Balance of Food

KFC dumping trans fats

Congratulations, albeit tentative, goes out to KFC, which is expected to announce today that it will replace its trans fat hydrogenated oils with a healthier soybean oil by April 2007.

At Balance of Food, we hate to be cynical about whether it will happen. After all, Wendy's got rid of its trans fats. But McDonald's still hasn't after promising for four years. If KFC is successful, we will give them their proper due at that time.

I can't imagine that Colonel Harlan Sanders (the person, not the cartoon caricature) had to use trans-fat laden oils to make his original 11 herbs and spices chicken. So somehow the solution had to be easier than this.

There is a lot made about trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends eating less than 2 grams per day. Currently there are 4.5 grams in one KFC extra crispy chicken breast. The fewer, the better. Eating KFC chicken will be healthier without trans fats, but you still shouldn't eat it every day.

One intriguing note under the radar. According to ABC News, KFC officials told them they'd been secretly using their trans fat-free oil in several cities for months, and most diners didn't notice the difference. I hope that tidbit is correct, and that is the way to do it (McDonald's, are you listening?). People are so busy stuffing their face with fast food that they aren't likely to notice the difference.

Unfortunately, there is an asterisk to KFC's efforts. Some of the chain's menu items, specifically biscuits, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, and chicken pot pie, will still contain trans fat. Hopefully, KFC will be able to figure out how to get the rest of menu up to speed or note that these products contain trans fat.

Glutton-related Doonesbury back in repeats

For those who missed the hilarious glutton-related Doonesbury spoof on McFriendly's, the repeats are being shown this week.

The "small Coke," the seasonal Twinkies, the "Big Feed" with over 22,000 calories for $89.95: it's all there.

For those who don't get repeats in their local paper, or dare I say, don't even get Doonesbury in their local paper, go online and see what you are missing. If you read this later, go back to the archives and find the comics for the week October 30-November 4.

I love the freedom of the big portions, but in real life, split it with someone you love or even someone you don't know.

Sandwich for breakfast

I saw a guy on the commuter train eating a Subway sandwich for breakfast. Many questions leapt into my head.

Amazingly, one of them wasn't "why is he eating a sandwich for breakfast?" At least the person is eating breakfast, and eating a sandwich has essential nutrition.

1) Does Subway serve lunch sandwiches for breakfast? 2) If not, did this guy buy a sandwich the previous night, refrigerate it, and bring it with him? 3) He is not supposed to be eating on the train, is he?

I couldn't ask him because his mouth was full. Besides, we want to encourage breakfast eating here at Balance of Food, and I didn't want to scare him off of the idea. (Though I'm not a huge fan of Subway. The bread tastes so sweet, the lettuce is pathetic, and the ability to get tomato slices in the color red has been rare.)

Still, a Subway sandwich breakfast is still a breakfast. At least it was only a 6-inch sandwich.

Fun on a stick

Jon Stewart is becoming a junk food critic. First, he had a delightful critique on the Twinkie when he interviewed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Now, Stewart has expanded his technique on the new Jimmy Dean pancake and sausage on a stick, chocolate chip flavor (the pancake, not the sausage). In both instances, Stewart refers to the idea of what we can call "food."

Perhaps his young children are influencing his outbursts, hoping their nutritional needs can be met without a sausage wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake.

I find the critiques hilarious as well as the idea of a portable, high-calorie, high-fat snack. Pancakes have enough to make them calorie-laden without the chocolate chips. And if you pour a little maple syrup (or if it is injected into the treat), all the more sugar.

Yes, we eat a lot of crap. Some of it may or may not be food. The crap makes good choices seem more worthwhile, so consider that next time you're tempted. It could be a lot worse: you could eat a chocolate chip pancake and a sausage on a stick, and then take the clean stick, place a Twinkie on it, and eat it.

Movie moments

The Chicago International Film Festival brings many movies from numerous countries to the big screen every October. But we're here to care about the ones that feature food.

Nina's Heavenly Delights was a delightful film. It's your typical Scottish/Indian lesbian love story. The centerpiece of the film was a curry contest. Nina, our heroine, makes her curry with love, though that becomes difficult since her father has passed on.

The scene where they are making the curry is marred by dealing with the romance (I will avoid details as to not spoil the story). The curry is abandoned, but the ghost of the father comes and stirs the curry (don't ask).

I would argue that care for the curry, and any other cooking, is what matters. I was told to suspend logic for this movie. But I would love to see a movie where the dish is the star, not the romance.

I could not sit through all of Taxidermia. This Hungarian film was rather disturbing, and I was not the only one who wanted money back. But there was a competitive eating scene that was worthwhile. These rather large men were eating soup. They were slurping from rather large vats. The eating was quite sloppy, even compared to American competitive eating contests.

There are merits to the movie, but if you are squeamish, you might not like it. But I was glad to see the competitive eating scene.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

While in the States, visions of turkey (and football) are 7-8 weeks away, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. Given the traditionally colder weather, this time of the year is more viable for family celebrations as opposed to late November.

The food menus are similar to the American version, and the Canadian Football League obliges with a football doubleheader. The Thanksgiving games are Saskatchewan at Montreal followed by Edmonton at Toronto.

So if you have Canadian connections, or you are looking for an excuse for a huge turkey dinner, today is the day. Enjoy!!!

How many meals in a day?

I love food marketing way more than others. So when Taco Bell introduced the concept of the "fourth meal," I wondered "how many meals do young people eat?"

Breakfast may not be much for those who are young and on the go. And it may be at 11 a.m. More often, a pesudo-brunch may kick in. Dinner time is usually a 6-7 p.m. phenomena. So that really is 2 meals, maybe with a snack somewhere in there. So the third meal can really kick in about 11 p.m. or midnight, around the time one might eat at Taco Bell or some other equivalent.

And this method is more of a guy thing. Women are taught to eat more meals yet smaller ones. So they might eat 6 meals in a day (certainly one can involve burritos).

So am I wrong? Do young people eat 3 meals plus the late-night run, like Taco Bell says?