Town Tour -- Laboring Over the Stove: A Working Definition of Detroit Cuisine

If I had $675 to spare, believe me, I would be the first to register for the American Table Culinary Tour of Detroit. After all, what better way to enjoy a couple of days than learning about a combo of food, history and Detroit?

The tour, which is coming to Detroit June 26-28, will focus on the culinary wonders that surround the city and America's Auto Industry. Some highlights of the 2-day tour include:

• A coney dog showdown hosted by UAW V.P. Jimmy Settles;
• Discussion of dugout eats by Curtis Granderson (my FAVORITE Tiger!);
• "Houses of Worship" tour led by Detroit Free Press columnist/co-editor of The Detroit Almanac Bill McGraw (samples of pierogies, burrma and baklava will be noshed along the way);
• Tour of the historic Germack Pistachio Company;
• A presentation by Ari Weinzweig -- founder of Ann Arbor's famous Zingerman's Deli;
• A shopping trip to Eastern Market led by Lois Johnson and Margaret Thomas, authors of Detroit's Eastern Market: A Farmers Market Shopping and Cooking Guide;
• A breakfast at Avalon Bakery;
• Picnic on Belle Isle;
• Baking lessons where tourgoers can learn the art of making Mexican cakes, Middle Eastern pastries or Southern sweet potato pies;
• Festivities will conclude at Cadieux Café, a featherbowling bar.

To view the itinerary (and drool over the mouth-watering descriptions), click onto this site: http://www.tabletours.org/itinerary.html

Hope some foodie reporters out there cover this event hardcore so I can live vicariously through them. I can't wait to see what wonderful stories are written about what everyone is able to experience -- all in the yummy, cultural city of Detroit.

Thanks for choosing Detroit, American Table. Annnd, in 40=/- years when I retire, feel free to come back to Detroit so I can take the tour myself.

Name the newest addition to the Detroit Zoo!

From freep.com:

ROYAL OAK: Help Detroit Zoo name its baby zebra
January 18, 2008
The zoo wants help naming its new baby.

The zebra, a 75-pound foal, is the daughter of 15-year-old Elvira and 6-year-old ZZ.

To submit a name, go to the zoo's Web site, http://www.detroitzoo.org/, by Feb. 8. Zoo officials will select the top five names and post them on the Web site for a public vote.

The most popular name will be announced in late February.

...I'm brainstorming!!!!

Haitian Baby Saved

PHOTOGRAPH BY REGINA H. BOONE

I read a story the other day by Patricia Montemurri of Twist about a Michigan girl who had such a big heart to save a Haitian baby that had a tumor the size of a baseball and was incredibly touched.

The story highlighted 20-year-old Midland native Mallery Thurlow and her love of God and calling to be a missionary to the people of Haiti - one of the world's poorest countries.

Reading this gives me hope for our future... and shows the world that all us younglings aren't selfish... It also shows how people coming together can make a giant difference in the life of an innocent (and adorable) child. Read the story here and prepare to be touched.