wonderhowto.com

- Heather Ah San

Marijuana- it’s not just for the typical stoner anymore. People have quickly realized that pot is the perfect gateway to a high and therefore, the “munchies”. It has become the drug and “herb” of choice for some of the top chefs in America today.

Though marijuana still struggles to be legalized in many states, in the world of cooking and gourmet cuisine, it is becoming an increasingly used ingredient, whether it is in the food or just for the inspiration.

In 2009, Portland was the first city to open a cannabis café, a place where medical marijuana users could smoke, socialize, and indulge in some special brownies. In that same year, America welcomed its first sit-down medical marijuana restaurant, The Ganja Gourmet, in Denver, Colorado.

Pot isn’t just used by medical marijuana patients anymore. An article in 2010 by the New York Times gave insight to how some of America’s top chefs use marijuana as the inspiration for their food and restaurants.

But these chefs don’t use marijuana just for the high. What they’re craving is the “munchies” sensation that enhances their experience with food, opening up their senses and taste buds.

And not only are chefs smoking marijuana, but the use of marijuana in food as an herb and flavor is becoming increasingly popular. Sure, a lot of people are using it as an outlet for a high, but recipes for it have gone viral in recent years. There are thousands of websites, videos, even full cookbooks dedicated to cooking with marijuana.

In a series of blog posts, I’ll be looking at how Northwest chefs, bakers and everyday people use marijuana with food, in food, and as a “muse” for food.

The Cannabis Café, America’s first marijuana café, opened on November 13 at 4:20 p.m. In order to receive a medical marijuana card and get into the café, people must register with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program with a doctor’s approval, as well as be members of the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. There is a $20 monthly fee and a $5 cover charge.

The café is located in a historical building, which used to be a speakeasy and a ballroom, in northeast Portland on Dekum Street. The café shares the building with a second-hand store.

Cannabis Café Portland

“Budtenders” attend to the bar in the front of the café. No marijuana is sold at the establishment; various certified growers donate marijuana to the café. Patients can also bring in their own medicine. The café does not serve alcohol, but does offer a wide variety of soups, salads, burgers and paninis.

Cannabis Café Menu

Oregon has approximately 24,000 patients with medical marijuana cards, and it became the second state, after California, to allow medical marijuana use in 1998. Patients are now allowed to grow their own crops instead of going to a dealer. Now that the Obama administration is shying away from marijuana raids, places like the Cannabis Café may start popping up in the dozen or so states that have medical marijuana laws.