Informed Reasoning and Food

When I was twelve, I took my first class in cooking. My teacher was a well educated woman skilled in home arts. We all giggled, like 12 year old girls do, at her no nonsense approach to a perfectly toasted piece of bread. As the years have passed I appreciate her more and more. She knew not only how to toast the bread perfectly, but she also knew how the wheat was grown, ground and how the level of protein in the wheat would affect different baked goods.

She taught that knowledge yields power. The power to control you self, your food, and your spending. She was a woman of the depression era and frugality was her champion. We laughed and snickered at the thought of grinding our own wheat, why not just run to the store? We were of that era. Everything we needed came from a store. No need to bother doing it yourself, unless you really had the time or inclination.

The base reason I write posts about HFCS, the FDA, GMOs is well seated in that classroom experience when I was 12. A woman of simple means taught me that excellence is worth its cost of time. I haven't always applied it, and I wish I had. Convenience was how I was raised and not until my children were grown, did I recognize that convenience has its related costs.

For too long, I have relied on entities that do not know me, or care about me. No I really don't believe that ADM or the others really is going to ever care about me personally, don't misunderstand me. I did believe that they had people's interest at heart when they went into their labs to develop new products. I really felt that they put people in front of profits. But like my twelve year old self, they found that quick and easy is what sold products and that's what they set out to develop. The next big thing, whether it was true food or not, it's what Americans clamored for, as their accounting teams told them.

We worked as a team. They developed unreal food, we lapped it up both thinking we were serving good food. Rarely was there a question of ingredients. We believed the FDA was doing our job. I'm not picking on the major corporations. I only name them as providers. They are giving America what it thinks we want, because that's what is purchased. They did what we asked them to do. We are the ones who should be held responsible. We forgot we were in charge of our food. And that we needed to know more than just the mantra "The FDA approves it". It's called personal responsibility. Ultimately we are accountable for the things we do and see and eat. If you can't pronounce the ingredients, rather than ignore them, find out what they are.

Then when you read an article about HFCS you'll want to read more. You'll want to understand what is done to manufacture a product into something edible. Is it really a food? Or is it a conglomerate of ingredients manufactured in a lab to look like food? Is it something you really want to feed your children, your grandchildren or yourself? Food is best in simple form. The closer to the initial product the better it is. Keep that in mind. It's your body. Not an experimental testing labs.

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Lunch-ables

The LA Times had an excellent article on improving your lunch. Most if us, rush at lunchtime, as we only have 30 minutes to wolf something down and get back to work. The suggestions in the article are great and I see a whole new lunch coming my way!

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Omnivore's 100 Challege

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has published a list called the Ominivore's 100. The list was compiled by Andrew Wheeler, a British food writer. He believes that if you call yourself an omnivore you should try all of the items at least once in your life. I've eaten quite a few of them already...

I've bolded my consumption. There are a few in purple that I will probably never try. There's just something about a bug that just doesn't appeal to me. So how about you? Where do you draw the line? And what have you sampled and loved?

The Very Good Taste Ominvore's 100

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush (I haven't eaten this but isn't second day leftovers of eggplant parmesan quite like it?)

11. Calamari bleh
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich about a thousand of them!
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes by mistake
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream a favorite!

21. Heirloom tomatoes and grew them myself.
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans a staple
25. Brawn, or head cheese only once.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper yep, died once in Santa Monica due to them
27. Dulce de leche it is SoCal here.
28. Oysters on the half shell! Rockefellered, fried, you name it.
29. Baklava bleh.
30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl I like it better without the bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut a favorite of my real father's
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo my favorite soup

40. Oxtail I had a colored childhood
41. Curried goat, not that colored evidently
42. Whole insects unless you count a couple of flies as a kid - not by choice - riding a bike
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $60/$120 or more I was 17, being polite I had no idea what was in the glass
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut I like my home donut maker here in town

50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone very little flavor, fresh from the ocean.
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV not after the incident in 4th grade, I'll write about it in my book someday
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads back to the childhood
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake yes, yes, no and yes
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini

81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant, I live in the boonies no way this will ever happen
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash see post below!
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta I love it
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I find it interesting that most of my "I'm not trying that ever" stuff is liquid. And alcohol. bleh. Having alcoholic family members are just too good an example of why not to get started imbibing.

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Grandma's Goulash

"Pepper will put a man on his horse, and a woman in her grave!" Those were the words of my maternal grandmother, Ethel. We would go to stay with her for two weeks each summer, my brother and me. Then my sisters would join her and she'd repeat the previous two weeks with them. She cooked every meal pretty much from scratch, never used any spices, unless cooking a turkey, then sage was the usual choice. The statement above is one we heard at breakfast when asking for pepper on our eggs like grandpa's.

Ethel was the quintessential fine lady. Her avocation was homekeeping. She did it with great honor and very few complaints. Cooking became her signature, along with entertaining friends. She was a modern woman in her time, the envy of friends for certain. I can only imagine groups of friends gathered at her home every plate impeccably prepared, women fawning over her food and men sharing a cigar and a highball with grandad, Sid.

For a month each year, their home became grandkid central and all things stopped for a time. She then entertained us with food, cleaning and strict behavior. When I look back at those weeks spent at grandma's house I have many great memories. The best being Goulash.



Goulash became a centerpiece of entertaining the grandkids. It is quick, simple and likable by all. How can you go wrong? I cooked up a batch the other night. While I was cooking my daughter at my side I shared my love for goulash, the changes made in our home and how she didn't remember eating it as a child. Then the phone rang, it was daughter number three. She asked if I was preparing dinner, affirmative I answered, "What are you cooking?" I answered Goulash. He reply came, "It is one of my favorite meals. I can't believe sis doesn't remember it."

Grandma's Goulash for all.


Begin with a pound of good ground beef, 7% lean or better.
2 - 10 oz cans of Del Monte Stewed tomatoes (original recipe)
4 to 5 peeled carrots, sliced 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick
4 to 5 stalks of celery, sliced the same as the carrots.

While you are browning your meat, sliced your vegetables. I add a bit of garlic granules to the meat as it cooks. Drain meat once it is cooked. Add the carrots, celery and tomatoes all at once, placing the lid on the skillet and allow it to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Once your vegetables are tender you're ready to eat.



I serve it with a salad, rolls and that's it. Family variation, if you don't have rolls, my husband asks that I add some whole wheat flat noodles to the mix to give it more of a hearty dinner. Enjoy.

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I've got a question for you.

This question is seemingly simple. But as I think about it, maybe it isn't. Will you please help me out and vote in the poll on the sidebar? If you'd like to leave a comment explaining your vote, that would be fine too. I am going to use the information in a presentation I am making. I know how I'd vote, but then again, I'm not everybody!

My question comes about after a discussion with someone. Does the fact that a "treat" you are enjoying is healthy make you more likely to eat it other than something else? The treat being a good chocolate mixed with nuts, that both have deemed to be good for you in recent years. If the package stated these health benefits, would you be more or less likely to buy it over something else equally as scrumptous?

See, I told you it wasn't simple.

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Cheap Eats

Okay so it seems the majority of America is looking for cheap meals. Good meals made cheaply. My advice? Shop local. Cook from scratch. Eat very well.

So how does that translate in to cheap? Simple economics. The last man holding the stick paid the most for it. What? Well, except the stick grower itself. Let me illustrate. Farmer goes into the pecan business. He buys a plot of ground, tills the ground gets it ready for planting and then sources the trees. The trees begin as 15 foot sticks. Yes, sticks. In four or five years they begin producing a crop worthy of harvesting and preparing for market.

The crop is now for sale. If you go buy the pecans direct from the farmer you pay his price. Usually a very fair price at that. He gets money to keep the farm working and you get pecans you adore eating and baking fine baked goods for all to enjoy.

Or. You go to the market and buy the pecans. How many people purchased these pecans before you did? Well, in some cases the grocer whom you purchased them from and you only pay the mark up the stores decides to set on the pecans. However, usually farmers need other people to buy their crops and grocers don't visit all the farms in America. So then a distributor is involved, the farmer pays him to sell his product to others because a distributor doesn't sell pecans he sells opportunity.

The distributor will sometimes use a broker to find accounts to sell the pecans to various buyers. He gives the broker good price (higher than he bought the product for, of course) usually a percentage of the sale to others. Restaurant chains, grocers, fine food companies, and bakeries to name a few. The distributor pays the broker to find new business he didn't have in the past and keep old customers on the selling chain too.

Sometimes the broker will sell to food producers who will in turn re-package the pecans in various forms to sell to specialty bakeries, hotels and fine gourmet stores to name a few. The broker marks the product up to them. They in turn mark the product up to cover their costs and to sell a premium product to the hotels etc. The hotel, bakery or fine food establishment then marks the product up to make a profit in selling to you. You've seen that $14 bag of trail mix in the mini bar!

So which would you rather do? Pay the farmer or him and all the people in between? Keep in mind that another advantage of buying direct from the farmer is that usually the product you purchase is fresh. It has been harvested within days of your purchase. When you buy using a supply chain, the freshness string gets altered. Either the product is picked green and forced ripened, or is adulterated with chemicals to keep it fresher longer. You can buy produce or other products that are picked fresh and sold fresh but not usually from large chain stores, they just can't deal with the losses.

Keep in mind also that when a farmer is paid a price for his product you are supporting that farmer. You are paying his obligations and his benefits package. When you pay the grocer for theirs you are paying the benefits for all the people who are in the supply line. That's why when you read a story about dairy farmers in California being paid $1.90 a gallon for milk and then go to the grocery store and pay $4.89 a gallon you can understand why the price is so high.

I have no problem supporting my fellow neighbors and Americans. However, I need to be smart about how my dollar is spent. I go direct as much as I can and when I can't I still buy ingredients, not processed foods. And I cook healthy meals cheaply.

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Food Bloggers take note

If you're looking to drive your stats up, this story may be of interest to you! The dollar has been hit hard, inflation is up, gas prices are at their historical (or hysterical) highs, food costs are raising daily and yes Virginia there is a recession! So what's a cook to do?

Cook at home. According to the article, people seeking recipes that use simple, inexpensive ingredients rose 91% over the past three months. Wow! FoodBloggers unite! We can feed a family of five on how much? Putting up our best inexpensive meals, the world will beat a pathway to our doors! And, Food Blog Search will help them!

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Here, there and everywhere

Oh my I can't believe it has been a week! What have I been doing? Well, working on a slides to digital images project that must be finished next week! Anyone else want some slides converted? I've been working on this project for ever. There were 1560 slides and I am just about through them. So in the interest of your cooking/food curiosity I give you:

Megan. This post has been through the bologsphere and if you haven't seen it you should. I am sure you have at least glanced at it a bit though. I think I am going to give it a try when I get the summer tomatoes off the vine. Mmmm. A real live BLT salad!

In the dolrums? You simply must go take a look at Cupcakes Take the Cake. How does one stay in a blue funk with all that sugar? Now run off a bake a few using Chokylit's recipes. There has too be one to please you!

Easter is coming around the corner. Sur La Table is having a 30% off sale. There is always something good to add to the "stuff" sectin of your kitchen! The cutters are getting a second look from me.

Get your tivo ready! TopChef 4 is on it's way! Yippee. Just finished watching Project Runway and we head to the kitchen! I'll never get into designer clothes if Bravo keeps this up! Top Chef was filmed in Chicago this time around. This should be good.

And last but not least a picture from my photostream:


It's almost Macaroon day! March 20th has been designated Macaron Day by Pierre Herme! We're going to have to celebrate too.

I'll be back tomorrow with a real food post!

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