Balance of Food

Temptation of the Week: Canadian fat cakes

I've never had a fat cake, Canadian or American. And yet I want one.

The only problem is that fat cakes aren't real.

I'm not in the ideal demo for "iCarly,' but was glad to stumble on the episode where most of the cast tours a plant where Canadian fat cakes are made. Sam (left), one of the lead characters, is obsessed with fat cakes. She has heard that fat cakes in Canada taste better because they are made with "cane fat" while American Fat Cakes are made with "corn fat."

The catch for Sam is that you aren't allowed to bring in Canadian Fat Cakes into the United States. Sam tries to bring them back across the border strapped to her person under a long coat. Unfortunately for Sam, she gets caught smuggling them back.

(Amusingly, this episode originally aired just after Michelle Obama was in an episode of iCarly. From good health to fat cakes, a true Balance of Food.)

You certainly can bring back processed baked goods from Canada into the United States. Long-time readers know of my adventures with Canadian Twinkies. And before glucose-fructose (HFCS) came to Canada, I brought back Canadian versions of soft drinks.

As it turns out, Fat Cakes have been a floating theme through the show. According to this wikia, they are "made with marshmallow and have pink coconut shavings on top and a chocolate cake in the middle with cream filling."

Sounds like more of a take on Sno Balls. They don't sound like much of a temptation, though Jennette McCurdy, the actress who plays Sam, convinces you that they are worth risking the wrath of customs. If Canadian Twinkies were illegal in the United States, I'd be tempted to smuggle them into the States.

We often are tempted by what we can't have, whether that is a certain fast food restaurant or regional favorite. When we travel somewhere, we want to retain that experience long after our trip is over.

I have "smuggled" garlic back from San Francisco on the plane, but within your own country, you can bring such things back without any customs trouble.

When you travel outside the country, you are subject to restrictions on what you can "smuggle" back into your home country. Plants and meat bring up red flags, as tempting as that ham from Spain can be.

If you aren't sure, check with the laws in the country where you live, since that is where you'll be returning. If what you want to bring back fits within those confines, travel and enjoy your food experience, wherever that takes you.

For the Canadian take, check out this story from our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com.

photo credit: iCarly

Wendy's trying to make poutine Canada's national dish

Couldn't help but pass on the word in our unofficial poutine coverage that Wendy's is launching a petition — a "Poutition" — to make poutine Canada's national dish.

Wendy's is using this as an excuse to launch poutine on its menu in Canada. For all the poutine I have eaten, none of them has come from a major fast food chain. The better question for the American audience is whether Wendy's or McDonald's or Burger King would ever bring this across the border.

Canada is a rather large country and poutine is mostly a Quebec thing.

Then again, what is the United States' national dish? Mac & cheese? Hot dogs? High-fructose corn syrup?

The idea of one national dish seems unfair to the rest. If nothing else, we should vote on the national dish … for both countries.

For the whole take, check out this story from out sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com.

photo credit: Wendy's

Distinct Canadian cuisine through the eyes of 'Live with Kelly'

Even though I once moderated a discussion about Canadian food, I don't always have a good answer for what is Canadian food. True, we could talk poutine for days, but the truth about Canadian food depends on where you are in the country.

This issue came up during last week's "Live with Kelly" episodes in Banff, Alberta, Canada. On the last show, the hosts sampled some Rocky Mountain cuisine. Admittedly, the menu was very fancy, since this was from the Fairmont Hotel in Banff Springs and executive chef Martin Luthi.

The first two items contained elk and bison. However squeamish you might be about eating animals you don't know (assuming you eat meat), elk and bison are healthier for you than regular beef. Omega-3s, less fat — all the good stuff. So you don't have to eat your elk tenderloin with black trumpet mushrooms and sunchokes or your braised bison short ribs with barley risotto to get the health benefits of elk and bison. Kelly said she had never had bison before; perhaps she got confused over buffalo vs. bison or maybe she never had buffalo.

The Waterton Lake rainbow trout is a regional dish; served by Luthi with swiss chard, mussels, and shrimps. Fish is obviously a healthier source of protein than traditional beef, except for potential mercury. The chef also brought up salmon with mussels and clams with a broth poured over it to produce a bouillabaisse. Luthi pointed out that the dish was very low in fat, probably less than 350 calories.

Alberta is known for its beef. The sample dish was beef tenderloin carpaccio with aioli and arugula. During the phone trivia game, Thursday's contestant — David Torres of Fairhaven, MA — had heard of Calgary and Alberta but not Lake Louise. Yet, Torres did know Alberta beef: "not the best looking, but it is the best tasting steak." They didn't even ask him about the beef, but that is what he associated with Alberta.

Dessert was a lovely poached pear with maple mousse. Ripa's co-host, Ben Mulroney, an actual Canadian, said, "nothing says Canada like maple, huh." Agreed.

Ripa, after trying the dessert, chose to dip the dessert in the cheese fondue with truffle. She enjoyed it, even if that freaked out the chef.

The vast majority of Albertans do not eat this way. However, they and other Canadians do incorporate the elk, buffalo, trout, and other creatures along with tastes such as maple to produce a distinct Canadian cuisine. But they also eat poutine and donuts from Tim Horton's and lots of foods that look the same as those on American plates. Well, they do put ketchup on their Kraft Dinner (macaroni & cheese) and vinegar (or mayo) on their fries.

So you see, there are a few differences between eating Canadian and eating American.

Special thanks to the coverage of "Live with Kelly" from CanadianCrossing.com.

photo credit: WABC-TV, New York

Jayma Mays proclaims love for poutine on 'Live with Kelly' in Canada

"I am in love with poutine" -- Jayma Mays

When Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa were in Prince Edward Island in 2010, they raved about the fresh seafood, potatoes, and Cows ice cream (extra butterfat). But they never mentioned poutine.

And even though Ripa is in Banff, Alberta, Canada this week, the last thing you would have expected from a non-Canadian guest was proclaimed love for poutine.

But there was Jayma Mays, star of "Glee," extolling the virtues of the Canadian delicacy. "It's heaven in a bowl," she exclaimed.

Ripa started out the transition by noting that her producer said Mays had fallen in love with Canadian French fries.

Shortly after Mays shared her love for poutine, someone brought out a large bowl of poutine. Ripa, co-host Chris Harrison, and Mays ate from a large bowl of poutine.

"That is incredible," Ripa said after she tried it.

We have written quite a bit about poutine. If you eat well most of the time, you can indulge in such treats if that is how you want to spent your "food currency." Mays is a tiny young woman, so you can imagine that while she loves poutine, she doesn't have it all the time. And she is in great shape.

Yes, celebrities can spend more time getting in shape than the average person. But Mays shows you that it can be done.

Ironically, Ripa and Harrison didn't discuss poutine with Caroline Rhea, a guest later in yesterday's episode. Rhea is from Montréal, home of poutine.

Now, the two main Regis Philbin co-hosts have tried poutine on television. Kathie Lee Gifford had lobster poutine in Montréal on the "Today" show in 2011.

I recently tried the house poutine as a poutine shop in Chicago, devoted mostly to poutine. The poutine was rather good, but way too costly at $10. Poutine is a food for the masses, not for those who pay $10 for a snack. The poutine with fois gras was less than that at Au Pied de Cochon in Montréal when I had it there in 2009.

Poutine is making its way slowly into the United States, and Jayma Mays love for poutine will help speed up the process.

CanadianCrossing.com is carrying summaries all this week of the episodes of Live with Kelly in Banff.

photo credit: WABC-TV/New York

An American peek into Canadian Thanksgiving

If you're Canadian and Jewish, your stomach might resemble a roller coaster.

Over the long weekend, you had Yom Kippur (day of fasting) from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, and then Thanksgiving Sunday and Monday. Oy vey, eh!

Seriously, Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian readers. Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. A few in the United States also have today off for Columbus Day.

Canadians eat pretty much what Americans eat for Thanksgiving. Canadians are more likely to eat more wild animals (elk) than we do, but the basic menu is the same. Like the U.S. Thanksgiving, Canadians also celebrate with football on TV.

If you share lineage in both the United States and Canada, you can enjoy both Thanksgiving celebrations.

Sharing a Canadian Thanksgiving makes you appreciate the commonality between the two countries (as exemplified in our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com), especially when it comes to food. And the weather is a lot nicer when Canada celebrates the festive holiday.

6-month ketchup quest gets underway: which ketchup will cut the mustard?

For the first time in a long time, there is no May trip to Windsor this past weekend. There are a few reasons why this is so, a almost perfect storm of events that likely won't be repeated for some time.

This means a lot more to the CanadianCrossing.com readers, but this means one major question remains: what ketchup will be used in the summer months.

Regular readers know that on the Windsor trips, the major purchase — especially in weight — is a bottle of Heinz ketchup from Canada made with liquid sugar. And while there is some left, and we will make a purchase in November in Windsor, a ketchup needs to fill the gap.

One advantage to Heinz, other than the liquid sugar, is that vinegar is the second ingredient and sugar is the third ingredient. In a lot of ketchups, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup comes in second and vinegar is third.

This isn't to say that Heinz is the best out there, but this opens the door to experiment with other ketchups. And this isn't likely to be a battle of national brands; what this search calls for is alternative ketchups.

National brands, including Heinz, emphasize sweetness, regardless of ingredient offer. Trying a lower sugar ketchup will be one of my summer quests.

There is the likelihood that even if I find some great lower-sugar ketchup that I will still buy a bottle of the Canadian version of Heinz. After all, the customs people would be disappointed if I came back without one.

We will have occasional updates on the ketchup conquest. If you have a ketchup to defend, large or small manufacturer, please let us know your favorite. Is there a lower-sugar version that still delivers great taste? Let's find out.

What a Stephen Harper government means for Canada's national food strategy

As readers of CanadianCrossing.com know, Stephen Harper has won a majority government and will remain as Canada's prime minister.

And you might remember that we wrote about how each Canadian political party had a food strategy as part of its platform.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal isn't impressed with the status quo on food safety in a recent editorial: "Food in Canada: Eat at your own risk."

During the election campaign, the Liberal Party was the loudest on the topic. The Liberals finished third, a new low in the history of the party. The NDP, the new official opposition party, is also active on the topic.

While the Conservative government pledged to spend an extra $100 million over five years to improve food inspection — before Parliament was dissolved — the Conservatives' food strategy was the weakest of the five parties, and won't have much incentive to do much beyond that, provided the $100 million goes into the new budget.

NDP leader Jack Layton will have to be the point man on bringing attention to a food strategy. Michael Ignatieff, who was passionate on the topic as the Liberal Party leader, will be looking for a job, so maybe he can devote some time as a private citizen toward encouraging a nationwide food strategy.

Then, they can export the ideas to the United States.

Canada's political parties have stronger food policies in their platforms for the upcoming election

"We need more health, not necessarily more health care. Health prevention, health education. We're the only party with a national food policy to put more Canadian food on Canadian plates and get the salt, fat, and sugar down. That's how you get better value for your health care dollar."

Feel like you wish your government was more concerned about the food that you eat?

Some Americans would feel that government shouldn't be involved any more than necessary with a wobbly definition of what "necessary" means.

But if you are looking for a government that is interested in what is going on in the food supply, Canada might be your answer.

As readers of our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com, are fully aware of, there is a federal election coming up on May 2.

The quote at the top came from Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff at the English language debate last week. The Liberal Party is the most pro-active of the parties on the topic during the campaign, but each of the five major parties has policies that separate food from agriculture in their platforms.

Some of the Liberal Party highlights include education programs, improved food labels, and restrictions on trans fat and sodium. The Liberal platform calls for a mass review of Canada's entire agriculture structure, something desperately needed in the United States.

Among the parties with current MPs (sorry Greens), the New Democratic Party has the strongest platform on food issues. Okay, so the NDP isn't going to win the prime minister's chair, but they could have influence over who is the next prime minister, especially if the new government is also a minority.

The NDP pushes food security/sovereignty, emphasizes local food networks, and wants a food school to teach kids how to create nutritious foods.

Even the Conservatives, the party currently in charge of the minority government, have provisions to create an "Agriculture Innovation Initiative, to support local farm-based research and development projects." And the Conservative budget contains $100 million over five years to increase capacity in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Yes, that's right, conservatives funding increased food inspection.

Canada isn't exactly all that progressive on the topic, unlike, say, European countries. Thanks to NAFTA, Canada is overrun with glucose-fructose (i.e., high-fructose corn syrup). The efforts are small, so far, but at least no matter which government runs the next Parliament, there will be some progress (pronounced PRO-gress) in Canada on a somewhat stronger food policy. Then the new prime minister can come to Washington to talk to Congress and tell them to wake up on creating a stronger food policy.

• Breakdown of the five party platforms (courtesy of the Globe and Mail).

Eat around the world just by going to Toronto

Couldn't help linking to this entry on our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com, since it involved eating your way through multiple nationalities by never leaving the general area around downtown Toronto.

The article is from Monica Eng, who covers food for the Chicago Tribune (full disclosure: I know Monica), and she likes trying different foods from different nationalities.

All of the destinations (two of which I have had personally) are within reasonable walking distance of downtown Toronto or a short bus, streetcar, or subway ride away. Which is good because you need to burn off all those calories.

Millions still waiting for 'Obamacare' to reach them

No podcast this week, so that we can bring you an in-depth take on the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as "Obamacare."

Turns out the reason for the delay for most Americans isn't what we have been told.

Having ready access to quality health care is vital to improving one's health. Guidance from trained medical professionals is a tremendously important resource.

But most Americans have to wait until 2013 or 2014, and still aren't clear what they are getting from the bill.

Eating better is a good start. Exercising more never is bad. But getting the obesity problem reasonably under control requires a lot of things and people to go in the proper direction. If people can't get quality health care, the problems will get worse.

For a more detailed look, we invite you to read the latest from our sister blog, DemocracySoup. And the podcasts will be back next week.