The face of food

I went to a seminar/townhall meeting, on photography. Little did I know that I'd run smack dab into the middle of a farm for city kids. Very good OC!

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Correlation: Breast Cancer and alcohol

I read with interest this article on yahoo today. Recently there has been important news with regard to the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. It seems that 3 drinks a day of wine, beer or "spirits" increases a woman's breast cancer risk by the same rate as a pack of cigarettes. Whoa! That is alarming. I do not drink but I do have friends who do. If reducing your risk of getting that dreaded disease can be avoided by simply reducing the amount of alcohol one imbibes, it would seem it is worth the sacrifice.

I have not read the study, and the article does not go into detail as to how many times a week, or whether it matters if you are predisposed to the disease by genetics traits, but if you do drink, study it out. It will be worth it, if it changes just one person's behavior.

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Interstate Baking, So Long California!

Wonder Bread was born in Indianapolis Indiana by the Taggert Baking Company. In 1925, Taggart was purchased by Continental Baking Corporation. After years of serving the general public and making long strides in bringing "fast breads" to the ordinary household Wonder was purchased by Interstate Baking Corp in 1995. Now, after years of struggles, IBC has announced the death of Wonder Bread in California.

"Yeah, so I haven't bought Wonder Bread in years. It white, sliced and fluff." Well, yes. But IBC is not just Wonder Bread. It's Hostess, Home Pride, Roman Meal and a few other brands we all know and love. So is it the end of Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes????!!!! No. IBC is shuttering their bread operations, not the snack foods division from what I can tell. IBC isn't talking about it except to say the bread operation is shutting down.

Union officials are saying it's a dodge. They will truck bread in from Nevada to avoid labor and union disputes here in California. The union blames IBC. IBC blames the union. The two combined blame California and its not so friendly environment for business.

Either way, come October 29th, "Wonder Bread" will just be another racial epithet here in the Sunshine state.(I use the "sunshine state" thingy because we really are, no rain here in two years, except in Malibu, so we're really the sunshine state)California is actually the Golden state, yeah because there's gold in them thar hills!

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Food Safety is Our Concern, Really.

I've spoken before about the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). They are a big consortium of companies, lobbyists, etc. trying to police the grocery supplier industry. Sounds good doesn't it. This is how they describe themselves: "The Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Association (GMA/FPA) represents the world's leading food, beverage and consumer products companies. The association promotes sound public policy, champions initiatives that increase productivity and growth and helps to protect the safety and security of the food supply through scientific excellence. The GMA/FPA board of directors is comprised of chief executive officers from the Association's member companies. The $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry employs 14 million workers, and contributes over $1 trillion in added value to the nation's economy."

Most recently they have become famous for introducing measures to turn chocolate into something less than it is. They're the guys behind the vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter guys. Yeah that's them. They want us all to believe that chocolate made with vegetable oil will be as good or better than the real thing. Their agenda is money.

Now they've released a report (the reports are in PDF docs, so if you want to read them you'll have to download them). Yesterday, they introduced "The Four Pillars of Food Safety" report. The GMA wants everyone to know how important it is to present the public with the highest quality and safest food worldwide. Their statement, "Maintaining consumer confidence in our products, our brands and our companies is the single most important goal of the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry, and product safety is the foundation of consumer trust." is at the very core of the issue. The GMA wants to work in conjunction with the FDA to promote the very best for consumers.

This kind of report is all well and good when you read the language. It makes you feel as if the GMA is on our side, really looking out for the good of the consumer. That is until you know about their dealings with the world of chocolate production. The GMA is, just like every other big group, representing big producers. It's all about the money. They are trying to restore consumer confidence with the report. We've seen nothing but bad calls in the last few years with regard to the food supply. From tainted vegetables reaching the market, to lead filled candies imported before being thoroughly inspected, and the worst of all, the pet food debacle that led to the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of pets nationwide.

Yes guys, tell me how you're concerned about my safety and food supply. I think you're more concerned about your money supply.

Buy from local growers. At least then you'll know who to go to when things aren't quite right.

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Chicken soup

Chicken soup, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Sometimes you just need something good, warm and simple. It is easy to make and tastes wonderful. My husband, loving man that he is says, if I opened a restaurant and put this on the menu, it would be a best seller.

So I offer it to you!

What you'll need:

1 whole chicken, or one cut up chicken (free range, hormone free is best)
5 or so carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
5 or six celery stalks chopped into 1/4 inch slices
garlic
Salt and pepper
Noodles, fresh if you know how to make them, or just a good flat egg noodle will work

Put the chicken into a pot cover it with water. Add 2 tsp of salt a good bit of pepper. You want to see it in the water. I add garlic to my first boil as I like the flavor. I use garlic granules.

Boil the chicken an hour an a half, or until done. Remove from broth, cool. Add the celery and carrots now. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. When chicken has cooled, about 30 minutes, bone and put chicken back into broth with carrots and celery. Add noodles, cook until the noodles are done. Serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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What is with Orowheat?

I don't know what Orowheat is thinking. Their new commercials are trying to portray an "Orowheat choice is a healthy choice" stance but it falls short. For example, the setting is a sandy beach, you can hear the waves in the background, see the sand, see a guy walking and then the camera pans back. What you thought was sand is Orowheat bread made into a sandwich. It just happens to be the same color as sand. Hmmmm. Tying, sand to sandwiches is a childhood nightmare of mine. In fact I bet there are probably a bunch of beach going people that do not want to make that connection ever.

There are others. Dark bread being conveyed as a bunch of outdoor steps, etc. Orowheat, please. We are all learning about the healthy aspects of whole grain breads, however, you're taking it a bit too far.

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Why blog?

Sometimes I ask that question of myself. If you're a blogger and you haven't asked that of yourself, hmmmmm. I started blogging in January of 2005. I had been reading blogs for about three years at that point and finally convinced myself I had something to say, offer, journal for myself and a million other reasons.

I had read Chocolate and Zucchini, Chez Pim and few others. I participated in a few cooking events and began to establish some readership.

Then came the photobloggers, and the craftybloggers. And the political bloggers. I noticed a few along the way. Kim quickly became a favorite, along with our dear Kathy of Meggiecat fame. I have made some good friends and been inspired by the feeling of well being and community of my fellow bloggers.

Kim has honored me with the latest award program flying through the blogosphere (does anyone really use that word anymore?) The Rockin Girl Blogger Award. I am simply stunned. Food Chronicles is hardly "Rockin" these days. I am focused on trying to convince all of you that processed foods are evil. It is hard to read at times, a bit scary and not something people want to read about. I know. It scares the heck out of me too! But, I have stood silent far too long with the knowledge I have and if I can prick just one conscience a day, I've done my job. I want more people going back into the kitchen instead of the grab and go aisle. Cooking doesn't take that long and you can ensure that when you cook it you know what's in it! That's why I blog. Not for the awards, but yes, I like them, but because this thing about food is important.


But, I digress. Thank you Kim. I do appreciate getting noticed. By the way, I told you I discovered Kim and Kathy a long time ago. I still am impressed with each of them and you need to go see what they have to offer as far as inspiration for your creative life. Meggiecat is no longer posting, but she has kept her blog up so we can use her archives. There's a lot of good stuff in there! I'd say she is deserving of the Rockin Girl Blogger Award too!

Another person I'd add to the Rockin Girl Blogger roster is the quintessential rockin girl! That is Susan and her whole family. She may be the blogger, but the whole family rocks! I love reading about their adventures in music, photography and lives in general. They are a rockin' family!

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