Balance of Food

What's Tempting: KFC Go Cup used for healthy snacks

Eating is certainly not left out in the many things Americans like to do in their cars. But eating in cars can get messy, with turns and braking and overall driving.

The KFC Go Cup can be a solution, but not in the way the company intends.

The cup is smaller at the bottom so that it can fit into most cupholders. The drawback is that you are eating greasy KFC food.

You get your choice of 5 chicken type options, all with potato wedges — a "meal" for $2.49 plus tax.

If you really are in the mood for some chicken and potato wedges, you could do better, but not much cheaper.

But let's assume that you aren't a fan of the KFC. You should still buy a Go Cup.

KFC anticipates that you will buy a Go Cup every time you need a portable fix of KFC. But you can save the container and use to store healthier snacks when you drive.

If we told you that you could get a container that fits into a cupholder without chicken and potatoes entering into the mix, you'd pay a lot more than $3.

The Colbert Report take of the KFC Go Cup was KFC Wheel Meat, a "one-piece circular macro nugget that mounts snuggly onto your steering column." The honey mustard and barbecue sauces would be mounted at 10 and 2 and sauce the chicken through the natural course of turns.

Colbert brings up a point that is definitely missing from the KFC ads: chances are you will need a sauce. Based on my own personal experience, eating KFC requires a sauce or gravy.

Eating foods that involve dipping deters from the Go Cup idea. And it's not like you can actually get the crunch from the chicken that you hear in the ad for the KFC Go Cup.

You can get the crunch from celery stalks, carrot sticks, or green pepper strips that would conveniently fit into the Go Cup — once you've wiped out the grease from the Go Cup. Dried fruit, beef jerky, granola, pretzel sticks, and sliced almonds are only a few of the wonderful snacking possibilities.

Snacking in a car leads to mindless snacking, either because you need to pay attention over a long ride, or are stuck in rush hour traffic. Whether you are in a car or on your couch, you should still be paying attention to what you are eating. Chances are that you won't remember what you ate in the car 3 or 6 hours after you park. You might as well have something tasty and reasonably healthy.

Full disclosure: my day job wrote about the topic with an assessment on how practical the KFC Go Cup is in a car.

photo credit: KFC

What's Tempting: A functioning government dealing with the food supply

Fewer food inspections and a salmonella outbreak. People having trouble accessing food stamps money. South Dakota cattle ranchers who couldn't get help from a early season blizzard. A White House organic garden that can be watered, but not weeded.

These are some of the obvious signs of what happened with a government shutdown over the last 2 plus weeks.

Then there are the anecdotal stories, such as the farmers market that was shut down thanks to the government shutdown. More on that later.

Some Americans might be thinking, "The government shutdown didn't affect me personally." If you had become sick from the salmonella, your story would be different. But you might know someone who was affected, and not know it.

This isn't to say that the government does everything well when it comes to dealing with the food supply. Not. Even. Close. But there are a lot of hard-working people who do make things better.

Federal food inspectors can't have a fun job, with huge pressures and clearly understaffed groups trying to battle a corporate structure that often treats food as a line on an expense report.

Those already struggling to put food on the table, going against their previous beliefs and actually asking for assistance while underemployed or unemployed, having to struggle more in the last two weeks.

The hope, slight as this might be, is that people would appreciate how government can positively affect the food supply. However, the people who engineered the government shutdown don't think the government has a place in the food supply.

Then there is the story where the government stepped in to stop a farmers market.

Reports I received from farmers was that Homeland Security wouldn't allow the Tuesday market at Federal Plaza in Chicago to set up this week because they were worried about protesters. Then again, if they allowed the farmers to set up, tomato sales would have gone through the roof.

But seriously, the story doesn't pass the initial smell test. Not that I don't trust the fine folks at Homeland Security, but there are a few problems with this scenario.

• No protesters actually showed up on Tuesday.
• We had two previous Tuesdays during the government shutdown where there was no protesters.
• Even if protesters had shown up, the farmers wouldn't have been in any danger.
• Protesters have shown up in and around Federal Plaza on various Tuesdays all this summer and hadn't been an issue for the farmers.

Farmers lost money and valuable opportunity to sell their limited quality wares without a legitimate purpose. If the farmers weren't allowed to set up on Federal Plaza because of the shutdown, even though the post office, also at Federal Plaza, was open the whole time, well that would be silly. But just as silly as not being able to weed the White House organic garden.

To be fair, perhaps Homeland Security got a false lead on a protest. Or that was a ruse for something more serious. Or maybe that is all BS. I will be more than glad to update this story as conditions warrant.

In a country where 300 million people live, a government shutdown will produce a lot of short-term victims, especially when it comes to the food supply. And while some of those victims may seem invisible to some, their wounds still exist.

A&W Canada burgers tout no added hormones, no steroids

 

The fast food burger fall into its own category. The idea of low expectations is an understatement. Quality in a fast food burger feels like an oxymoron.

A&W in Canada is attempting to break through that stereotype in a new ad campaign, pointing out that its burgers contain no added hormones or steroids.

That sounds good. Really good. But how good are we talking?

The A&W FAQ mentions that the beef "comes from ranchers who are committed to being leaders in sustainable production." Sounds promising, but let's break that down.

Let's be clear. No added hormones, no steroids is way better than fast food companies not making this claim. After all, if that were true of other fast food burgers, wouldn't they do what A&W is doing?

The key word left out from the ad is "antibiotics."

From A&W:

Our ranchers only use antibiotics when medically necessary to ensure the health of the animal, in the same way that most doctors recommend the use of antibiotics for people.

Other stories mention the term "medicated feed additives," which appear to be unnecessary antibiotics. So A&W beef doesn't have medicated feed additives, but may contain antibiotics devoted to health.

Is the A&W beef grass-fed? Again, from A&W:

All of our cattle are fed a fully vegetarian diet. Typically, our cattle enjoy a mix of different grains and grass.

So the answer to grass-fed is "no."

The A&W beef has no added hormones and no steroids, antibiotics, but only for health, and has some element of grains in their cow's diet. This may or may not be enough to switch to A&W burgers if you have that choice, but at least you know what is happening.

This policy only applies to A&W in Canada. The companies are run separately, and the claims only apply to A&W restaurants in Canada.

While I see them all over the place in Canada, I haven't reached into my pocket to buy their food. My memory of A&W from the 1970s (yes, I'm that old) was that the root beer was the best part of the experience. I wouldn't rely on that for future purchases, but I admit that the next time it's convenient, I might try an A&W burger.

I know the burger wouldn't meet the standards of the local farmers market, but is a lot closer to that goal than any large-chain fast food burger in North America. I might be tempted to add a root beer … if it weren't for glucose-fructose.

What's Tempting: Small-town lobster supper

How much would you pay for a 1-lb. lobster supper? Let's say $31.95 is the price for the lobster supper. Ready to order?

Well, $32 for a lobster supper is a bit of money, especially since a 1-lb. lobster doesn't generate even remotely close to a pound of lobster meat. After all, you can get a quality steak close to a pound for that price.

Okay, let's throw in a pound of steamed mussels with that 1-lb. lobster. That kicks up the incentive a bit.

Before we go any further, we should point out that you also get homemade rolls and bread; seafood chowder or beef vegetable soup; a garden salad, potato salad, and cole slaw; non-alcoholic beverage, and dessert.

Whether you think you're getting the value for that price, you do know that the price is a good one in the marketplace.

Oh, and there is one more thing. Except for the lobster, you can have as much of that food as you want … all for $32.

This is what I got at a lobster supper in New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island, Canada on my recent vacation.

All you can eat places sound wonderful, but don't always work in a world where overeating isn't as much fun as it used to be. But I hadn't had much to eat up until about 4 pm, and thought that experiencing a lobster supper was a great tradition to have while visiting the Maritimes.

Lobster suppers, based on my one and only appearance, attract an older crowd. The women who served us were well-dressed — very classy.

The game is then on. Get as much value as you can.

The rolls look really good, but you have to ignore them. They can wait until later. Soup and salad fill you up, and that is the strategy to stay healthy, but doesn't help you if you shooting for bang for the buck.

The seafood chowder was okay, but I had enough of cream-based soups that were more about potatoes than seafood. The garden salad was small, but fine. The cole slaw was pretty good. I had found incredible cole slaw in New Brunswick. This did not compare to them, but better than I usually find in a restaurant. There was a small scoop of potato salad that I ignored. Not worthy of my time.

The mussels came next. They were steamed. Even if you want to avoid alcohol, mussels taste better cooked in something. And the mussels suffered as a result. Going through the mussels became exercise, which stimulated more appetite. Quite a few of the mussels weren't opening, so they got thrown into the bucket with the opened shells. We did get melted butter to eat with the mussels. This was not a garnish I associated with mussels. Still, the mussels were good, just not as good as cooking them in something other than water.

The main course came next. A 1-lb. lobster. The lobster was split open, so you didn't need a lobster cracker to pull apart various places. You did get a lobster fork for pulling out the meat. Your placemat had instructions on how to get the most meat out of your lobster. Nothing like instructions to improve your chances at getting the lobster.

The waitress took away the melted butter that I got with the mussels. A point of order: Never, ever take away melted butter from my table. If there is a drop left, I will eat it. I got more melted butter, but since I was incorporating the rolls into the melted butter, the butter soon ran out.

Nothing is sadder than having lobster without enough melted butter. Tracking down melted butter took longer than I had hoped. Though the busboy who helped me out gave me more than the waitress did.

Getting a break did help my digestion, so perhaps a blessing in disguise (warning: don't try that again. I want my melted butter).

Dessert was the final mark. Since I had ordered a glass of milk, I needed something proper to go with that. Yes, ordering milk with shellfish sounded so wrong (and I'm not Jewish), but I wanted the milk on principle since I got a non-alcoholic beverage with the meal.

I ordered blueberry pie and chocolate ice cream. The desserts were, um, let's be kind and say not homemade. The ice cream still had a little freezer burn. Still, dessert was dessert and was pretty good.

Of course, at any point, I could have had seconds, but wanted to see if I could finish one serving of everything and still be hungry. The waitress asked if I wanted something more. Mussels? Salad? More dessert?

Since I had the extra melted butter, I asked for another roll. The rolls were actually quite good, and the idea of a hot roll with melted butter was just how I wanted to finish the meal.

The total cost, including tax and tip, was about $42. I didn't eat anything else than night. And if you averaged out the cost of lunch and dinner, each meal averaged out to about $24/meal.

If dessert was as homemade as the rolls, if the mussels were steamed with a bit of flavor, the meal could have been off the charts. Still, a 1-lb. lobster meal is going to cost you quite a bit no matter where you go and how you pull it off. This meal did have value, not just monetarily, but as an unique and enjoyable experience.

While I can't do all-you-can-eat places on a regular basis, this was a nice way to dip my toes back in the practice. The meal was balanced, if you ignore the dessert. The memory of the lobster supper will last long after the calories have been burned off, and that is ultimately what matters.

Canadian beef taste test: well-done vs. medium-rare

As readers of our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com, know, I love traveling to Canada. From a food standpoint, there is only one thing I hate: not being able to find a medium-rare burger.

When I travel to Canada, I have heard more than one person say they have never had a medium-rare burger and they think well-done burgers are fine.

In the spirit of testing this theory for the blog, even though I was on a quest for seafood, I decided to try a well-done burger and report back as to whether you could find a juicy, tasty, satisfying burger cooked well-done.

Previous coverage:

Cook to 160°F minimum a sign to look elsewhere for meat

Medium-rare burger a rare find in Canada, especially buffalo and elk

While in Charlottetown, I went to an upscale place (Daniel Brenan Brickhouse) that offered a burger with really cool ingredients: (Prince Edward) Island beef, red pepper relish, chili and pickle remoulade, and double smoked bacon. There was cheese on the burger, but I turned it down.

I didn't ask for it to be cooked to any particular temperature. I just ordered it and hoped the other ingredients would help.

The burger looked good from the outside. Maybe, just maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

The other ingredients by themselves on a turkey burger would have been delightful. Lots of fun flavors running around my mouth. The only drawback to the entire sandwich was the actual burger. The color had faded, like the skin tone of a really pale kid.

I forged through hoping that getting further would help. To my credit, I ate most of the burger. At the end, I removed the patty so I could enjoy the other ingredients. That sandwich was nice, and I could have saved a few bucks, if only I had told them to hold the beef.

The burger at the end started to taste like meatloaf, really dry tasteless meatloaf. This was a fine piece of beef, and it had been cruelly sacrificed and robbed of its taste.

I explained to the waitress at the end of the meal that I couldn't finish the burger because it was overcooked. She kindly explained the requirement to cook the burger well-done.

This wasn't McDonald's or Harvey's or White Spot. This was a place all about local and organic, and they had to overcook the burger. And if a place like this couldn't make this burger magic, then I had to give up.

Well, not giving up on Canadian beef; just having it cooked in restaurants.

When I checked into the hostel in Charlottetown, they mentioned a BBQ grill in the back available to the guests. My initial thought was seafood, but as the time went on, the quest became all about the beef.

In my research, I knew there was a country market that was a decent walk away. There I found Island beef with my choice of fat content. I went for medium content (22% fat if I remembered correctly).

The amount I purchased was in grams but I had about 12 oz. of burger meat. More than I would normally order, but I wanted my money's worth.

The grill was propane, and I had my share of difficulties in figuring out how it worked. Still, even my fellow guests were impressed that I had cooked them to a proper medium-rare temperature.

What I was doing was legal in Canada, but not advised. People in their own homes could cook the burger meat to any temperature they liked.

I bought whole wheat buns at the market. I put on Montréal steak seasoning before cooking and sauteed mushrooms (also from the market) after they were done. No other condiments touched the burgers. I wanted to really taste what this beef was like.

Grilled burgers always, as a rule, taste better. I was enjoying the island beef virtually plain, cooked to a beautiful temperature. I would have loved to have the red pepper relish, chili and pickle remoulade, and double smoked bacon. But the burger stood up on its own.

And you know what else? Didn't get sick. Felt full, yes. I ate a lot of beef cooked to medium-rare, and nothing happened.

Though the math might be off, I figure that if the Canadian law were suddenly lifted, more than 90% of the hamburgers sold in restaurants would remain the same. That would still be sad. Lifting the law would allow the places that trust the beef to make a conscious choice, warning customers if they must, to make the beef as wonderful as possible.

The cow had already died. There was no need to kill it a second time.

What's Tempting: Burger King Satisfries

Burger King, in its latest quest to introduce a new twist on French fries, wants us to enjoy "Satisfries."

One of the few fast food certainties is that every new innovation Burger King brings to the French fries world is lame and the end product is awful.

Satisfries offers 30% less fat and 20% fewer calories than the chain's current fries, which are still available. When compared to McDonald's, the difference is 40% less fat and 30% fewer calories. And the new fries are crinkle-cut, a distinct look in the generic major fast food marketplace.

So crinkle-cut fries with less fat and fewer calories. What could be wrong with that?

Well, Burger King points out that the fat and calories drop stems from a slightly less-porous batter. Yes, Burger King batters perfectly starchy potatoes. Imagine how many calories and fat that would be saved if the potatoes weren't dipped in batter.

You do have to bread onion rings because onions don't have starch. Potatoes have starch; this is why French fries are so good, batter not needed.

When you crunch the numbers, you only save 76 calories per 70g of fries, though you do lose 5g of fat.

McDonald's fries resemble nothing you can get outside their world. And they have suffered in taste from the new oil free of trans fats. Burger King fries never really were a temptation. The more you find really good fries, especially on my trip to Vancouver, the more you have to laugh at what some fast food fries are these days.

Then again, if your quest is to dunk whatever fries end up on your tray in mountains of ketchup, and taste isn't a consideration, having fewer calories and less fat isn't a bad thing, even if you pay a bit more for the privilege of saving 76 calories.

In Canada, you are often offered vinegar with your fries. Hopefully, malt vinegar is available, but virtually every place you find has white vinegar as an option. Vinegar isn't as cool as ketchup, but the better the fries, the better vinegar goes with them.

Burger King is doing consumers a big deal by making French fries that can't measure up to good fries. You could walk into a Burger King and order a value meal. You would get a burger with cheese and mayonnaise, French fries, and a regular soft drink. But without having to order a soft drink, and now with the fries out of the way, you could just get a burger. If you are stuck where fast food is an option, go with the small hamburger without cheese and mayo. Even two small hamburgers is a better choice than a full value meal.

And if you really need French fries, go somewhere else later. Or make them at home from real potatoes with the skin still on.

photo credit: Burger King