Beans

Thousands of Mexican farmers, some herding cows, flooded into the capital and set a tractor on fire to demand government protection against U.S. farm imports. Final trade barriers to agricultural products in North America were lifted this month under the North American Free Trade Agreement, opening Mexico for the first time to tariff-free U.S. exports of staple foods such as corn and beans. Farmers complain the government is not doing enough to protect them from competition from subsidized U.S. goods.

Ernesto Illy, 82, longtime head of Italian coffee giant Illycaffe S.p.A who traveled the world in search of the best blend of beans, died Sunday in a hospital in Trieste, the port city in northeastern Italy where the company has its headquarters. No cause of death was given. Illy was born in Trieste on July 18, 1925, the son of Francesco Illy, who founded the company in 1933. A chemist trained at the University of Bologna, Ernesto Illy was president of the company from 1963 to 2004.

Procter & Gamble Co. said it reduced the price of Folgers ground coffee for the first time in 2 1/2 years as bean costs fell. The price of Folgers ground coffee in 10.5-ounce containers sold to U.S. retailers dropped 20 cents, or 6.5%, said Bryan Brown, a P&G spokesman in Cincinnati. The cost of green coffee, beans that haven't been roasted, has fallen "sharply" in the last two weeks, Brown said, spurring Folgers, the top-selling U.S. coffee brand, to charge less for the first time since August 2005.

WHAT a sheer delight, Russ Parsons' article on beans, lamb, cowboys and his own past ["Beans Again? Gussy 'Em Up!" March 1]. Thank you. The article was well received and is being shared with very special foodie friends way beyond L.A. CLAUDIA SHAMBAUGH \o7Irvine \f7

Dear SOS: My sister and I were in Santa Barbara recently. When we stopped at the Chase Restaurant & Lounge, they served a bean appetizer for happy hour. My sister loved it and ate two helpings. They said it was an old family recipe. S. ACKERMAN \o7Capistrano Beach \f7Dear S. Ackerman: Sonia Rosinka, owner of the Chase Restaurant & Lounge, says these beans are a Romany (gypsy) dish from the former Yugoslavia, traditionally served during Lent as well as during a three-day fast in December that honors Saint Nicholas.

Re "Who's Counting Beans Now?" editorial, Jan. 8: The Times is quite right to point out Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's newfound concern about mandated spending. It was also on solid footing when it chastised the Democratic Legislature for its profligacy when our fiscal crisis reached critical mass during the recall campaign. However, I'm waiting for one more editorial. That would be the one that confesses The Times did everything in its rhetorical power to encourage the free-spending ways of our politicians.

I'VE always hated beans. Black beans, cranberry beans, kidney beans and, most especially, lima beans. I didn't care that beans were, arguably, the world's most important food crop. I hated them anyway, right up until one dark and windy night about a month ago. A succession of rainstorms were predicted for Los Angeles. I was expecting a house guest who, given the weather and airline schedules, might be late by hours, or days. What to have on the stove?

Are you a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person? Ford or Chevrolet? Mustard or mayonnaise? It's hard to articulate exactly what these preferences say about a person, but knowing the answers somehow tells you a lot about the individual in question. When the holidays roll around, the question could be, "Are you a New Year's Eve person or a New Year's Day person?"

I liked the Back to Basics column (May 27), but I wish you hadn't recommended cutting the ends off the beans without explaining further. Back in the 1960s, my mother, who then worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said that we shouldn't cut off the little tender tips of green beans. These are darker than the rest of the bean, so have more vitamin A in them. They're also delicious. The stem end, on the other hand, does need to be cut off because it's harder to chew. MOLLIE BOWLING West Los Angeles

Reading your story ("Emeralds on the Table," May 19), I'm curious about the directive to peel each individual fava bean. I know this is common in U.S. restaurants and recipe writing but I wonder where it came from and when. I've never seen anyone in Italy, Spain or Lebanon peel a fava bean. The thought there is that if the fava beans have to be peeled, they're too big to eat anyway. In Lebanon (and other parts of the Middle East) favas are harvested when they're so young and tender that you eat the whole thing, pod and all, just like string beans (with olive oil and lemon juice, delicious!