Weekly gastronomy agenda: Gulfood, Whisky Live London

Gulfood kicks off on February 21, followed by two days for the world to honor the margarita and pancake and Whiskey Live's tour settles in London.

Gulfood: Bigger, Better, Business
February 21-24
Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center
Dubai, UAE

Gulfood is the largest event devoted to Middle-Eastern ingredients and business practices for the food and beverage industry in the Middle East, North Africa and Indian sub-continent. The Salon Cuisine has six sections: Food & Drink, World Food, Seafood, Gourmet & Fine Food, Fresh Fruit & Vegetables and Organic & Healthy Eating and 75 international pavilions. In the Salon Culinaire 1300 young chefs from around the world will compete and be judged by 25 experts from the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). http://www.gulfood.com/page.cfm/Link=1/t=m/goSection=1

The Week of Eating In
February 22-28
worldwide

HuffPost Green, a section of the popular news blog HuffingtonPost.com, is launching a week-long experiment and challenge to everyone everywhere to eat at home for one full week to encourage healthier, greener food choices. The HuffPost community will be posting recipes and tweeting all week.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/09/the-week-of-eating-in-eve_n_454204.html

International Margarita Day
February 22
worldwide

International Margarita Day is simple, individuals of drinking age are encouraged to celebrate Monday, February 22 with a margarita or two. The classic margarita is made with tequila, triple sec, lime juice and served in salt-rim glass. There are lots of options for this tequila cocktail, it can be frozen, straight-up, on the rocks in just about any color and flavor - cheers!

International Pancake Day
February 23
IHOP locations
Canada, Mexico & United States

In honor of International Pancake Day, created by IHOP (International House of Pancakes), an American chain restaurant with locations in Canada, Mexico and USA, all IHOP locations will be serving free short stacks from 7-10am on February 23. The short stack, three buttermilk pancakes, is free requests donations for Children's Miracle Network, an organization that supports children's hospitals and life-saving research for a spectrum of diseases.  http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

Whisky Live London 2010
February 26-27
The Hurlingham Club
London, UK

Whisky Live is in its tenth year and is in the midst of a world tour that makes stops in New Delhi, Belgium, London, New York, Shanghai, Scotland and many more. As long as you have a penchant for whisky, you are invited to attend the whisky festivities (tastings, entertainment, food pairings) and Masterclasses, sessions with master distillers. This year’s return visit to London includes the Whisky Antiques Road Show and Auction, Meet Brand Ambassadors and special-edition Whisky Live 10-year anniversary live bottling. Reservations are required for some of the events, dress code is smart casual and tickets for the full event £75 (€85) or one-day £28 (€32), half-day £18 (€20).
http://www.whiskylive.com/england/london-2010/

Bocuse d’Or Asia
March 17-19
Pudong Expo
Shanghai, China

The second annual competition, co-located with Gourmet World Shanghai (an industry tradeshow devoted to international gourmet foods), is a continental event organized by the Bocuse d’Or committee to pre-select the four best teams that will compete at the annual prestigious final Bocuse d’Or 2011 in Lyon, France in January. Teams of chefs will be representing 12 Asian nations and the “Best Commis-Assistant” will be awarded in addition to three monetary prizes. http://www.bocusedorasia.com/

The 4th Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon
March 20
Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, California, USA

Doors open at 10 am on March 20 to 50,000 sq ft (4,645 sq m) of chocolate, wine and confections. The region's largest chocolate event has grown 66 percent in size with over 70 chocolatiers and all new "Chocolate Chef Competition" and the "TasteTV Wine Competition." Plus the Salon will have sections devoted to chocolate tastings, demos, new products, fair trade & organics, chef/author sessions, book signings, wine pairings and a live chocolate body frosting demonstration. Tickets purchased in advance are $25 (€18) or $30 (€22) at the door. http://www.sfchocolatesalon.com/