Well Thanksgiving was a bitter struggle this year, but I believe I came out on top...
The casualties (dessert only):
3 Pieces of Pecan Pie
1 Piece of Apple Pie
Two Servings of Banana Pudding
One Slice of Pineapple Cake
Two servings of Pumpkin Crumble
I decided this year to pretty much eschew the traditional meal and skip right to my favorite part... Dessert. I think it suffices to say that I ran nearly every day of Thanksgiving break this year :)
How about you guys? Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving?
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Fat.
Well now I don't want to eat anything because apparently the food companies are pouring as much fat as they want into everything. I would've assumed that there had to be some breaking point, much like sugar, in how much fat we like to consume, but apparently that is not the case. Fat feels good. I didn't realize that our taste buds actually cannot taste fat. The pleasure of consuming fat comes from when it touches a particular nerve in our mouths. I also didn't realize, or particularly desire, to know just how much fat was in cheese. Cheese is a weakness for me. A lot of my favorite foods have a lot of cheese all mixed up in them. Macaroni and Cheese, Bacon, Egg and Cheese biscuits, Cheetos, Hamburger Helper, Pizza, mozzarella sticks, cheeseburgers... Cheese is sneaky because we rarely eat it by itself; it always comes with or in something else. I've tried recently to cut back on cheese as best I can, but it's actually pretty hard to cut cheese out of your diet. For me, cheese is a bit of a staple. Were you as concerned as I was to learn about the proliferation of fat in our dairy products?
Well now I don't want to eat anything because apparently the food companies are pouring as much fat as they want into everything. I would've assumed that there had to be some breaking point, much like sugar, in how much fat we like to consume, but apparently that is not the case. Fat feels good. I didn't realize that our taste buds actually cannot taste fat. The pleasure of consuming fat comes from when it touches a particular nerve in our mouths. I also didn't realize, or particularly desire, to know just how much fat was in cheese. Cheese is a weakness for me. A lot of my favorite foods have a lot of cheese all mixed up in them. Macaroni and Cheese, Bacon, Egg and Cheese biscuits, Cheetos, Hamburger Helper, Pizza, mozzarella sticks, cheeseburgers... Cheese is sneaky because we rarely eat it by itself; it always comes with or in something else. I've tried recently to cut back on cheese as best I can, but it's actually pretty hard to cut cheese out of your diet. For me, cheese is a bit of a staple. Were you as concerned as I was to learn about the proliferation of fat in our dairy products?
Monday, November 18, 2013
The Omnivore's Dilemna
"The Forest"
This was a little painful. Vegetarianism and Vegan ism are about as alien and incomprehensible as any concept can possibly be to a person who lives life in the manner that I do. I love animals. They're delicious. And PETA has always been an organization that I've viewed with a special form of disdain that I normally reserve for Congress and television evangelists. I'm the guy that rolls my eyes whenever those Sarah McLaughlin commercials come on; while there are still humans suffering in the world, I don't see the point in focusing on the troubles of animals. So you can imagine that it is very hard for me to understand why Pollan endured such a crisis of guilt during his temporary stint as a vegetarian. I've never felt guilty about eating a dead animal. But what I could appreciate about this section was the idea that Pollan wanted to construct a meal that he had prepared completely. That appeals to the small part of me that would love to go off camping for a few weeks in the deep wilderness just to see if I could do it. I really enjoyed his interactions with Angelo; I can appreciate anyone as industrious and self-sufficient as him.
It was a little off-putting to me for him to be collecting wild mushrooms; the idea that I shouldn't eat things I find in nature was drilled into my curious mind by my parents since I was a boy, and there's still this constant lingering suspicion towards wild plants in my consciousness.
What about you? Do you object to killing or gathering your own food, and, if so, why?
"The Forest"
This was a little painful. Vegetarianism and Vegan ism are about as alien and incomprehensible as any concept can possibly be to a person who lives life in the manner that I do. I love animals. They're delicious. And PETA has always been an organization that I've viewed with a special form of disdain that I normally reserve for Congress and television evangelists. I'm the guy that rolls my eyes whenever those Sarah McLaughlin commercials come on; while there are still humans suffering in the world, I don't see the point in focusing on the troubles of animals. So you can imagine that it is very hard for me to understand why Pollan endured such a crisis of guilt during his temporary stint as a vegetarian. I've never felt guilty about eating a dead animal. But what I could appreciate about this section was the idea that Pollan wanted to construct a meal that he had prepared completely. That appeals to the small part of me that would love to go off camping for a few weeks in the deep wilderness just to see if I could do it. I really enjoyed his interactions with Angelo; I can appreciate anyone as industrious and self-sufficient as him.
It was a little off-putting to me for him to be collecting wild mushrooms; the idea that I shouldn't eat things I find in nature was drilled into my curious mind by my parents since I was a boy, and there's still this constant lingering suspicion towards wild plants in my consciousness.
What about you? Do you object to killing or gathering your own food, and, if so, why?
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Food Inc.
This movie was very entertaining, especially for a documentary. That's high praise from me. I don't make a habit of enjoying documentaries, but this one wasn't bad.
As a strong believer in the free market, I tend to tense up when I hear about some new push for governmental regulation in just about any sector of the economy, so I was understandably dubious about the prospect of an investigative documentary on the power of Big Food. But, as I've stated in the past, I'm also the brother to an autistic 15 year old who showed no signs of developmental disability until he was given shots that the FDA had approved because of the lobbying efforts of Big Pharma. So the idea, as in the case of Kevin, that a corporation's lust for profit might have resulted in the death of a child angered me considerably. I may be a conservative, but I am a compassionate conservative, and any individual or corporation who puts profits before the welfare of children needs to be brought to justice.
The idea that Big Food might try to retaliate against Kevin's mom for telling her story is simply outrageous. They would attack the mother of a son that their product killed? Unacceptable. There's no dignity in that. Hopefully future efforts to pass Kevin's Law will prove to be successful.
I remain doubtful of the tales of black-listed farmers and corporate intimidation however. Documentary makers and eye-witness testimonies aren't exactly unbiased parties. If such intimidation is happening, it should be brought to an end. And if these filmmakers have been twisting the truth, they should also be found out and disgraced. Where's the proof either way?
One thing I would agree with the film on is that I think the people responsible for setting health and safety requirements in regards to food should not have a history in the food industry. Unbiased parties should be in those positions in order to preserve the integrity of their offices.
America is the breadbasket of the world. We produce more food than any other civilization in the history of the world. More nations receive food aid from America than anywhere else. So while Big Food may indeed have its excesses, is it really in the world's best interest to bite the hand that feeds it?
This movie was very entertaining, especially for a documentary. That's high praise from me. I don't make a habit of enjoying documentaries, but this one wasn't bad.
As a strong believer in the free market, I tend to tense up when I hear about some new push for governmental regulation in just about any sector of the economy, so I was understandably dubious about the prospect of an investigative documentary on the power of Big Food. But, as I've stated in the past, I'm also the brother to an autistic 15 year old who showed no signs of developmental disability until he was given shots that the FDA had approved because of the lobbying efforts of Big Pharma. So the idea, as in the case of Kevin, that a corporation's lust for profit might have resulted in the death of a child angered me considerably. I may be a conservative, but I am a compassionate conservative, and any individual or corporation who puts profits before the welfare of children needs to be brought to justice.
The idea that Big Food might try to retaliate against Kevin's mom for telling her story is simply outrageous. They would attack the mother of a son that their product killed? Unacceptable. There's no dignity in that. Hopefully future efforts to pass Kevin's Law will prove to be successful.
I remain doubtful of the tales of black-listed farmers and corporate intimidation however. Documentary makers and eye-witness testimonies aren't exactly unbiased parties. If such intimidation is happening, it should be brought to an end. And if these filmmakers have been twisting the truth, they should also be found out and disgraced. Where's the proof either way?
One thing I would agree with the film on is that I think the people responsible for setting health and safety requirements in regards to food should not have a history in the food industry. Unbiased parties should be in those positions in order to preserve the integrity of their offices.
America is the breadbasket of the world. We produce more food than any other civilization in the history of the world. More nations receive food aid from America than anywhere else. So while Big Food may indeed have its excesses, is it really in the world's best interest to bite the hand that feeds it?
...And now on to the bad food
I realize that Louisianian cooking consists of everything quintessentially Cajun. I recognize that, and, from a cultural standpoint I can appreciate it. But, from a culinary point of view, Cajun food utterly sucked.
Have you ever seen an alligator? They're the animals that hide in dark corners of the bayou waiting to kill children and hippies that stumble upon their domain. God has gifted these creatures with tough, thick reptilian hides to protect their internal organs, which is why the creatures tend to be fodder for people who want to make handbags and boots out of their skin. That toughness extends to the food made from their flesh as well. Alligator sausage tasted like normal sausage, if normal sausage had a tough layer of skin covering the outside and a disgusting, bristly texture on the inside. People should stick to making accessories out of alligators because they truly don't belong in a human stomach.
I had a Po Boy, of the roast beef variety, and while the sandwich wasn't bad, the meat killed it for me. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of stringy roast beef. I like my meat tender and juicy, not chewy and dry. Blue Cheese bread tasted just like blue cheese, believe it or not, which means that it was disgusting. Crawfish Pie tasted like a delicious buttery crust into which someone has shoved unnecessary seafood.
The restaurant Dr. Bonner took us all out to, Giovanni's, was truly fantastic. Everything I tried I thoroughly enjoyed. Except my own order of course. Apparently Veal Scallopini in a Lobster-Cognac cream sauce is an exceedingly bland dish. Not bad, but not worth $30. And for dessert, I chose the brownie-swirl cheesecake. What could possibly be bad about that? It has brownies and cheesecake in it. What I didn't realize however was that apparently the chef hates sugar, because the cheesecake was not sweet at all and neither was the brownie. Someone needs to teach The Duke (as he is known around N'awlins) that dessert is when the customer's sweet-tooth is supposed to be satisfied.
All in all though it was a fantastic trip and I enjoyed trying everything!
I realize that Louisianian cooking consists of everything quintessentially Cajun. I recognize that, and, from a cultural standpoint I can appreciate it. But, from a culinary point of view, Cajun food utterly sucked.
Have you ever seen an alligator? They're the animals that hide in dark corners of the bayou waiting to kill children and hippies that stumble upon their domain. God has gifted these creatures with tough, thick reptilian hides to protect their internal organs, which is why the creatures tend to be fodder for people who want to make handbags and boots out of their skin. That toughness extends to the food made from their flesh as well. Alligator sausage tasted like normal sausage, if normal sausage had a tough layer of skin covering the outside and a disgusting, bristly texture on the inside. People should stick to making accessories out of alligators because they truly don't belong in a human stomach.
I had a Po Boy, of the roast beef variety, and while the sandwich wasn't bad, the meat killed it for me. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of stringy roast beef. I like my meat tender and juicy, not chewy and dry. Blue Cheese bread tasted just like blue cheese, believe it or not, which means that it was disgusting. Crawfish Pie tasted like a delicious buttery crust into which someone has shoved unnecessary seafood.
The restaurant Dr. Bonner took us all out to, Giovanni's, was truly fantastic. Everything I tried I thoroughly enjoyed. Except my own order of course. Apparently Veal Scallopini in a Lobster-Cognac cream sauce is an exceedingly bland dish. Not bad, but not worth $30. And for dessert, I chose the brownie-swirl cheesecake. What could possibly be bad about that? It has brownies and cheesecake in it. What I didn't realize however was that apparently the chef hates sugar, because the cheesecake was not sweet at all and neither was the brownie. Someone needs to teach The Duke (as he is known around N'awlins) that dessert is when the customer's sweet-tooth is supposed to be satisfied.
All in all though it was a fantastic trip and I enjoyed trying everything!
This is the first of a couple of posts I wanted to put up in reaction to the food I enjoyed (and didn't enjoy) in New Orleans this past weekend. On this first blog, I'd like to talk about the food that I genuinely enjoyed!
The best food item I tried in New Orleans this past weekend was this amazing sweet potato bread that a man in the French Market had made fresh. It was amazing. It tasted very much like Pumpkin Bread, which is to say that it was amazing. I bought an entire loaf, which disappeared, as if by magic, less than ten minutes after I offered my fellow Honors students a taste. That's probably a good thing because I most definitely would've eaten all of it had they not helped me out.
I never realized that New Orleans has a fascination with pralines that verges on the obsessive. Nor had I ever realized what pralines actually were; I ate them for years every day in my high-school cafeteria without actually knowing what they were. I just called them cookies then. Chocolate pralines are absolutely phenomenal, but peanut butter ones aren't too bad either. Every shop in New Orleans claimed to have the best pralines in town; I'm pretty sure most of them were wrong, but hopefully the shop I got pralines from was closer to satisfying that bravado than most.
My favorite meals, oddly enough, in the Big Easy came from the Sheraton's breakfast-time spread. Each morning at the Honors Conference the Sheraton hosted us for breakfast. The first day's meal consisted of copious amounts of fantastically buttery croissants, stuffed with breakfast meats, cheeses and eggs, of which I ate four. I also got a fantastic sausage, egg and cheese croissant from a little French bakery near the Quarter that I enjoyed thoroughly that day. On Saturday, the hotel had trays of danishes and blueberry scones placed out for us. If it's any indication what I thought of this new fair, I walked away from breakfast with a napkin stuffed with pastries hidden in my jacket pocket.
That's pretty much the extent of the good food...
The best food item I tried in New Orleans this past weekend was this amazing sweet potato bread that a man in the French Market had made fresh. It was amazing. It tasted very much like Pumpkin Bread, which is to say that it was amazing. I bought an entire loaf, which disappeared, as if by magic, less than ten minutes after I offered my fellow Honors students a taste. That's probably a good thing because I most definitely would've eaten all of it had they not helped me out.
I never realized that New Orleans has a fascination with pralines that verges on the obsessive. Nor had I ever realized what pralines actually were; I ate them for years every day in my high-school cafeteria without actually knowing what they were. I just called them cookies then. Chocolate pralines are absolutely phenomenal, but peanut butter ones aren't too bad either. Every shop in New Orleans claimed to have the best pralines in town; I'm pretty sure most of them were wrong, but hopefully the shop I got pralines from was closer to satisfying that bravado than most.
My favorite meals, oddly enough, in the Big Easy came from the Sheraton's breakfast-time spread. Each morning at the Honors Conference the Sheraton hosted us for breakfast. The first day's meal consisted of copious amounts of fantastically buttery croissants, stuffed with breakfast meats, cheeses and eggs, of which I ate four. I also got a fantastic sausage, egg and cheese croissant from a little French bakery near the Quarter that I enjoyed thoroughly that day. On Saturday, the hotel had trays of danishes and blueberry scones placed out for us. If it's any indication what I thought of this new fair, I walked away from breakfast with a napkin stuffed with pastries hidden in my jacket pocket.
That's pretty much the extent of the good food...
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Extreme Eats
What would you eat in order to survive? A hiker stranded in Canada (aren't all Canadians stranded up there?) ate his pet dog...
A hiker who was stranded for three months deep in the Canadian
wilderness reportedly had to kill and eat his German shepherd to survive
after a bear took his food.
Marco Lavoie, 44, set off over the summer on a expedition along the Nottaway River in western Quebec, but was attacked sometime in August by a bear, Sgt. Ronald McInnis, a spokesman for the Quebec Provincial Police, told ABC News.
McInnis said authorities believe Lavoie survived the attack after his German shepherd got in the way of the bear, but the attack damaged his survival equipment and ate his food.
A source – who spoke to QMI Agency on condition of anonymity – said Lavoie killed his dog with a rock a few days after the attack before eating it.
Survival expert Andre Francois Bourbeau said Lavoie’s body would have gone into shock from starvation if he spent 30 days in the wilderness without food.
"Hunger squeezes you so much that you would accept food that's not normally possible," Bourbeau told QMI Agency. "You can crave slugs and bugs."
Lavoie was found by a helicopter crew on Wednesday in the woods near Waskaganish, ABC News reports
. His family reported him missing ten days earlier after Lavoie did not return from the hiking trip.
Lavoie is currently hospitalized but is expected to survive, police say.
What would you eat in order to survive? A hiker stranded in Canada (aren't all Canadians stranded up there?) ate his pet dog...
Hiker stranded in Canadian wilderness reportedly ate dog to survive
FoxNews.com
Marco Lavoie, 44, set off over the summer on a expedition along the Nottaway River in western Quebec, but was attacked sometime in August by a bear, Sgt. Ronald McInnis, a spokesman for the Quebec Provincial Police, told ABC News.
McInnis said authorities believe Lavoie survived the attack after his German shepherd got in the way of the bear, but the attack damaged his survival equipment and ate his food.
A source – who spoke to QMI Agency on condition of anonymity – said Lavoie killed his dog with a rock a few days after the attack before eating it.
Survival expert Andre Francois Bourbeau said Lavoie’s body would have gone into shock from starvation if he spent 30 days in the wilderness without food.
"Hunger squeezes you so much that you would accept food that's not normally possible," Bourbeau told QMI Agency. "You can crave slugs and bugs."
Lavoie was found by a helicopter crew on Wednesday in the woods near Waskaganish, ABC News reports
. His family reported him missing ten days earlier after Lavoie did not return from the hiking trip.Lavoie is currently hospitalized but is expected to survive, police say.
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