FOOD GLORIA'S FOOD - February 2016 - Kansas City

Alphabet Soup

By Gloria Gale

Meet a locavore, vegetarian, and Japanese family – all practicing conscientious eating.

Canihaveabite

Kathy Hale thinks food is the answer to most of our problems.

She sprouts a mantra, “Food is the best medicine. How it was grown/raised, how it was processed, how it was prepared – is the key to good health.”

Makes sense.

So Hale put her thoughts into action and opened Canihaveabite an online site that creates real food she gathers locally, prepares and delivers.

Hale says, “We believe in real food and eat the spectrum of choices. And, when it comes to food, we never see limitations; we see new ways of creating. So we prepare weekly dishes that are gluten free, dairy free and allergy free. We use local grass finished meats and pasture raised chickens. When catering, we use goat cheese, sheep’s milk cheese and raw milk cheese. We use pasture raised eggs and real butter. We talk to the farmers. We can tell you the story behind every dish, from the raw ingredients to the final deliciously distinctive product. We joyfully taste and test every dish that is prepared. We love what we do, and it shows.”

Hale’s interest began in the l970’s on the cusp of the food movement that was gaining momentum. As her interest continued to blossom designing recipes and offering delicious food to likeminded customers eventually became Canihaveabite.

It’s beautiful food prepared with love tailored to the way you eat.

www. Canihaveabite.com

Juice Man

We’re all aware that maintaining a healthy diet isn’t easy.

Bill Mathews didn’t fall off the turnip truck when he committed to eating better. He simply had an epiphany while watching a television show on juicing.

“I don’t normally pay attention to the talking heads but when the subject turned to juicing I started to pay attention and decided to make a radical shift in the way I eat.”

That was 15 years ago and Mathews, a professional photographer, juices daily. He also became a vegetarian. “Not just for the ethical reasons but for the health of it,” he says. “Within two weeks of changing from meat to a plant based diet, I felt better.” He doesn’t cook but chooses his dining out spots selectively. As a result, the simpler the food, the easier it is to maintain the course.

Partners from afar

Mom, Momoyo, husband, Fumiyaki, and their children So, Mina and Rika Yanigahara have astute observations about the American diet.

Residents of Leawood for the past 2 years, this native Japanese family has made the transition to our shores but continues to embrace their age-old culinary customs.

“We noticed when we first came here the food was very salty, much more so than in Japan. It was also sweeter,” says Momoyo.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, “Portion size…enormous compared to Japan,” she adds amusingly.

Eating in instead of out is the norm for Momoyo, who likes to cook healthy. “A typical breakfast will consist of rice, miso soup, egg or fish. This big breakfast is eaten together at the table. Lunch is rice, soup a protein such as pork or chicken all nestled in a Bento Box that can be packed and carried, much like your lunch boxes. Rice is a staple that fills you up and accompanies dinner, beef, often sliced very thin, pork, chicken or fish and two vegetable sides.”

Tokyo has as much or more variety in food as the United States – the difference according to Momoyo, “We do not snack; we use salt and sugar sparingly and, eat rice at every meal to fill us up.”

That hasn’t prevented the Yanigahara’s from enjoying the occasional trip out for Barbeque – this time without rice!

Kansas City writer, producer, and photostylist Gloria Gale is a sleuth when it comes to discovering interesting features for the media.

As a native she's compiled a burgeoning collection of editorial features on food, travel and lifestyle for national and local magazines, books, individuals, and corporate clients.

Most recently, Gloria profiled area restaurants as a columnist for 435 Magazine and was one of KCUR's Food Critics radio program.

Want to know where to find the best tastes in town? Contact Gloria: ggale@everestkc.net