Balance of Food

Temptation of the Week: Not too sweet

 

While enjoying my Kosher for Passover Canada Dry ginger ale, I couldn't help but to think back to its old campaign with the tagline, "It's not too sweet."

The song was catchy, though I remember making up my own lyrics to the jingle. The verse had various forms but followed this pattern:

"It's not too sweet/[line that ended in a word that rhymes with sweet]/
Canada Dry Ginger Ale/It's not too sweet."

This was before the impact of high-fructose corn syrup, the start of the revolution that made the American sweet tooth that much sweeter. Artificial sweeteners have played their role; at this point, all we had was saccharin. Aspartame (NutraSweet) didn't get final FDA approval until 1981. And sucralose (Splenda) came along worldwide not too much later, but getting into the U.S. took some time.

The beauty of the Canada Dry ads at the time was that the ginger ale was less sweet versus the marketplace — back then. Imagine the contrast now.

We see more dark chocolate being available and sold. Sugar-based soft drinks have a niche market. But "less sweet" is still out of the mainstream. By definition, Kosher for Passover soft drinks are out of the mainstream.

Imaging a product marketing itself as "not too sweet" in 2013 is rather difficult to conceive. Sweet is cool, awesome, radical. Products need sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners to be extra sweet. "Not too sweet" would seem un-American (Canadian?).

While some of these food quests come down to sugar vs. high-fructose corn syrup, honestly, I like these products because they aren't as sweet as mainstream, high-fructose corn syrup dominated foods.

"Really can't be beat [because] It's not too sweet."

Canada to get cheaper mozzarella, but at a price to quality

Pizzas in restaurants are about to get cheaper in Canada, but that seemingly good news has its price.

Staring June 1, restaurants in Canada will be allowed to use the same standard of cheaper cheese that frozen pizza makers get to use now. While leveling the playing field is a fair thing, the reduction in quality of the key ingredient in what makes most pizzas comes at a price.

Previous coverage:

Canada, United States trade a lot of food, not all of it is good

Canada-U.S. food notebook: E-coli beef going south, illegal cheese trying to go north (CanadianCrossing.com)

Canada proves that high cheese standards are worth having

When I watch Canadian food ads during NHL Center Ice and MLB Extra Innings free previews, I see absolutely ridiculously high prices for pizzas. Some of that discrepancy might be the cost of cheese, and to be fair, Canadians pay more for food than the Americans. Every developed country pays more for food than the United States.

We still have to wait and see whether the savings from the cheaper cheese will make it to Canadian pocketbooks.

photo credit: Panago

Dylan Ratigan making nice transition to helping veterans become farmers

Dylan Ratigan fell in my radar May 18 at Green Fest in Chicago. Ratigan was on the main stage talking about Arches Acres, the group that works with returning veterans and turns them into farmers. While he was speaking, I thought back to his days on MSNBC. I knew he gave up the show, but hadn't made the connection between him and Arches Acres.

Ratigan spent most of the talk on hydroponics. I have some idea what hydroponics were, but Ratigan's talking points grabbed me. 3x as fast, 3x as much food, and using 90% less water.

Ratigan showed up Tuesday night on my TV set as Al Madrigal interviewed Ratigan on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Madrigal wasn't there to talk to Ratigan for the Daily Show about hydroponics or veterans or the quality of the food we are growing and eating. Madrigal was there as a way to mock the extremes of cable news.

Still, Ratigan sneaked in some talking points about hydroponics: 3x as fast, 3x as much food, and using 90% less water.

I first heard about Arches Acres about a year ago and was impressed with the basic concept. Veterans serve our country but often have trouble adjusting back to society. Teaching them farming gives them a skill, something where they can be their own boss. And for those veterans that are having troubles due to PTSD or other trauma, farming's simplicity might be even more helpful to them.

Ratigan noted at Green Fest that the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war vets is 20% and that taxpayers spend #1 million each on service members for training to work on complex equipment. Getting service members to be more active helps reduce the taxpayer burden to take care of them. The bonus is helping to improve the food supply.

The water issue is crucial as many parts of the world suffer from water shortages, including the American Southwest. Ratigan pointed out, and I heartily agree, that the wars for water will dwarf the battles over oil.

Ratigan also said since hydroponics don't use soil, you get rid of 70% of the pests since the pests are soil-based. The way corporate American farming is treating the soil, good soil will become a more rare commodity.

The Daily Show segment played up the saga of someone who had some success in cable news leaving to try and improve people's lives. But Ratigan's experience in that world lends itself to the cause of better farming and hydroponics. Ratigan can explain the benefits in ways that people who absorb a lot of media can easily comprehend.

Hydroponics can seemingly be advantageous to liberals and progressives because of fewer pesticides and improved environment, while conservatives would like the time saved and amount of food that lend them to like the status quo for those reasons.

And Americans don't have to experiment on their own to see if hydroponics works since Israel, Holland, and Canada are all leading the way on hydroponics.

I need to do a lot more research on hydroponics to see the benefits and disadvantages about the method. But Dylan Ratigan is shining the light on hydroponics and leading people such as me to want to learn more.

Temptation of the Week: Bringing your own better ketchup

When you're paying $3-$4 for a "meal," the idea of charging for extra ketchup does feel like a violation.

Just because a number of McDonald's in Manhattan are charging for extra ketchup doesn't mean this trend will go nationwide.

But this trend does grow, remember the advice I've given for some time: bring your own.

Squeezing ketchup from those pathetic packets is agony enough, especially since your fast food French fries loses 90% of its heat within seconds. To be charged on top of that is an insult you don't need.

Previous coverage:

Temptation of the Week: a better to-go ketchup package

Ketchup on store shelves much better; restaurants slow to change

In the past few years, finding ketchup without high-fructose corn syrup is a lot easier. Hunt's, Simply Heinz, and Organic Heinz are the 3 easiest brands to find on U.S. store shelves. If those don't satisfy, some stores have their in-house organic brands. Your store might carry local companies with an alternative ketchup. Stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have more options, but you can find some brands even at Wal-Mart.

Even if you don't do fast food, or ketchup isn't your thing, make your own concoction and take it with you.

I was out with friends when one of them experimented by pouring the hot sauce into the ketchup. I loved that idea, but wish it wasn't Heinz with high-fructose corn syrup as the base. The hot sauce did help the taste, but imagine what that would have done with a better tasting base.

The best solution would be Heinz or another company to use the newest to-go packaging with a version without high-fructose corn syrup.

You can't always prepare. After all, that night, I didn't think I'd be eating at the bar. But if you know that you will be at a place where the condiments aren't up to your high standards, take your own initiative.

As always, use discretion. I like the containers you find at GFS and other restaurant supply places that look similar to what they already carry. You can get a better tasting experience, but not everyone has to know about it.

photo credit: Heinz; me

Slider Bites: Bugging about eating more insects for protein

Grasshoppers and ants vs. cows and chickens. We know which group is more appetizing to eat, but the UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization is encouraging more of us to add the insects to our diets.

While the discussion is mostly about protein, eating insects is more about greenhouse gases and excessive feed caused by maintaining so many cows.

The organization notes that 2 billion people worldwide consume insects for protein and minerals.

Depending on your eating status, you may already be enjoying several levels of ways to get protein from beans and legumes to quinoa to Greek yogurt to whey powder. Beans, legumes, and nuts also have small footprints, though not as small as cicadas.

Let's be clear: if you put bugs in chocolate or garlic powder or the substance that goes on Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Americans will eat it. If you put bugs on a stick and deep-fry them, Americans will eat it, even if the bugs themselves are nutritious.

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Speaking of protein, Oscar Mayer's new Bacon Dogs offers bacon in the mix. And not just any bacon … Oscar Mayer Bacon. They mixed bacon in with the other meats in an otherwise typical Oscar Mayer hot dog. Now, once you heat/cook them, how much bacon are you really getting?

Again, if you really want the bacon experience, take some bacon (heck, even Oscar Mayer bacon) and cook it up. Put the bacon inside a hot dog bun, add your favorite condiments, and have a true bacon dog. You will get more taste and still get some nitrates in your system. Bacon with a bit of chili and a dash of mustard on a hot dog bun. Mmmmmmm.

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Growing organic foods fall perfectly under the definition of conservative with a small "c." Old-fashioned, tried and true, nothing fancy, what your grandparents literally did. Yet organic foods rile up conservatives against them because they're seen as "left-wing hippies food."

This exchange, courtesy of The Huffington Post, illustrates how backwards this discussion is in Washington.

When Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., a former organic farmer, offered an amendment to make it easier for organic companies to organize industry-wide promotional campaigns, there was swift backlash from some farm-state Republicans. One lawmaker said he didn't want to see the industry get a free ride and a second complained about organics' "continued assault on agriculture."

"That's one of the things that has caught me and raises my concerns, is that industry's lack of respect for traditional agriculture," said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga. He was referring to some organic companies' efforts to reduce the number of genetically modified crops in the marketplace.

At the same time, Scott acknowledged that he and his wife buy organic foods.

GMOs are not about traditional agriculture … unless you're 20. Organic is traditional agriculture … literally. Sigh.

The good news for Scott and his wife is when they do buy organic foods, they are being conservative. Scott just needs to convince himself in the mirror that he is being conservative when it comes to organic foods. Trying to convince Scott that GMOs are radical? That will take a much longer time.

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With all the whining from fast food companies about Obamacare, which won't kick in for most Americans until 2014, turns out their fears won't be realized.

A recent Barclays analyst's note studied the issue and pointed out that a number of employees are young people can stay on their parents' insurance plans to 26, an element of Obamacare that is already into effect. So most of those employees won't have the issue. The exception would be those without parents or without access to their insurance plans.

As for older adults who are making their living working in fast food, we also know that they aren't getting paid enough, as we've seen in protests in several major cities, Detroit being the latest. Obamacare will give them the chance to buy their health insurance if their employers don't offer insurance. Then again, the wages of a fast food worker might not be enough to buy insurance, though the plans are adjusted based on income.

The idea of paying $3-$4 for a fast food meal into perpetuity is a ridiculous notion. Cheap can only go so far, and you pay your employees more money, they can afford to eat at your restaurants more often.

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If you don't eat well, especially as an American, you might be ashamed about being photographed with a week's worth of food. Now try representing your whole country.

Came across this story about a book where a typical week's worth of food in a country is photographed along with a family from that country.

The pictures illustrate the huge contrasts between countries over what constitutes typical meals. The U.S. and Canada don't hold up well. Some less-off countries actually look like they eat better.

Temptation of the Week: Weekend foods

You've likely heard the drill: eat well during the week and then eat what you want on the weekend. If you really stick to it, this is a rather good method. If you are eating well during the week, chances are you can't do too much damage. And if the incentive of eating that kind of food on the weekend keeps you eating well during the week, great if that works for you.

Weekend food is only one variation of finding the Balance of Food. The New York Times food writer Mark Bittman eats a vegan diet before 6 pm and then anything after that time. Bittman doesn't go off the deep end by any stretch, and he has been doing this method for 6 years.

The concept works as long as you keep to the rhythm. But what happens when the rhythm changes?

Indulging on the weekend can be a great reward after a long, frustrating work week. But sometimes rewards come sooner because you're tired or sad or depressed. Indulging on the weekend loses the point if you are indulging during the week, too.

In fact, the weekend offers up opportunities to do more cooking, whether that be for the weekend or meals during the week. Making a stew or a sauce or chopping up vegetables is a great way to spend some of your weekend. By cooking ahead, you can reduce some of that temptation.

But the weekend is part of why I started this Temptation of the Week feature. The first feature ran May 20, 2011 so we are on the 2-year anniversary. In explaining the segment, I noted that "Many people are eating well during the week, but having a more relaxed approach on the weekend. So we are giving them some creative ideas as a reward for doing well."

Well, the segment has evolved in the last two years. But the idea still remains of getting you to think about temptation, good and bad. The segment runs on a Friday so you have time to contemplate how to use the latest Temptation of the Week.

Slider bites: Chris Christie's lap band surgery

Chris Christie announced that he did undergo lap-band surgery back in February to try and lose weight. This isn't news except that Christie is currently the governor of New Jersey and might be a presidential contender in 2016.

Now Christie might have been a presidential contender even without the surgery. After all, the country might have a backlash to a president who isn't as fit as Barack Obama.

The lap-band surgery isn't as extreme as other surgical options, so losing the weight slower, besides being healthier as a role, might look better in someone who could reasonably run for president in 2016.

Weight-loss surgeries aren't a guarantee. And Christie could lose some of his charm in being thinner. Or if he loses weight, but "not enough" for some, then the move could backfire politically.

Christie would be better off weighing less than he does now, and ideally, he can learn new ways to deal with food so the surgery will prove more effective.

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Ice cream is nice when you're hot and on vacation. Chances are ice cream isn't as nice when you pay 16 euros for the experience.

4 British tourists in Rome paid 64 euros for 4 ice creams at the Antica Roma bar and gelateria near the Spanish Steps.

The manager said the amount per person was more than 2 scoops. But even Italian ice cream isn't worth 16 euros.

There may have been some language issues, some places charge more if you stay and eat (they didn't), and they did leave with the cones and without their money.

I remember ordering 1 baguette in a bakery in Paris and the woman gave me two and charged me for two. That was a language issue. But if I really wanted one, I would have said so.

Yes, the gelateria overcharged. But you have to think a little even on vacation.

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The FDA is looking into possibly regulating caffeine. Yawn! Laudable that the FDA should look into this, but reality will prevent any difference making. One rule that would help is requiring any product that has caffeine to list how much caffeine is in that product.

The knowledge could backfire in that some people will find the most caffeine and consume those products. But knowledge is power and right now, most consumers are powerless.

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McDonald's decided to drop its Angus burger, and the implication was this was due to the "high" price of beef. When the vast majority of our cows is being fed GMO-corn subsidized by the government, one of the few problems with that beef is cost.

While Angus is more premium than regular beef, it doesn't stack up to grass-fed. With the unusual toppings on the Angus burger and McD's reluctant/refusal to market the burgers, no wonder that they will disappear from the menu almost as quietly as they appeared.

I mourned the loss of the McLean burger way back when. I never even thought to try the Angus burger.

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Alex Jamieson recently decided to stop being a vegan and once again eating meat. Jamieson is the long-time girlfriend of Morgan Spurlock that you might remember from "Super Size Me."

If life were a battle between eaters of animals and those who don't, this would be considered a victory for the animal eaters side.

In reality, she made a choice to go where her body said she wanted to go. In life, people will choose to be vegan or vegetarian, or go vegan before 6 (Mark Bittman), or only eat bacon for meat, or those who do weekend indulgences.

It's not like Jamieson turned into what Spurlock did in the film.

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Don't instantly trust studies, but liked this one that said teenagers were getting comparable calorie counts from ordering meals at McDonald's and Subway.

The average comparison was pretty close with 1,038 calories at McDonald's vs. 955 calories at Subway.

Subway notes that its meals have less fat, but people are getting plenty of calories and sodium from the "healthier" meals.

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With that spirit in mind, we will occasionally post notebooks, a non-fancy journalism term for thoughts about the beat in short, profound analysis between a tweet and an actual blog post. Fans of our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com, know all about notebook columns.

Food Bites seemed cornier than normal, so I went with Slider Bites, because sliders are mockingly too small. A bite from a slider is hardly a bite at all.

Temptation of the Week: Poutine soda

Mon dieu. Soda with the taste of poutine.

You probably would believe the number of my friends who have sent me the notice of Jones Soda's newest flavor: poutine. People remember when you publicly admit you like poutine.

So will I be Jones-ing for some poutine soda?

Let's start by noting that Jones poutine soda is only available in Canada. Not everywhere in Canada, the Seattle-based company is aiming its new novelty soda at Quebec (maison du poutine), Ontario, and British Columbia.

But if I were there, or the poutine soda came to where I was, would I try poutine soda?

For the blog, oui. For myself, je ne sais pas.

Poutine is salty x3: French fries, squeaky white Quebec cheese curds, and brown gravy. Soda is sweet, even with Jones use of cane sugar. For some, this is bliss. Combining the two flavors is heaven for some.

As much as we can make things taste like something, what you will likely get in poutine soda is gravy soda since gravy predominates the dish. The idea of getting potatoes and cheese into the taste is likely an after-thought. This isn't really fair because I can't try the product, but this is based on other attempts to make x taste like y.

Bacon-flavored products don't really have bacon flavor, but more like a smoky flavor to make you think you are consuming something bacon-flavored.

Gravy-flavored soda has some appeal. A salty soda is novel, even among Jones' extensive novel soda collection.

But the idea of drinking poutine flavor leaves a bit

On my last trip to Montreal about a year ago, I sampled the poutine at Paul Patates. It's a small diner off the Charlevoix Metro stop. This is a very residential neighborhood; Regular tourists wouldn't be anywhere nearby, unless they were on a hunt for poutine.

The poutine is quite excellent; one of the best plates of poutine I have ever had. But the lure of going off the beaten path is the home-brewed spruce beer. The spruce beer is non-alcoholic, and one of the best soft drinks I have ever had. I described the soft drink as "7UP mixed with trees."

The taste of the spruce beer was refreshing and a nice contrast to the salty taste of a virtually perfect poutine. The two flavors went back and forth as I finished the poutine plate.

photo credit: Jones Soda

Temptation of the Week: Gorgeous, fresh vegetables

Vegetables are a lot more fun to eat when they're fresh. While vegetables don't have to be gorgeous to taste good and be good for you, well, gorgeous usually isn't a negative.

McDonald's tell us in its new ads that inside the Premium McWrap, you will find "gorgeous, fresh vegetables."

A chain fast food restaurant is promising us fresh vegetables and gorgeous vegetables and gorgeous, fresh vegetables inside their wrap.

Fast food restaurants are in the habit of showing us on camera what their food looks like and delivering nothing even close to that mark in the actual food served in these restaurants. So McDonald's is promising that what you'll see on TV will be what you get in person.

When I was watching the Canadian food ads on the NHL Center Ice free preview, one of the fast food sandwiches had a disclaimer that said you weren't guaranteed to get what you saw on TV. That is the great thing about Canadians; even when they trying to trick you, they come out and say that they are tricking you.

McDonald's didn't show us gorgeous, fresh vegetables in its new wrap sandwich. The chain told us you would get gorgeous, fresh vegetables. You would also get juicy, delicious chicken, but that is more subjective.

We have learned through trial and (mostly) error that restaurants won't promise that what you see is what you get. But if they say out loud that you will get something, then we should hold them to that statement.

If you envision suing McDonald's for false advertising, the company will maintain that their vegetables are fresh in that they aren't spoiled. Maybe not as fresh as you want them to be, but "fresh enough." As for gorgeous, well, gorgeous can be somewhat subjective. You might find Anne Hathaway is gorgeous while someone else would reserve that honor for Kate Upton.

If we learned nothing from "Animal House," we discovered that vegetables are sensual and people are sensuous. So the term "gorgeous" may not even apply to vegetables.

Still, McDonald's is taking a risk by verbalizing traits of its food that aren't likely to be true. No one not being paid by McDonald's will walk away thinking they ate gorgeous, fresh vegetables. And they certainly wouldn't have thought so without excess prompting.

Fresh tasty vegetables can make any sandwich taste better. If burger places want to lure us in for fresher fare, they better be able to back up what they say. Because we can find gorgeous, fresh vegetables in real life, and we don't need the golden arches to lead the way.