chez pim

The Anti-diet, rations from the World Food Programme

I'm exploring a different side of food here today on Chez Pim. Not the usual romp among the delights of gastronomy, but a more realistic look, perhaps, at the state of the world. A couple of days ago, a package arrived from the World Food Programme headquarter in Rome. Inside the box were a few examples of typical emergency ration distributed by the WFP to the hungry and needy around the world. Greg Barrows of the WFP suggested I try them. I thought that might be fun, so I said yes.

I know, I know, it was glib of me to think that something like that might be fun. But in my defense, I could hardly help it, food is fun for me, and for many of you too I'm sure. It's only when I opened the package that the reality of the situation set in. The stuff they sent looked more than grim. I wondered to myself if I should talk about those rations at all, if juxtaposing High Energy Biscuits –that look sort of like compacted sawdust- with the usual talk of fancy food around here would just be too, you know, weird or heartless or...something.

Menu for Hope III: 18K!!

We did it! We did it! We did it!!!!! (And we are not even done yet!)

Thank you so much for the outpouring of support. In just four days we've exceeded the total amount we raised during the entire last year's campaign!!!

We are $18,040.00 right now, as of 12.06, PST

We have another week to go. Let's see how far we could take it until then!

And to get you to buy even more raffle tickets, we've got more great prizes that have just been added. Check our full list of prizes here.

Roll your mouse over each picture to see the prize code and description, click on it to see the prize in details.

Menu for Hope: Help us fight hunger

Find a prize you fancy and join our Menu for Hope today.

Help us help the World Food Programme feed the hungry.

Menu for Hope III: the No-food Diet

This is a real story of a mother who tricked her starving children to sleep with a promise of a hot meal when they woke up, as told to a WFP aid worker.

Help us help the WFP feed the hungry. Find a prize that strikes your fancy and join our fundraising raffle today. You might win some very cool prizes, and perhaps one less mother will need a stone soup for her children.

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

Menu for Hope III: new prizes!!!

The second day of our Menu for Hope III is drawing to a close, and we are merely a few dollars away from hitting our first $10,000!!! Thank you so much.

We've also got new prizes that have just been added to the campaign. They range from a personally signed copy of the Charcuterie book from the über author and new blogger Michael Ruhlman himself, to a pizza tour of New York, a country lunch in Normandy, a custom tour of the streets of Bangkok, and many more.

I will be adding them to the main Menu for Hope list, but I also want to highlight them here on this post so they don't get lost in the big list.

Move your cursor over any picture to see the prize code and short description. Click on it to read about that prize in the glorious details. You may also go directly to the donation site to donate to the UN World Food Programme.

Here are the new prizes that have just been added to our campaign.

Menu for Hope III: prizes from Chez Pim

I've been too busy writing the round-up prizes that I haven't got a chance to highlight the prizes that I've managed to hoodwink persuade some generous people I know to offer for our Menu for Hope this year. I'm getting into it now, and just in time to announce a very cool new addition that just came in this afternoon.

With no further ado, Chez Pim is proud to present these prizes........

Ok....maybe just another small ado, in case you haven't noticed, we raised over $8,000 already!!!! And we're not even done with our second day yet!

Alright, alright, now on to the prizes proudly presented chez moi.

Menu for Hope III

Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world get together for a fundraising campaign. We call it 'Menu for Hope'. Last year, we raised $17,000 to help UNICEF.

This year, Menu for Hope III raises funds to support the UN World Food Programme, which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. To us Food Bloggers, food is a joy. On our blogs, we celebrate food as a delight or even an indulgence. Unfortunately, for many others who share our world do not share that privilege. For them, food is a matter of survival. This "Menu for Hope" is our small way to help.

On our Menu this year is a great list of amazing food related prizes. We hope that they will entice you to give whatever you can, and with some luck you can win unique and wonderful food gifts offered up by food bloggers from around the world.

The rule is pretty easy. For every US$10 you donate, you may claim one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. The more you give, the better your chance to win. The campaign is scheduled to run from now until Friday 22nd, 6PM PST. So get a move on!

We have plenty of great prizes, including a chance at a meal of your life at the renown Tetsuya's in Sydney, the 2-Michelin Starred Manresa in California, Iggy's in Singapore, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London, and more. We offer unique experiences, such as a chance to have coffee with Thomas Keller, or even a cup of tea with Harold McGee. There are also lots and lots of cookbooks, including signed and hard to find items. Also on offer are plenty of goodies from all corners of the world, scrumptious tours, and many other delicious experiences.

Ok, enough intro already, let's get to the fun stuff, shall we?

Purple is the new brown

Brown is the new black