Balance of Food

What's Tempting: Candy season

Welcome to Opening Day of Candy Season!! 2 straight months of candy.

Candy Season is for adults who feel deprived by not having a special candy time, even though they can decide what they want to eat on an everyday basis. Unlike children, adults can choose when they want to have candy. So candy season is, well, anytime they damn well want to eat candy.

The period between Halloween and somewhere around New Year's Day is the chance to indulge in goodies we might not think to make during the rest of the year. Even I made a pumpkin pie, because, well, it was October.

My pumpkin pie isn't that indulgent, since I use almond milk instead of sweetened condensed milk and use less sweetener and incorporate maple sugar and maple syrup in lieu of traditional sugar.

This isn't to brag by any extent. But my reluctance to indulge in candy season is that too much of my eating outside Candy Season is not going well.

• Good candy management makes all the difference on Halloween
• Starting the holiday chocolate express to weight gain?

At a time where we ate fewer processed foods and our candy was slightly healthier than today, having a Candy Season was a way to keep up our weight, especially if we lived in a colder environment.

Children embrace Candy Season much easier because a) they really like candy; b) they run around way more than adults; and c) they don't get to make as many positive candy decisions outside Candy Season.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas bring out the child within us, and that is a wonderful, marvelous thing. You should dress up for Halloween, relive memories with dishes served at Thanksgiving, and open your Christmas presents in your pajamas.

But you don't have to eat candy like you were still a child, because a) candy doesn't taste as good as it did when you were a child; b) you don't run or walk around much these days; and c) you get to eat as much candy as you want 365 days a year.  

This isn't to say that you can't indulge in treats or sweetness. You can have that pumpkin pie since you are getting a vegetable (with lots of sugar). You can have a Christmas cookie (with eggs and butter). You can have a baked good (made with whole wheat flour).

Candy is usually sugar, corn syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup with dyes and artificial colors. With baked goods, you are getting a variety of ingredients and energy from foods that will last a little bit longer in your system than candy.

Adults deserve better than candy. Adults deserve sweetness but at a level that suits who they are now. You've outgrown candy even if you haven't outgrown sweetness.

Like Trix (and treats), Candy Season is just for kids.

Being an adult means making adult decisions about what you put in your body. Children are in a tug-of-war between fun food and food you have to eat to be big and strong. Adults should find their own balance of food easier to do since they are in control of their own process.  

What's Tempting: Knowing how much caffeine you are getting

Want to know how much caffeine you are getting in your soft drinks?

In the United States, you aren't allowed to know this information on the label of the drink you are buying. In Canada, soft drinks that contain caffeine are required to list the amount of caffeine on the container.

We can't guarantee that the Canadian versions are similar to those in the United States. They call high-fructose corn syrup "glucose-fructose" in Canada but the drinks should be the same.

In the past, Canada didn't allow soft drinks that weren't naturally full of caffeine to contain caffeine. So colas were the only soft drink to have caffeine. As you'll see, Mountain Dew in Canada now definitely has caffeine.

The soft drinks listed on the chart to the left were compiled from one grocery store visit based on what was on the store shelves. Those drinks without caffeine are obviously not listed.

These levels are in milligrams per 355 ml (12 oz.). See where your favorite soft drink placed.

• Mountain Dew is tops to no one's surprise. Mountain Dew has 50% more caffeine than Coca-Cola Zero.
• The biggest surprise is how high Diet Coke is in caffeine, 2nd on the chart at 45 mg, 11 mg more than its sister diet drink, Coca-Cola Zero.
• Pepsi and Diet Pepsi each has 1 more mg than its natural rivals, Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero.
• The 2 Dr. Pepper brands have equal amounts of caffeine, unlike the other major soft drink players.

You are likely getting more caffeine from coffee than soft drinks, and you may not even care how much caffeine you are getting as long as the drink is keeping you awake.

It's intriguing that in this area of wanting food labels to contain more information that there isn't more of a cry to have caffeine levels on a label.

Consumers should know what they are getting in their food and drinks. Caffeine levels may not be as important, but that should be up for the consumer to decide.

What's Tempting: Chasing down hipster food

Being treated well in a restaurant setting used to be the norm. Not just the idea of "the customer is always right," but a sense of well-being for the customer to be treated well and to enjoy the experience.

The chase is a huge part of the allure of hipster food. Service, well, can take a backseat.

A customer can be treated poorly in the best of establishments. And a customer can receive great service with hipster food. Consumers want the best of both worlds. 

Some would genuinely argue that with hipster food, part of the appeal is the snobbery. Places that assume you want to pay for water, even when you indicate that you don't want to do so. Offering no substitutions, not out of inconvenience but because "the chef has envisioned a product and won't deviate from the plan." Places that might treat you better if you were a little bit cuter or had the most ultimate awesome hipster beard.

One particular negative experience comes to mind: tried out a hipster place known for really excellent fried chicken. There was a smaller indoor space and a larger outdoor space. Wanted to sit outside but was shuffled inside. Was I not cool enough to sit outside?

Sat inside at the bar. Felt out of place, a bit self-conscious. I just wanted to eat.

Got the food, ate some of it. Food was OK not tremendous. Didn't feel like staying so gathered the food. Only after I left, I found the inside of the chicken to be underdone. Regular readers know I wouldn't complain about a burger being undercooked, but chicken is a different story. Have not been back since.

Even if that place had served really good fried chicken — and it didn't — the attitude and hassle wouldn't have been worth it — not even in a to-go package.

Hipster food is also fascinating because they have the ability to convince themselves that the food is so awesome and you would be a fool not to go there. While some of the food experiences are nice enough, you feel like you've been cheated, even if the food was good.

I grew up in a small town world where family restaurants abounded. Huge variety of menu options, an inviting kids menu, and lots of food along with smiles and friendly service — all at a decent price point.

Substitutions were easily granted, and the staff were glad you were there in the restaurant.

Friday nights were very popular at one particular family restaurant from my youth. Payday was a good day not to eat out since Mom grocery shopped her way to exhaustion in the afternoon. Even though you had to wait a while for a table (not in a hipster ironic fashion), you still got seated and your food pretty quickly. And you usually left happier than when you started.

You may not get the best bang for your buck in an Italian restaurant. But I do enjoy the way I'm treated in most Italian establishments. All but a couple of the family restaurants that I grew up with are gone. Eating at a homey Italian restaurant is the closest I get to being treated like family (yes, that is Olive Garden's slogan, but more authentic Italian restaurants live the motto.

The ideal dining experience would combine a bit from both worlds. We do want locally sourced food with a richness in taste. We don't need huge portions of food. We don't want to have to shout to hear the person 3 feet in front of us. We do want to feel truly welcome.

Flexibility for substitutions but a more limited menu. Good tasting food, pleasant atmosphere, but without the attitude.

I no longer need to sit at the cool table. I still want good food but I enjoy being treated like I matter. If that means eating hipster food in a nearby park on a picnic table or at home. Chances are you'll be better off spending a little more to fix the food yourself, making your own soundtrack for dinner. Eating at home means you'll always be treated like you are #1.

What's Tempting: Salting the pasta water

Despite my attempts to try and stick up for Olive Garden, patrons with taste buds don't think much of the food at the Olive Garden.

The hedge fund operator Starboard Value doesn't think much of Olive Garden's food and presentation. One of their chief complaints was that Olive Garden doesn't salt the pasta water; citing that if you Google how to cook pasta, the first instruction would be to salt the pasta water.

As food expert Stephen Colbert noted, Olive Garden makes up for the lack of salt in the pasta water by putting salt in everything else: sauce, soup, salad, even the salt.

We've seen Giada de Laurentiis and Mario Batali salt the pasta water on TV. We've seen non-Italian cooks do the same on TV probably because de Laurentiis and Batali salt the pasta water on TV.

When I first starting cooking as an adult, I poured a little vegetable oil and a little salt in the pasta water because this is the way my mother did it (neither of us are Italian).

After a short time, I didn't see how either step was helping my spaghetti and stopped doing both.

This was back in the time of white flour spaghetti. Even when I moved in the direction of whole wheat spaghetti, I never saw the need to bring back the salt shaker.

When I make my own everyday sauce, I rarely put salt in the sauce and would deliberately pick tomato products without added salt. And I never missed the salt.

When my mother would visit and eat my everyday sauce, she always went for the salt shaker, but not because of the pasta.

None of the TV cooks ever poured oil in the water, so that step was never necessary in that world.

With the uproar over Olive Garden's cooking philosophy, I decided to bring out the salt shaker and see if salting the pasta water would make a significant difference.

Before we start, I should note that when I did salt the pasta water, I made the mistake of salting the water when it first went onto the stovetop. You are supposed to salt the water after it has reached a boil.

I tried this experiment with whole wheat spaghetti, white flour spaghetti, two different kinds of sauces, and a lot of salt and a little salt.

Honestly, all I got was a taste of salt. No extra fun, no extra flavor. The dishes didn't pop out, except for the salt.

The salt taste was more apparent when I used more salt. For me, the taste of salt doesn't help the taste outcome.

Using salt in the pasta water is supposed to make the pasta cook faster. As someone who doesn't own a microwave, saving a minute isn't that important.

Salty foods — anchovies, pancetta, kalamata olives — do add flavor and do compliment a plate of pasta. I usually add them to the dish at the end so the pasta and sauce haven't absorbed the salt.

As I noted in the last time we mentioned the Olive Garden, I don't remember the taste of the pasta dish the last time I ate there. Chances are the dish was too bland, but for me, that comes down to spice not salt. Mainstream restaurants usually cook food that is too bland to serve to those who can't handle the smallest of spices.

Perhaps the issue with the Olive Garden is not salting the pasta water, but getting better quality pasta. When you eat good quality pasta, the sauce isn't as important. A great sauce can't save a lousy plate of spaghetti.

I have likely eaten countless plates of spaghetti in restaurants where they added salt to the pasta water, and haven't particularly noticed. When I tried the experiment at home, I couldn't help but notice, but in a negative fashion.

Using fresh pasta vs. pasta in a box could make a difference. In my experiments, I only used dried pasta. de Laurentiis uses dried pasta on her TV shows and she still salts the water.

As much as I like Italian food, I will likely never be included in the club because a) I get bad headaches from mozzarella cheese and b) I don't salt my pasta water.

You normally shouldn't take culinary advice from a hedge fund operator, even if expert cooks agree with them. You should decide for yourself which way to go on putting salt in the pasta water.

What's Tempting: Waiting hours for a hot dog

At the end, the lines started at 1:30 am. Even though the restaurant didn't open until 10:30 am, if you weren't in line by 9 am, you weren't getting in, though the restaurant didn't close until 4 pm.

All for a hot dog. Okay, a really good hot dog. And duck-fat fries on Friday and Saturday.

Hot Doug's is a Chicago institution that is closing its doors today at 4 pm for the last time. The establishment has always drawn lines, especially on Friday and Saturday, even before we heard that the place was closing for good. Once that happened, the lines got ridiculous.

Doug Sohn has always run Hot Doug's in his own manner. Open 10:30 am-4 pm 6 days a week. Closed Sundays. Cash only.

The hot dogs offered unusual combinations with unique wild game meats and really good duck-fat fries.

The lines are what made Hot Doug's legendary.

Yes, people wait in lines for pretentious places. Hot Doug's was never pretentious. When someone on Craigslist offered $200 to "only" wait 45 minutes, Sohn went on Twitter to strongly discourage the practice.

Before the closing hype produced lines of several hours, a typical wait on a Saturday afternoon was 90 minutes-2 hours. To be fair, the wait on Saturdays factored in the duck-fat fries.

The wait was worth doing, though you did wonder why you took up a lovely Saturday afternoon for a hot dog.

• California's foie gras ban is latest example on why you can't ban foods forever

• Indulgence can be OK, even if it involves duck fat

I did try once this summer to get one last taste. After 2 hours, and being nowhere near the entrance, I gave up. This was the only time I waited and didn't get in. As much as I loved Hot Doug's, I couldn't wait more than 2 hours.

If I had been in Toronto for the In-N-Out popup, I would have waited longer than 2 hours because that day was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But I wouldn't have waited 9 hours, like some of those Hot Doug's customers.

By being open 5½ hours, 6 days a week. Sohn inadvertently created this hysteria that lasted until the last day.

The last day for Hot Doug's features cold and rainy weather. But the people will still be in line. And because it's Friday, they will be rewarded with duck-fat fries.

One more thing you should know about Sohn. When Chicago came up with a foie gras ban, many upscale restaurants gave away foie gras to quietly get around the ban. Sohn publicly sold hot dogs with foie gras and made sure city officials knew what he was doing. Sure Sohn got fined but his open ridicule of the ban got him fame and brought a swift end to the ban.

Sohn said he would be the last person in line today. Sohn runs the counter so a friend will get the opportunity to ring in Sohn's order. Of course, Sohn won't have to wait hours like everyone else.

photo credit: Wikipedia/cometstarmoon Flickr