-attend" food trade show lists? Fancy Food and Food Fete.

• The FTC's Dec '09 guidelines for bloggers requiring full disclosure of freebies and payments:   The panelists said it won't have a huge impact on them, they'll add a tagline and move on.

Gourmet Show and the Golden Gate Bridge

Just came back from the San Francisco Gourmet Show on Monday. As expected, traffic was down, big time, but there were still some great products to check out, especially in the cleaning and kitchen tools category. Among my favorites: Goodbye Detergent! (Just Say No to Soap!); two lumps of sugar; fusionbrands; and last but not least, StuckOnTools, the brainchild of a surgeon-turned product developer.

Of course, in kitchen electrics the big story was Cuisinart, and the debut of the company's new Elite food processor collection. OK so I'm biased, but I'm not the only one that loves the product. It's hitting retail shelves now and the feedback from buyers and press is super positive. People love the fact that the blade locks in place, the unit is so quiet, among other things. Check it out here, and look for the podcast on Homeworld magazine's website from the show, which should be posted soon.

And what conversation about San Francisco is complete without mentioning restaurants?? I loved Zuni Cafe, whose chef and co-owner is Judy Rodgers. The restaurant is all about seasonal organic ingredients with a French and Italian cuisine influence. Definitely have the roasted chicken for two, their signature dish. Another great place is La Mar, a wonderful Peruvian restaurant located at the Ferry Building. We tried an array of food - cebiches, empanadas, the works, just for fun. A feast of flavors, and a great view to boot!