Keepingitreal

Salmonella found on pepper; FDA strengthens warning

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Investigators had a "significant break" in tracking the salmonella outbreak when they found the bacteria on a jalapeño pepper imported from Mexico at a Texas food supplier, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.The FDA also warned consumers not to eat fresh jalapeños and products made with fresh jalapeños. The discovery may provide a clue to the source of a recent outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The bacteria have sickened more than 1,200 people in 42 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "One of the jalapeño peppers has tested positive with a genetic match to the Saintpaul strand," said Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. He said officials are "looking at the chain that the peppers would have passed through to decide if any of them are a point of contamination." Tauxe called the discovery a "significant break." "While this one sample does not give us the whole story, this genetic break is very important," he said. "This will hopefully help us pinpoint the source of this outbreak."The bacteria were found at a distribution center in McAllen, Texas, and the distributor has agreed to recall the products. Although the pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, Tauxe said, investigators are not yet certain where the bacteria originated. Read food safety tips »"This does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico," he said. "We aren't only looking for the source, but the reason for the spread [of the outbreak]." The news comes just days after the FDA lifted its ban on consumption of certain raw tomatoes. The FDA has not ruled out tomatoes as the source of the original outbreak, but investigators have determined that tomatoes currently in fields and stores are safe, Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for food protection, said Thursday. Learn about the differences between salmonella and E. coli »The FDA is still investigating fresh tomatoes as a possible source of the outbreak. It is possible that tomatoes were paired with another food that was contaminated, Tauxe said.SOURCE: CNN.COM

THE BLACK DOT CAFE

Oakland: The Black New World Social Aid and Pleasure Club/Black Dot Café From the outside, The Black New World Social Aid and Pleasure Club in West Oakland, Calif., seems like a 1930s juke joint shanty. But when you walk inside, you step into another world. The vibe invokes a soul-stirring mixture of African ancestry, 1940s Oakland •avor, and youthful, passionate revolution.“I don’t think there’s any spot like it,” says poet, artist, and commu•nity activist Marcel Diallo, founder of the club. “Not on this side of the Mississippi. It’s a continuum of the black cultural, spiritual, and political legacy in Oakland.” Diallo established the Social Aid and Pleasure Club in November 2005. Since then, the club has hosted some of the most provocative and exciting musicians, activists, and artists of our day. On a given weekend, you may see Dwight Trible, Amiri Baraka, Bobby Seale, David Murray, or the Hot Eight Jazz Band come through. The Club’s sister spot, The Black Dot Café, located two short blocks away, just reopened two months ago. Serving food and beverages from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, the café has become a neighborhood town hall. It’s also an after-hours hangout, open until 4 a.m. some Fridays and Saturdays, depending on what’s going down at the club. –Kuwana Haulsey 836 Pine St., West Oakland, Calif. 510.451.4661. blacknewworld.com.

New Soul Food Recipes for the Holiday Season

Thanksgiving celebrations, holiday gatherings, Pastors' Anniversaries, Women's and Men's Day Celebrations, Sorority and Fraternity meetings, National Community Conventions and family reunions are all well-known community gatherings that take place during the holidays that have food as its centerpiece. So often "menus" for such gatherings feature soul food mainstays like fried chicken, catfish, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and collard greens. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has created a new tool to assist in planning healthy meals without sacrificing flavor for the next church, community or holiday gathering. This month, the ADA will publish THE FAMILY STYLE SOUL FOOD DIABETES COOKBOOK, its fourth cookbook by well-known dietitians Fabiola D. Gaines and Roniece A. Weaver. The popular authors are joined this time by Dietitian Rojean L. Williams and Executive Chef Shawn Fralin to serve up healthy varieties of traditional soul food dishes the entire family will love. "As the holidays approach, we feel our new Family Style Soul Food Cookbook makes an excellent resource in bringing the family together with delicious and nutritious meals," states Ms. Lee Romano Sequeira, Director - Book Promotions, Rights & Special Sales for the American Diabetes Association. "While being a beneficial tool for families, churches and community organizations, the Family Style Soul Food Diabetes Cookbook also shows how to prepare the traditional soul food favorites, but in a new, exciting and healthy way."Today's African Americans have new health concerns not shared by their ancestors. With 3.2 million Africans Americans suffering from medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity and children showing risks of diabetes at a younger age due to excessive amounts of high-fat and high-sugar foods, "it has become apparent to us that there is a need to evaluate the nutritional content of soul food and to find exciting ways to improve its nutritional value while maintaining culture and tradition," say the cookbook authors. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

The Democratization of Wine

Until recent years, when it came to buying wine, many people assumed that more expensive is more impressive. But, let’s face it – few can afford a legendary Chateau Margaux for a Tuesday night pasta dinner, at home. Nowadays, Americans are increasingly enjoying the simple luxury of pairing a meal with an interesting wine, without breaking the budget. Contrary to what many people in the US may believe, there has always been a large selection of affordable wines in European supermarkets and bodegas. In Spain, France or Italy, drinking wine with the main meal of the day is not uncommon, regardless of economic status. When buying meat or vegetables at the market, the consumer may pick up a $3 or $4 bottle to accompany a simple meal. Charles Shaw wines, which cost a mere $1.99 per bottle, turned the American wine industry upside down since its debut, in 2002. Now celebrating its 5-year anniversary, “Two Buck Chuck,” as it is affectionately called, is owned by Branco Wines, in Napa Valley. Nephew to wine giant Ernest Gallo, Branco CEO Fred Franzia owns 30 brands of wine, resulting in sales of over $300 million per year. Franzia has publicly stated that he believes no bottle of wine is worth more than $10. SOURCE OF THIS STORY