WE ARE WHAT WE EAT & ALWAYS HAVE BEEN: Birminghamians are obsessed with food, with eating, with cooking, with restaurants. It didn’t start with the current crop of fine-dining establishments but rather with the workaday places that brought Birmingham into being in the first place – the iron and steel manufacturers.

Way back in 1927, right around the time that the Sloss-Sheffield Iron & Steel was modernizing its methods of pig iron production, the company launched a marketing inititative called Pig Iron Rough Notes. The mini-magazine consisted mostly of metallurgical matter, but also included a recipes page called “Gentleman Cooks.” These delicious formulas are the subject of a new book titled Man Food, as well as this week’s cover story.

Elsewhere in the paper we’ve got less appetizing news: Alabama Democratic Conference Chairman Joe Reed is all for black candidates – except the one running for president. But then again what do primaries matter in the age of making playlists?

In the New Year, the living is easy, at least for J’Mel Davidson. That guy means to live right in his own inimitable style.

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THE CONTENTS PAGE IS FULL OF LIES: Yep. The table of contents for Vol. 11, Issue 12 says that Kyle Whitmire’s “War on Dumb” can be found on page 4, when in fact what appeared on page 4 was a guide to the first-ever Downtown Holiday Open House (it went well, thanks for asking). And the contents page also said that Molly Folse’s story “Permission to Stare” about the awesome AXIS Dance Company was on page 23 or thereabouts, when in fact, it’s here. Otherwise, we meant every word we said, and that includes “Midterm Marks” for the Birmingham City Council, Courtney Haden’s consideration of I’m Not There, Jim Fahy’s contemplation of Dead Confederate and Carey Norris’ review of Lions for Lambs.

Next week, the truth will be revealed on the contents page – and a day early due to the holiday. Meanwhile, just prowl around www.bhamweekly.com

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The bird is the word – and with Thanksgiving less than a month away, it’s time to start planning your Nov. 22 feast:

At Whole Foods Market throughout the month of November, you can taste food from the store’s Thanksgiving menu that can be preordered online or in the store for pickup. The free tastings will feature dishes such as rosemary chestnut stuffing, green beans with caramelized garlic and chocolate bourbon Georgia pecan pie. Tasting dates and times are:
• Saturday, Nov. 3 from noon-2 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 4 from 4-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 10 from 4-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Culinard Catering is taking orders for their Thanksgiving/holiday dinners. From now until Nov. 19, you can place full dinner orders via phone. Each holiday order will serve eight to 10 people and will contain various traditional Thanksgiving dishes such as oven roasted turkey (12-14 pounds); honey glazed ham (12-14 pounds); cornbread dressing; brown turkey gravy; mashed potatoes; green bean casserole; sweet potato casserole; butter beans with applewood-smoked bacon, and pumpkin or apple pie. Dinners are $89 plus tax for orders with one pie, and $99 plus tax for orders with two pies.

Additional items such as dinner rolls, baguettes, sourdough bread, honey wheat bread, raisin walnut bread or pumpkin bread can be purchased for an additional $2.59 to $6 per order.

All orders must be placed by Nov. 19 and picked up at the Bakery at Culinard on Wednesday, Nov. 21. Warming instructions will accompany each dinner. Payment is due in advance. To place your Thanksgiving order, call Brooke Gillis at 271-8231.

At Tria Market in Homewood, you can order a variety of items from a Thanksgiving menu. You can choose from several sizes of all-natural, herb-roasted turkeys; Cajun-fried turkey; herb-roasted turkey breast; glazed hams (brown-sugar maple or apricot-sage chutney); fall vegetable gratin, sautéed fall vegetables; sautéed asparagus; garlic-mashed potatoes; sweet potato casserole; cornbread dressing (with chicken or oysters); three cheese macaroni; sautéed French beans; giblet gravy; mushroom gravy; cranberry sauce; breads; chocolate, key lime, pecan, pumpkin or apple pie; chocolate or pumpkin roulade; pumpkin chiffon cake; pumpkin cheesecake; and red velvet cake. Orders must be placed by Saturday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. and picked up by Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.

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DEAD BUT NOT GONE: That’s the best way to think of your dearly departed, particularly if you plan to attend the fifth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration at Bare Hands Gallery. This week’s cover story offers some history of the local celebration of the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead.

In fact, we’ve got cross-cultural offerings aplenty in and around the ‘Ham this week – the Jewish Food Festival at the Levite Jewish Community Center, the Russian Food Festival in Brookside, Ala., the Taste of Asian Cultural Festival near George Ward Park and Deepawali at Taj India.

If you eat, drink and make merry in half-a-dozen different languages, it might be enough to take your mind off the fact that a charity with connections to Birmingham mayor-elect Larry Langford is under investigation by the FBI and that Daylight Savings Time makes no sense. J’Mel Davidson’s stories of clowns and magicians don’t make a lot of sense either but we like them, particularly the one about Uncanny Alfie.

Oh, and the Steeldogs are done and gone. You can read about the way they were here.

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Did someone say чудесно? You will, no doubt, if you attend the annual Russian Food Festival in Brookside, Ala., this Saturday and Sunday. A former mining town in western Jefferson County bisected by Five-Mile Creek, Brookside was settled by European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century. Sloss Iron and Steel Company owned and operated four mines in the area; many of the laborers who worked in the mines had been recruited from the former Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European countries. A Russian Orthodox Church called St. Nicholas was founded in 1916 and since 1981 has hosted an annual festival that includes tours of the temple as well as food, drink, music and dancing that reflects the citizens’ cultural heritage.
The ladies of the Sisterhood of St. Olga prepare hot foods and baked goods every year, including a beet-and-meat soup called borshch; kolbasa and kraut; a cabbage dished called holupki; a meat pie called piroshki; potato and cheese dumplings called pirogi haluski; kolachis, rolled loaves filled with pecans, cheese, poppy seeds or almonds; and much more.
Festival hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The “Russian Beauties” ensemble of the Nastasha Russo Dance Arts company will perform at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Directions to St. Nicholas and a complete menu are online at www.brooksidealabama.com

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FINE ART & HAUNTING ARTIFACTS: Visitors to “Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption” will be treated to perhaps the most powerful exhibit that the Birmingham Museum of Art has ever had. For this week’s cover story, guest curator Robin Meador-Woodruff and exhibit designer Terry Beckham spoke to Glenny Brock about creating the exhibit.

Contemporary devastations are covered in this week’s edition too – in particular, the murder last weekend of Fernando Flores and the depressing prospect that, barring any unforeseen delays, Larry Langford will spend his first day as mayor of Birmingham in court rather than decorating his new office in City Hall. If it’s more bad news you’re looking for, check out how your home state scored in Forbes magazine’s annual survey of “America’s Greenest States.”

As always, the only solace to be found is to be found in art, food, music and fashion.

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND READ Or rather, what you eat can affect what you read, particularly if you’re a resident of Vestavia Hills. This month’s Local Dish tasting presented by Birmingham Weekly and hosted by Whole Foods Market is a fundraiser for the Vestavia Hills Library. A panel of chefs including Haller Magee of Satterfield’s, Jeremy Downey of City Hall Diner and Antony Osborne of Culinard will lead the tasting with an Oktoberfest theme, sampling sausages, seasonal mustards, beer and wine. All proceeds will go to the library building fund, helping to establish the first library in Alabama that’s “LEED-certified.” LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the rating designates structures built according to a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for high-performance sustainable architecture. You can learn more about the project at www.libraryintheforest.org. To learn more about the tasting and other events at Whole Foods, call 912-8400 or visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

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MONDAYS HAVE A CERTAIN MAGIC Particularly Magic City Mondays at Whole Foods Market. The in-store brasserie offers a wine-and-cheese special particularly suited to connoisseurs who can’t stand for the weekend to end. For $6.99, you can sample a flight of wine, with each vintage paired with an artisanal cheese. The curds and vino come from around the world and all are available for purchase at the store. For a complete schedule of food and wine events at Whole Foods, go to www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

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LOCAL FLAVOR

It’s a sure sign that summer’s over when the site of Pepper Place Market becomes a parking lot again (Saturday is the final day for this season’s plein-air produce shopping), but at least the season ends with bounty. This Sunday will be the fourth annual Break ‘N Bread festival at the site of the open-air market in Lakeview, and the menu features a wide array of local flavors more than 20 local restaurants. The fare includes everything from tapas and fried green tomatoes to fresh-catch seafood and hand-tossed pizza. General admission tickets to Break ‘N Bread cost $25 in advance and $30 at the gate. VIP tickets, which include access to the VIP tent, table service and an upgraded wine selection, cost $70 in advance and $75 at the gate. A complete menu is available online at www.birminghamoriginals.org.

For more Weekly Picks, visit Bhamweekly.com

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THIRTY YEARS IN THE TAKING: That’s the subhead of this week’s cover story, “Larry Langford’s Greatest Hits.” If ever 4,000 words might affect the decision you make in a polling booth, this is surely the time.

A few Five Points South business owners attended this week’s meeting of the Birmingham City Council, demanding to know what – if anything – the city plans to do about the crime that continues unabated in the flagging entertainment district.

Meanwhile, there’s music playing – Courtney Haden reviews Bruce Springsteen’s new CD Magic, Brent Thompson talks to Tea Leaf Green and Evan Gray gets into the earthy rhythms of Mickey Hart’s Global Drum Project.

The big news in this week’s Eat Beat is all about the Break ‘N Bread festival scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Pepper Place Market. The main reason to go, of course, is the food and beverages from more than 20 independently owned local restaurants. The other reason to attend Break ‘N Bread is that the festival marks the official release of the 2007-2008 Menu of Menus. The winners list and a few of the features will be in next week’s paper, but you’ll want the whole book for sure.

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