Balance of Food

Temptation of the Week: Minneapolis eating binge

Pent-up frustration.

You might feel this when you are eating well, and are tempted to go on a eating binge. "I've been so good for a long time. C'mon. Let's let loose."

Letting loose occasionally can have its rewards, provided you can be disciplined on both ends of the run, and you make smart decisions even within the binge.

Just because you are letting loose doesn't mean you turn off your brain.

As an example, I offer up my 41 hours in Minneapolis. I took the opportunity to go on a mini-binge, being good before I went, and feeling the need to be good after I came back.

Being good was almost too easy before, knowing that I would get a reward soon helped me be better. That and the stress of getting ready for a vacation. I also knew that I would have a limited time, so I couldn't suffer too much damage.

Not that I didn't give it my best; I did rather well.

We landed 30 minutes early in downtown Minneapolis: 5:30 am. I was hungry but I had to walk, in the dark in a brand new city, before I would find food. Breakfast is really important for me to get the sooner, the better. But this morning would have some misadventures; Breakfast came about 3 hours after my arrival — in St. Paul.

My first choice was Hell's Kitchen, but my info was off, and the empty storefront made me sad. I then walked to the Minneapolis Farmers Market in the early morning; the market is off the beaten path on foot. You can tell this as you pass the Greyhound station and the Salvation Army outlet. While food was all around, no suitable breakfast came forward. I did buy some tomatoes to snack on for later.

Walking back, I tried to figure out what my next step would be, and where I would find breakfast. I took the bus to St. Paul, hoping that might be a better option for breakfast. In downtown St. Paul, I found Mickey's, a legendary dining car type diner. I loaded up on the breakfast special: two sunny side up eggs, two sausage patties, toast, and homemade hash browns. Later than I wanted, and more than I would normally eat. But the 3-hour period was longer than I usually wait for my petit dejeuner. Then again, the excitement about being in a new city and a lot of walking allowed for some level of grace.

I inadvertently did something that helped: I ate in the middle of the night. The bus made a driver's stop and I grabbed a fast food hamburger. Can't remember the last meal I had in the middle of the night. Traveling does some atypical things to your system.

Lunch was stop #1 on the food truck express. I couldn't handle much at dinner: a small tray of nachos and cheese at Target Field. And other than snacking on the little tomatoes, I had no other food before dawn.

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Breakfast was stop #2 on the food truck express, making up for lost stomach time. I finished off the small tomatoes at breakfast.

Lunch came late, about 2:30 pm, and I was barely hungry. I discovered (through help) the new location for Hell's Kitchen. These things will happen when traveling in a new city.

I ended up eating two meals at Hell's Kitchen. The first was a walleye (local staple) BLT on sourdough with lemon scallion tartar sauce with sweet potato fries and homemade ketchup. The second was a bowl of wild rice (local staple) porridge with maple bison sausage. And that satisfied me until 8 am the next morning. No late night snacks for me on the way back.

Raw milk has to go underground despite a lack of negative proof

"Raw milk" is a phrase where neutrality is as small as Vatican City or San Marino. Either you are intrigued by the value of what it can bring into your life, or you are so horrified at the prospect that you wonder why we are even having a conversation.

Raw milk should really be called "unpasteurized milk." You can make cheese, butter, yogurt, and other milk products from raw milk, but those who consume raw milk usually do so as a glass of milk.

Countless anecdotes speak to raw milk being a godsend to their lives or their loved ones, helping with allergies, illnesses, and overall health. And while anecdotes aren't hard evidence, their stories are rather compelling.

So what do we have on the other side? Harsh stories about how a child got sick from raw milk? Tragic stories about a dying grandmother who drank raw milk? Not really.

If anecdotes exist on the other side of the debate, we aren't hearing about them. We hear when e.coli taints a hamburger or spinach, but not raw milk.

We have gone on and on about a lack of food safety, particularly when it comes to factory farms. And in an era where the sparseness of food inspections would make Upton Sinclair furious, raw milk has been attacked by government officials on countless levels.

Even if you don't believe 90% of what is in movies such as "Farmageddon," the remaining 10% is enough to make you go "why all the fuss?"

Laws on raw milk vary state-by-state, with many allowing raw milk as long as certain guidelines are met. In some states, you can't sell it to non-owners, but people buy a percentage of the cow to work around the requirement. In some states, you can sell raw milk but you need a license.

The stories from the raw milk advocates paint a picture of law officials going after those farmers that are following the rules, and for those who don't get a license, reacting in an overblown fashion given the lack of severity of the charges.

If raw milk and its by-products were so bad for us, you would think that all 50 states would ban raw milk, even for the farmer. But they don't.

Given the few people who drink it, law enforcement spends a boatload of money per incident going after farmers over raw milk. Buying raw milk isn't the problem, as these stories never seem to involve the consumers, only the farmers.

The message is clear: don't sell raw milk, even if it's legal. And if you do sell raw milk, don't be public about it. What isn't clear in the message is why this message, and who wants it this way.

On many levels, we are told to trust factory farms and GMOs, but we can't trust local farmers. Think of how many farmers follow organic practices, but can't declare "organic" because the paperwork costs are too high. Informed consumers are finding it easier to trust local farmers rather than factory farms and GMOs. And raw milk is part of that battle.

When the late David Shaw was writing about a rare burger for the Los Angeles Times, he suggested a solution to satisfy all comers.

I think every place that serves hamburgers (or any other food) should closely monitor the quality and care of its meat (and everything else it serves). Maybe every place that serves hamburgers should also have a legal waiver available to customers. You want a rare burger, you get a rare burger. But first you have to sign a form acknowledging that you recognize the potential danger from E. coli and indemnifying the restaurant against any damages should you get sick.

Kids can't sign legally binding waivers, of course, but I'm not a kid. I'm an adult and I want to be treated as an adult, someone capable of evaluating potential risks and making decisions accordingly.

I want to try raw milk, and maybe even some yogurt made from raw milk. I am an adult. I am responsible. And though getting raw milk will be difficult, I want to try it for myself. I will keep you informed as to how that goes.

Raw milk advocates want to be treated as adults, and they want to have that freedom. If you are going to take that freedom away, then you better have a good reason. We're waiting.

Remembering arrogance of 'freedom fries' by eating French fries on 9/11

For most of us, eating French fries is not a special occasion. As long as the day ends in -y, Americans will eat French fries.

Though, some conservatives stopped eating French fries in 2003, choosing to eat "Freedom fries" instead. Amazingly, "Freedom fries" had as many calories, cholesterol, etc. as French fries.

One of the laughable ramifications on the insanity that followed the 9/11 attacks came from a move by two Congressional Republicans, Bob Ney (R-OH) and Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-NC) to remove the word "French" from French toast and French fries from menus of the snack bars and restaurants in the House of Representatives.

France's "sin"? France didn't support the war in Iraq in 2003. Canada didn't support the war either, but somehow Canadian bacon survived.

Sure, foodies know French fries are Belgian in nature, but why let facts get in the way of insanity?

To give honor to that insanity in 2003, I thought it appropriate to eat French fries. In what would satisfy the "freedom fries" folks, I used Idaho potatoes fried in peanut oil (peanuts being truly American) cooked by American gas.

The "freedom" really lies in eating what you wish, without political pressure to change the name for short-sighted reasons.

Jones later regretted his vote for the war in Iraq AND his move to rename French fries, saying "I wish it had never happened."

As for Ney, well, Ney ended up in prison for his role in the various Jack Abramoff scandals. Ney served 30 months in prison. Karma can be ugly.

Temptation of the Week: It's just a soft drink

My soft drink consumption has gone up in the last few weeks. Okay, not by a lot, and I don't drink that many to start.

The end of summer contributed to the increase, and yes, stress played a factor. But still, an occasional soft drink can be a nice treat.

Clearly, I stand in a minority as on average, Americans now consume nearly 10% of their calories from soda/pop/soft drinks, according to a report from the CDC.

Long-time readers know I used to live large in this club. The report points out that 5% over the age of 2 drinks 4+ cans of soda every day. Now I didn't do that every day, but did hit that mark on quite a few days. Usually when stress was involved.

During the many years I consumed too many soft drinks to mention, I considered drinking pop to be a right, not a privilege. Many of my peers talk as if soft drinks were a treat growing up. My household saw it as more than a treat, but less than an everyday occurrence.

To paint a picture of how bad the addiction was, even at an early age, I was pressured/encouraged to give up soft drinks for Lent. But I discovered quickly that you were allowed to take Sundays off from your Lenten requirement. So soon after midnight on Saturday, I would have the can open and poured down my throat. All day Sunday, I had a soft drink can or bottle in my hand.

Still, an excess on one day was better off that I was doing, and certainly did most of my adult life. But that one-day tally is still more than I do now.

The funny part is that I drink the vast majority of those soft drinks at home since grocery stores offer sugar-based alternatives to the high-fructose corn syrup options that dominate the market. Very few restaurants offer those choices.

Restaurants, especially fast food outlets, used to be my Achilles heel. "Order a value meal and get the drink virtually free."

This Grist article points out that the USDA adopted a 2002 Institute of Medicine recommendation of no more than 25% of calories from added sugar. However, the American Heart Association recommends only 5% of calories from added sugar. If you consume 2,000 calories per day, this would add up to 500 calories (USDA) or 100 calories (AHA). A 12 oz. soft drink can exceeds the AHA requirement, and about 3 cans for the USDA mark, provided that you had no additional "added sugar" the rest of the day.

Grist also notes that a study last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that "nearly one-quarter of all American adults — over 50 million people — already either exceed or are close to the 25 percent limit."

When people are on diets or whatever they are calling them, they understandably complain of being hungry and wanting to eat more food. Drink less pop and you can eat more food; what a great trade.

But as BalanceofFood.com keeps reminding us, having an occasional soft drink as a treat can help psychologically (and taste good). And more people can access some form of soft drink that has sugar or cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. A soft drink now is a treat for me, and I truly love it when I get a chance. I just don't love it enough to have it all the time.

'Federal Food Nannies' aren't real, despite Chicago Tribune editorial

"Federal Food Nannies"

The term "Federal Food Nannies" sounds like something you would read in a letter to the editor of a small town newspaper, not in an editorial from the largest newspaper in America's #3 market.

The Chicago Tribune leans so Republican that it falls down a lot, so "government interference" is trying to get people to eat better.

"Our take is that government campaigns won't get many people to eat healthy. The current arsenal, heavy on hectoring Americans, isn't working. P.S. It's not just Americans who are snubbing the eat-less eat-smart call: Global obesity rates have doubled worldwide in the last three decades."

In the last three decades, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has come to dominate the sweetener category. And we all know how the Chicago Tribune feels about HFCS. Thanks to NAFTA, the U.S. exports HFCS to Canada and Mexico.

Food safety and regulation standards have fallen. And having a misleading label in the front of a food package is now the established norm.

"Health advocates, accept the bitter truth: Americans — people — like to eat tasty stuff that is not good for them."

This is true. The Tribune editorial accepts this as undeniable fact, as if little can be done about this. But keep in mind that the "tasty stuff" — even when unhealthy — is less healthy than it was 30 years ago.

Government, on both sides of the aisle, has played multiple key roles in this slide. But the Chicago Tribune editorial board isn't crazy about government playing a role in people eating better. And doesn't seem concerned about government making things worse for people who are trying to do better.

Zina Murray runs the Logan Square Kitchen in Chicago. Food entrepreneurs rent kitchen space by the hour, helping them save costs by not operating a bricks-and-mortar site. But the City of Chicago's Health Department has inspected the Logan Square Kitchen 11 times in the last 9 months, and 19 times in the last 2 years. Restaurants in Chicago typically get inspected twice a year.

Where did we learn all of this about the Logan Square Kitchen? The Chicago Tribune.

"The Federal Food Nannies covet a world without Hardee's 1,320-calorie Monster Thickburger to tempt people. We disagree."

The Trib editorial paints a murky picture of calorie-counting bureaucrats. You can sleep soundly knowing that this monster is imaginary. Barack Obama eats Five Guys. Michelle Obama eats ribs and Shake Shack. If most Americans managed the challenge of the temptations of the Thickburger as well as the Obamas do, our health care costs would be a lot lower.

As for BalanceofFood.com, we have always welcomed the most obnoxious of participants into unhealthy food. Because only when faced with the worst food makers have to offer, and if we survive those temptations to do mostly well most of the time, then we have overcome the largest challenge.

Minneapolis shows food trucks can be worth the hype

 
Food trucks generate a lot of passion and interest, but while I live in a large city, I have felt like the food truck revolution has passed me by. So I did what any journalist would do: hit the road to find out whether food trucks lived up to the hype. Destination: Minneapolis.

Not very far from where TV Land commemorates a young single woman throwing her hat in the air, you had your choice of food trucks. Saw a couple of them parked near the light rail station downtown. They looked nice, but I had a specific target. And though I didn't have a way to monitor the Twitter feed on this trip, I easily located the Smack Shack.

Food trucks satisfy a need in a downtown location if the truck can do its job without hassle (i.e., worrying about parking), get you the food hot and fairly quick, and make the experience as convenient as possible. Like school children, adults don't get much time for lunch during the work week.

I arrived toward the end of what is the typical lunch hour, getting there about 12:45 pm. The line to order only had a few people, and the line moved fairly well. Others were waiting for their food, and quite a few more were adapting "seats" to enjoy their lunch in the proverbial shadows of the food truck.

The wait wasn't much longer than a typical fast food restaurant at lunch time. Cash or credit were payment options. And the wait for the food was comparable to a QSR (quick service restaurant).

But you aren't there to see if the wait is similar, or whether the food truck takes a credit card. You are there for the food and food alone.

My ideal lobster roll is a lot of lobster meat, melted butter, and a slightly toasted split-top type hot dog bun. Outside of New England, this seems an impossible task. This lobster roll was not on a bun, but on Texas toast. The other ingredients to the lobster roll were cucumber, tarragon, and lemon aioli. Lobster dominated the sandwich, though still not as much as I would have preferred.

The remaining flavors were subtle (plus), the bread was a little too noticeable, though could have been much worse (meh), but the liquid content was too high (minus).

These are subtle points: this was a lobster roll outdoors on a downtown street during the work week at lunchtime. Very nice.

The sandwich came in a box with potato chips; the chips were plain in a good way and didn't detract from the main course. The cost was $12, and I put it on my credit card. If nothing else, I'll get a chuckle from seeing Smack Shack on my next credit card statement.

This was a good sample for the food truck phenomena, but the testing continued the next morning.

This food truck wasn't parked on a downtown street at lunchtime, though Chef Shack does spend time on downtown streets. On Saturday morning, Chef Shack parks at the Mill City Museum farmers market. Literally in the shadows of the legendary Guthrie Theater with a view of the Mississippi River, Chef Shack felt like a restaurant on wheels. The breakfast special was French toast and lunchtime offered fish, but I decided to stick with the regular menu.

I arranged my eating to have breakfast at this food truck, but the major adjustment would have to come from eating more in the morning than my stomach normally handles.

The obvious choice was staring in my face: Indian spiced mini donuts. But I couldn't start with that option. I needed something with less sugar.

I went past the grass-fed beef tongue tacos to go for the "Shack" nachos: pulled pork with black beans, corn, and a little avocado on multi-colored nacho chips.

Chef Shack sources organic, a selling point in the battle between restaurant and food truck. And knowing the truck would be parked for the entire farmers market made the transaction(s) more relaxed (more on than in a moment).

My stomach had been thrown off by this eating trip, so I hadn't had much food after 5 pm the previous evening. So maybe I was a little too hungry, and a little too tempted to go beyond the normal breakfast eating cycle.

I was told of a cool path across and around the Mississippi River, so I decided I needed energy. And this is how I justified the Indian spiced mini donuts. I would rather have ordered a half-bag or even two mini donuts. Unfortunately, the only option was a whole bag for $5.

I nibbled on them along the way, but tried two when they were piping hot. And here is the key difference between a food truck in Minneapolis and a food truck in Chicago. Freshly cooked tastes better than warmed up. Hot is not always the same as hot.

The donuts were marvelous, too marvelous in that I felt compelled to eat the whole bag. I was smart enough at least to not eat the whole bag at once, though forgive yourself if you couldn't. They did make for a nice snack on my walk, which I concluded back in front of the Chef Shack truck.

Was I tempted to order something else? I was too full, though people were lined up for their first shot at the truck that day.

Epilogue

So are food trucks worth the hype? They can be, but in order to compete, they have to outdo even themselves on occasion. Dishes that are special but not extremely unique can survive if they taste good at a decent price.

I was glad to try a city that has a vibrant scene with new trucks being added to a varied mix. They are fun, and can serve a niche. And I can see a little about what the hype is all about.I am not completely cynical about food trucks anymore, but they certainly aren't the next coming.

If you live in or near a viable food truck market (sorry, Chicago can't cut it until the city government changes the rules), try it out. If not, it might be worth a small vacation to try it, preferably where the transportation and lodging cost very little. And depending on the location, weather will play a huge factor.

Let us know what you think in the comments section. Are food trucks worth the hype?

Temptation of the Week: the end of summer?

Going for an all-out blitz of grilling meats and buying extra snack food because the end of summer arrives on Monday? No need to go nuts (though nuts are healthy for you in reasonable portion sizes).

Summer will still be here next week and the week after that. In fact, the Autumnal Equinox is on September 23.

That's right. Even without a rodent's shadow, we know that summer still has three weeks to go.

The weather may not be quite 90°, but conditions should still be nice enough for a little grilling. Or having some fruit and whipped cream while sitting on your porch or sidewalk. Or even taking a stroll at night for a treat.

Sure no matter what we say, you'll still have some eating fun this weekend. And you should. Just pace yourself: you don't have 3 days of summer left, you have 21. Go and enjoy what summer has to offer just a little bit longer. And let's not forget those Indian (why can't we call it Native American) Summer days in the fall to enjoy food in the outdoors.