Palo Alto became the latest stop for food writer and investigator Michael Pollan.
Pollan's newest book "Cooked" looks at the how four elements—fire, water, air and earth—transform the food we eat and therefore transform how they affect human bodies.
During his stop at Sur la Table before about 40 people, Pollan demonstrated how to make kimchi, the pickled Korean cabbage dish. Pollan talks about pickling in his Earth chapter.
Pollan explained that the longer the kimchi or other vegetable sit in a jar, it releases a by-product of the fermentation—carbon dioxide. The fermentation takes place of the bacteria in the food.
"This is my first time making this," Pollan admitted as he pushed the kimchi into a jar. "So don't forget the scallions, which I forgot."
Let the pickled vegetable sit in room temperature and air it out every so often to release the carbon dioxide. Remove any mold you see—it's still safe to eat Pollan said if only a bit. Then refrigerate when you find a taste level you enjoy.
Pollan also delved into some of the questions asked by the attendees, not just limited to the production of food, but also it's politics.
"I have been fortunate that a lot of my stuff has been published in The New Times," he said and added that probably because they don't have a lot of food advertisers. "They balance it out by publishing an Op-Ed piece that attacks me."
Pollan said that putting food into a school curriculum could be very beneficial because not only do kids learn how to make and eat food, but he can learn the science and economics of food too.
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