Balance of Food

The lure of eating at a restaurant with a celebrity chef

Eating at a place from a celebrity chef? Not much enthusiasm from your humble narrator. I thought about this when on the tarmac at the airport in Las Vegas. The woman next to me went on and on about eating at Gordon Ramsey's place and Bobby Flay's place in Las Vegas.

I was detoured to the Las Vegas airport by Southwest when I should have been killing time in Denver. I was eating airline snacks that day and even the lure of a meal from Ramsay or Flay didn't make me salivate.

These celebrity chefs aren't cooking your personal dinner. They lend their approach and recipes and then jet off somewhere to be on food television.

As the woman switched topics to the excitement of gambling in Las Vegas, my mind wandered to a question I never thought I would ask myself: "Would I eat at a restaurant from a celebrity chef?"

I have eaten at a few places of somewhat famous people: Xoco from Rick Bayless (Chicago), Chez Panisse from Alice Waters (Berkeley, CA), and Garde Manger from Chuck Hughes (Montréal). I admit this with the idea of disclosure. Maybe they qualify as "celebrity chefs" but they are restaurateurs who happen to be moderately famous. If you view them as "celebrity chefs" on the level of Ramsay and Flay, then perhaps you think I am a hypocrite.

I am tempted by a José Andrés restaurant in my city, mostly because I think this might be more authentic Spanish food. I have not dined there.

Coping with reduced enthusiasm for food

I would go to a place if Alton Brown had a restaurant and they served his oyster po' boy sandwich the way he did in that episode.

I would order coq au vin at a theoretical Julia Child restaurant, provided the dish was made in the spirit of The French Chef, her TV show.

The lure of an old hen, French wine, and a solid cooking technique. A dish that is difficult to duplicate at home. Going to a Julia Child celebrity restaurant for a lovely plate of coq au vin would be nice on a Friday night or even an early dinner on a Tuesday.

Alton Brown did an episode on coq au vin. Even by his standards, this was a complicated dish. Brown fully admits in the episode that finding an old hen is rather difficult.

Does Julia Child, if she were alive, have to cook this dish herself? No. The staff would have Child's recipe and ideally the dedication to bring that to fruition, so the standards for her coq au vin would remain.

This is also why there never was a Julia Child celebrity restaurant. The standards would be too high, even if that would lead to an enjoyable meal.

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I did order the lobster poutine at Garde Manger in Montréal, Chuck Hughes cooked that same dish on Iron Chef America in defeating Bobby Flay. I didn't see that episode until after I had the lobster poutine. I did smile a bit, knowing I actually had that dish.

I enjoyed the fact that Hughes beat Flay in that episode more than the coincidence of eating a dish served on Iron Chef America yet I enjoyed both within that episode.

The lure of a celebrity chef is that you love them on TV, feel like you can relate to them and their recipes, and feel comfortable in a celebrity chef type restaurant. Those people flock to Las Vegas and eat at a place because of that celebrity chef endorsement.

You should try a celebrity chef restaurant as long as you know the parameters involved. Just lower your expectations.

video credit and photo credit: The French Chef/PBS

The Washington Post should point out dietitians who abuse their position

Despite what dietitians, good dietitians say, getting helpful, practical advice on eating and diet (in the general sense of the word) is difficult. We have noted that for years.

Back in the day when I hung out with dietitians, most of them were trapped in PR firms, justifying corporate food decisions. Few of them actually did what you think dietitians would do: help guide people to making smarter food decisions.

Helping patients doesn't pay well. PR firms pay well.

Besides being invisible, dietitians are generally quiet. The Washington Post and The Examination, a new nonprofit newsroom specializing in global public health, recently wrote a story about "anti-diet" dietitians on social media. Not all of the dietitians involved acknowledge their links to corporate food companies. Even those whose posts are listed as sponsored should be seen with a critical eye.

The "anti-diet" concept sounds intriguing if taken with a sincere lens in navigating the food scene but is mostly used to justify consuming big company breakfast cereal and other such food.

Social media and influencers are not the best sources of food information, sponsored or otherwise. I can rationally say that and mean it. Doesn't mean that millions of girls and young women aren't vulnerable to that influence.

So who do dietitians attack for such information being released? The dietitians? Social media? The misleading information? Nope. If you said the media, you would be correct. You can find such examples here and here.

Dietitians know about nutrition and specialize in communication to get that message out to people. Blaming the media is not as constructive as talking about the good work of dietitians and scolding bad behavior.

I am not a dietitian. I don't get sponsorships because I am not selling anything or my ethical standards. I do know how to communicate.

When Alton Brown did his "diet" episode, Brown talked about the general use of the word diet. In this sense, we are all on a diet. In this sense, we shouldn't be on a diet in the mainstream definition.

Dietitians run into this madness with the mantra of "there is no good or bad food." There are some very good foods and very bad foods. There are: sorry, dietitians. Most countries don't deal with high-fructose corn syrup. Most countries have a sense of banning food dyes and ingredients that should be outside of the norm. The United States and Canada (to some extent) use the "nothing can hurt you" rule where food safety is concerned. Processed food can have a place but using an anti-diet cloak to justify processed food to serve corporate food overlords is exactly what dietitians should fight to prevent that happening.

Foods can be utilized in smaller quantities. Theoretically, breakfast cereal can serve some purpose: in lieu of a dessert, measure out a cup with a cup of the milk of your choice, a splurge when feeling down.

The story points out how General Mills specifically promoted the anti-diet message at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) convention in Denver last fall. Be entertained by the temptation but don't follow through.

The social media influencers make a louder sound because the hard-working dietitians who are helping people are quiet. March was National Nutrition Month and we do hear more from dietitians during that time. Not so much from April to February.

As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push 'anti-diet' advice (The Washington Post)

Are online dietitians influenced by food industry money? (The Current from CBC Radio)

20 years ago this month, I was that person who needed help. My doctor turned me over to a certified diabetes educator who was helpful on the basics. I did a lot of research in the coming weeks. I shook a lot of bad habits and added some good habits.

I hit a plateau and figured out to ask, "how do I get out of a plateau." I changed some things and I was moving in a good education.

My anxiety and depression make eating these days a struggle. I know what to do but I struggle to do them properly.

I know enough to know if I was being scammed or sold a false bill of goods. The food system, especially in the United States, is a raging river and most people don't even have a raft. The bad people speak up because the good people don't, until someone in the media writes about it, and then they whine about the media.

Taking a grocery store tour is worthwhile, even if you think you know everything

Spring brings wellness lectures; tips in case you need a refresher

Organic or conventional, you still have to eat fruits and vegetables

Woman's Day exposing food myths led to more food myths

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the new name for the old American Dietetic Association) has a Code of Ethics (really!). Here is Part 2a:

Nutrition and dietetics practitioners shall: Disclose any conflicts of interest, including any financial interests in products or services that are recommended. Refrain from accepting gifts or services which potentially influence or which may give the appearance of influencing professional judgment.

If you are a dietitian, ask yourself if you follow these guidelines. Also ask if you should care if dietitians violate the letter and spirit of the Code of Ethics. We should care.

Some of the dietitians' angst toward The Washington Post centers around this story from last fall on similar concerns.

Dietitians truly have it rough because they get all this education and then there are financial pressures to sell out to corporate interests so you can put your own food on your table, whatever food choices you make. Society benefits from dietitians free of conflicts. Try to find a dietitian who seems ethical and ideally doesn't have a ton of sponsorships, revealed or otherwise.

photo credit: The Washington Post

Canada (finally) introduces a national school lunch program

We have written a few pieces noting that our friends in Canada don't have a national school lunch program. Canada is the only G-7 country without a national school lunch program.

The federal budget details will become more clear on April 16. The Trudeau Government has leaked the idea of spending $1 billion over 5 years on a national school food program. The government hopes the program will start delivering meals to students by the fall.

The government target is to provide meals to 400,000 more kids outside of those currently getting food from local school food programs. Plenty of kids are getting school lunch even now; more kids are going hungry.

The debate has been on the radar. We wrote this story in 2017 and the topic wasn't new then either.

Canada has a few unique issues with putting together a national school lunch program. Let's look at them:

-- Education is run by the provinces. Provided school lunches are part of education, Canada would have 10 different provincial setups. Your lunch in Quebec may be way different than lunch in Saskatchewan.

-- Some Canadians are very happy with their current school lunch program. A lot of parents like that their kids come home for lunch.

-- Canada has a lot of rural territory. A program that serves Winnipeg, the largest city to the south, and Churchill, a tiny, far north post, in Manitoba.

-- Some northern programs may currently be geared toward Indigenous students and those parents may worry about federal controls over their local school lunch programs.

Where school lunches funding generally is consistent in European countries, Canada could be vulnerable to school lunch funding cuts when the Conservative Party is in charge. School lunch funding is way more political in the United States, though if Canada develops a federal program, that could be a part of the Canadian political landscape.

Canada does have advantages over the United States, as an example. Canadians are more trusting of government in general. A low bar but still relevant. The prime minister is a former teacher who knows the value of learning when children have full stomachs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau understands the correlation between full bellies and academic success in the classroom.

Unlike in the United States, the political system in Canada makes passing such legislation a lot easier. The federal Liberal Party government is a minority government; the NDP (definitely) and Bloc Quebecois (likely) would be on board for this legislation. The Canadian Senate may take its sweet time but a bill will eventually get passed into law.

Canada election 2019 is underway and food policy should be discussed

Argument is getting louder for Canada to have a federal school lunch program (2017)

Canadian Senate suggests food policy changes U.S. should copy

Celebrating Full Frontal with Samantha Bee for fighting for a better food system

Hospital patients, school children both need better focus on nutrition

Not all of the pushback will be poorly considered. The mantra of "we are feeding kids locally right now" is likely true in many parts of Canada. The idea behind a federal program, even if distributed by the provinces, is to cover more people and set some standards across the board.

I wish I had a better sense of the options Canadian children currently get either through local programs or home options to go back during the school day.

Some of that pushback will be politically oriented. "He's buying votes." "Why is he doing this now 9 years into his government?" As for the former question, you can buy votes with many other topics that aren't school lunch. As for the latter question, Canada's food insecurity may be more of a factor in 2024 than it was in 2015 when Trudeau was first elected.

BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

Whenever we first found out about Canada not having a national school lunch program, the first thought was "Maybe Canada doesn't need an actual federal school lunch program." The United States has been a poor example where non-inflationary financial adjustments are rarer than eclipses. There isn't an incentive to do well by school children south of the 49th parallel. Canada will only benefit with a federal school lunch program if the standards are higher, even in provinces run by conservative governments.

video credit and photo credit: CBC News

Breaking down barriers so people will try new foods

"People with special conditions should always consult with their doctors before consuming new products."

I could have used this disclaimer when I was 10. My father started verbally berating me over trying new foods. While he had 2 children, he only picked on me. "Wonderful or awful" were essentially my choices. Wonderful wasn't viable since no one could live up to wonderful.

This was a rather unusual product, a drink that I was gifted. I love intense flavors in food and drink and even this drink was too intense for me. The second ingredient (behind water) was yuzu juice.

I did read the disclaimer and still tried the beverage, even while not consulting a single doctor or even a medical professional.

I didn't end up drinking too much from the beverage. I'm sure it's a great product, regardless of health conditions.

The use of the word "products" instead of "foods" was definitely a deliberate choice. I would love to find out what the "special conditions" would need to be. Chances are, given my physical health, good that I have "special conditions." People with "special conditions" likely have multiple doctors.

We think — not that we have medical expertise — people should try new foods without a doctor's permission. What if you never had sea urchin or pickled herring? Are they considered "products" or just foods? Does Flamin' Hot Cheetos qualify as a product you shouldn't try without a consultation with doctors?

Some of the foods where my father would berate me involved canned vegetables that weren't rinsed. I was too sensitive to the salt content, not that people thought about such things back in those days. I didn't like tuna fish too much as a kid. I found that the taste significantly improved when I rinsed the tuna fish out of the can.

After all, the verbal abuse wasn't about being right or health-conscious.

The idea of a doctor's note wouldn't have gone too far as a 10-year-old child, though stalling appealed to me greatly at that age.

BalanceofFood.com advice coverage

BalanceofFood.com travel coverage

Despite my alleged peculiarities as a child, I am a great advocate for trying new foods (products?) in my travels. Eat local what is local to where you travel. That could be tripe in central Italy, the aforementioned herring in Scandinavia, fish tacos in southern California, and poutine in Quebec in Canada.

Americans in particular (stereotype) struggle with being adventurous in trying new foods. We shouldn't create extra barriers to finding out what we like in food, whether that be overbearing parents or cultural prejudices against certain foods. This doesn't mean we have to like every food. Some foods are "meh," not wonderful or awful. This is a perfectly fine reaction to a food.

"Yes. FDA advises consumers to talk to their doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professional before deciding to purchase or use a dietary supplement. For example, some supplements might interact with medicines or other supplements."

We are not advising to necessarily go against the wishes of the Food and Drug Administration, as an example. We do note that disclaimers are set up to protect others from the implications of your actions. Be smarter in that regard.

Trying new foods is exciting, even if they don't succeed, like this juice for your humble narrator. Failure only comes if you don't try something because you are afraid. Travel well and eat well in those travels.

photos credit: me

Hipster vs. Classic: sincerity in ingredients

This will not be a fair fight. Hipster is about listing ingredients on a menu and tricking people into buying their food. We ran into an ideal hipster sample in our recent trip to San Francisco. We also encountered a dish with a few ingredients with true sincerity.

Let's start with the hipster sample: Duck fat fries. Regular places that serve duck fat fries, especially Hot Doug's RIP, have French fries cooked in duck fat. That makes them duck fat fries.

Horsefeather in San Francisco serves what they call "duck fat fries." The fries contain umami seasoning, duck fat "snow," and curried ketchup. The umami seasoning is real, not that exciting but verifiable. The duck fat "snow" looked pretty but didn't have any taste. The curried ketchup was curried in that there was a slight curry taste but not enough to bring any significant flavor, like curry for people who can't handle actual curry taste. Curried implies not full curry.

The problem with these fries is that they weren't cooked in duck fat. The trick is that the snow, which was tasteless, qualified them as "duck fat." Duck fat should have been in quotes in the description. The law may not be able to touch them but they are deliberately deceptive.

The fries were $8 and there wasn't a lot of ketchup. (If there is a lawsuit, I will contend the fries did not taste like they were cooked in duck fat. I will win.)

The porchetta sandwich at Roli Roti is a classic. Very few ingredients yet thoughtful and ones that marry well together. The slow-cooked pork with the cracklings, a beautiful onion jam, arugula, and rosemary sea salt.

Every ingredient is sincere: the onion jam would be great by itself. The ingredients make this $13 sandwich more than the individual ingredients by themselves. If you think you dislike arugula, you will enjoy it on this sandwich.

I got to enjoy this twice on the trip, the second with a Mexican Coca-Cola. Talk about the perfect complimentary choice (purchased separately inside the Ferry Building).

Unlike the fries, I ate the whole porchetta sandwich. In fact, the sandwich was so good that I ate it slowly to appreciate what my taste buds were experiencing. The "duck fat fries" were so dry that you had to eat them with the curried ketchup. A good fry, especially ones actually cooked in duck fat, should be able to stand up on its own.

BalanceofFood.com temptations coverage

BalanceofFood.com travel coverage

I fell for the hipster place because I was running around that afternoon and felt like having a treat of duck fat fries. If I knew for a second that the deception would run that deep, I never would have gone in there, not even for a story. I could have argued about the deception, but the hipster logic is that they were "upfront" and you should have known better.

We likely have been tricked more than once by the hipster food approach. We are still good people even if we are labeled as "suckers." Just eat more classic food than hipster food in your travels.

photo credits: Horsefeather; me (x2)

Don't let financial concerns ruin your eating options on vacation

Will not judge too harshly. You are in one of the best eating cities in North America. Wilensky's is not expensive. Romados for Portuguese chicken on Rue Rachel East. Poutine, smoked meat, bagels. #Montreal https://t.co/iI5f0xSgFV

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) February 3, 2024

I do not want to be harsh in my take on this situation. This is a nice person on social media, thoughtful. Sharing a moment of weakness that he easily could have not posted. Do not retaliate in any form or fashion.

This person had this issue in Montréal, an amazing eating city. Your humble narrator recently had similar concerns on a trip to San Francisco.

Vacation budgets were tough, even before the inflation that is Ukraine and pandemic and greed rolled into one. Eating out in your own city. Eating out elsewhere.

"The restaurants I wanted to go to were way too expensive." I know that pain. If you have traveled lately, we know that pain. Even my old favorites, such as Swan Oyster Depot. New favorites such as House of Prime Rib, R&G Lounge, and Italian Homemade. The money was staggering.

The joy of traveling is eating at places where you normally wouldn't find at home. I've been to Swan Oyster Depot and the food is wonderful, whatever the price. The memories of eating at these and more places are the value of travel. I've eaten at wonderful places in Montréal, including a place that recently closed.

I also need to go back to Montréal, where I will pay more $ for places such as Au Pied de Cochon and Joe Beef, restaurants likely on his list.

Americans eating in Montréal and elsewhere in Canada do have a key advantage: currency exchange rates. The Canadian dollar is traditionally weaker against the U.S. dollar, even more for British pounds and better for those with Euros. The exchange rate was 1 U.S. dollar = 1.35 Canadian dollars at Feb 4, 7:37 PM UTC.

As we noted, Montréal offers relatively inexpensive culinary options, such as bagels, smoked meat sandwiches, and poutine. A lot cheaper than seafood in San Francisco.

I skipped places I had been, such as Chez Panisse in Berkeley, where I had been before, based on price.

I spent more than I wanted to on dinners in San Francisco. The same will be true in Montréal, hopefully this summer. How can I or anyone else justify this cost?

— Spend less at home. I live in a major city and rarely eat out. Cooking isn't as much fun since grocery store prices are climbing. Still cheaper than eating out. I sadly eat 2 meals a day, most days, so I inadvertently save money that way.

— Spend the money on dinner and not the other meals. Maybe doing McDonald's for lunch allows you more money for dinner. Breakfast is the most important meal and the easiest to find relatively cheap. Even a pain du chocolate isn't that much.

— Picnics. Picnics are a cheaper way to consume great local food. One of the best meals I had in Rome was a collection of food from Salumeria Volpetti in the Testaccio neighborhood. I took the food to the Borghese Gardens with a bottle of Italian Coca-Cola and ate like a royal. Picnics aren't going to work as well in the Montréal winter yet a great option in warmer weather.

— Smarter calories. The porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti was rather expensive. I got vegetables with the arugula. A hearty roll. Plenty of pork. The whole sandwich kept me full for a longer time. Spending a lot and being hungry 2-3 hours later means you will spend more money.

— Tell yourself you can't take it with you. Less money for retirement? A bit of an extreme thought process. I have enough anxiety and depression that I tell myself that to reduce anxiety in the moment. I did save up for this adventure in San Francisco and feel good about the money I spent and the money I didn't spend. I made decently smart choices on the trip and have the memories, regardless of the price.

Mourning the loss of your favorite restaurant

BalanceofFood.com travel coverage

I was nervous that a lot of my favorite restaurants would disappear during the pandemic. Some did disappear, especially in the city where I live. Had a place within walking distance to get duck fat fries and they didn't come back.

I have great memories of the food I've had in San Francisco on this trip and previous encounters. Same for my time in Montréal. When we are on our deathbed, we won't remember the McDonald's trip in a moment of weakness. I will remember eating the chocolate gelato with whipped cream at Bar San Calisto in Rome while listening to this Swedish woman tell me about this cat food called Pussi. I will remember biting into the first bite of that porchetta sandwich at the Ferry Building farmers market in San Francisco. That is what will count in life.

The McDonald's misstep when traveling is more common than you might expect. Just don't let it define you as a food traveler.

Twitter capture: @canadian_xing
photo credit: me

How to make Canadian burgers

Burgers made in the United States are pretty simple: take ground meat, form into patties, season with salt and pepper. Then cook the burgers to your desired temperature.

Burgers made in Canada are not that simple: take ground meat, mix it with ingredients to make the meat juicier (allegedly), form into patties, and season with salt later.

The "Americans" reading this might be thinking, "that is for meatballs or meatloaf, not hamburgers." Canadians would disagree.

Mary Berg demonstrated this on Mary Makes It Easy on CTV Life Channel in Canada and Food Network in the United States in Season 2, Episode 24: Back to the BBQ.

Berg made a fancier version of a panade, using a nice sandwich bread (no crusts) and red wine. Traditionally, a panade is a simple mix of milk and bread. Again, this is ideal for meatloaf in the States and burgers in Canada.

Berg also incorporated chives and garlic along with the pepper with 600 grams (1.32 pounds) of meat. "The perfect thing to keep your burgers super juicy," said Berg.

She made brie and pancetta burgers topped with chunky grilled red onion. These are not typical burgers for Canadians: this was an upscale burger recipe.

Why do Berg and other Canadians add a panade to simple burger meat?

There are 5 traditional outcomes for a burger: rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well-done. The law in Canada requires an outcome of 71°C (160°F), defined as well-done.

A burger cooked to 71°C (160°F) would taste rather dry and lifeless. The cow died the first time: Why are we killing it again?

Your humble narrator has had quite a few burgers in Canada. Does the panade magic make the burger juicy? Our well-researched opinion is no. We haven't tried red wine in a panade. A Canadian burger is edible with lots of toppings. You might as well be eating a turkey burger at that point. Turkey does need a higher temperature so they usually are dry.

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

Medium-rare elk burger can be found without traveling to Canada

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

We love Canadians and Canada. We love medium-rare burgers more. Canadians can buy good quality meat and bring that home to cook the burgers to their desired temperature. We have noted that there are exceptions if a restaurant grinds its own meat.

I ran into a place in Windsor in 2022 that grinded its own meat yet wouldn't cook a burger medium-rare. The law allows for an exception but restaurants aren't required to follow that exception.

If I had money, time, etc., I would create a Green Book for tourists and Canadians to find places that will serve a medium-rare burger. A friend in Toronto helped me find a place in the Danforth neighbourhood that was honestly the best burger I have had in Canada.

(The Green Book comparison can be offensive [no offense is intended] and we are sorry for any hurt feelings. Places that serve a medium-rare burger almost need to be secret about that in Canada.)

When I was a child, the males in the household loved medium-rare for burgers. We joked that my mother's burgers could be left on the grill for a long time. She didn't disagree.

Maybe you enjoy a well-done burger, sincerely. The world is made up of different people. If you do enjoy a well-done burger, you might be better off with a turkey burger or even a vegan burger. If you insist on using a beautiful dead cow for your burger, consider a panade to give some flavor (or flavour in Canada). A meatloaf burger or meatball burger might appeal to that audience.

If you are averse to using red wine, which is perfectly fine, the recipe offers beef stock or milk as alternatives.

A Canadian burger could go well with poutine, a combo of French fries, squeaky white cheese curds, and brown gravy over the top of both.

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

The premise behind the Canadian law and most practices in the United States is that the burger meat might come from more than a single cow. Steaks don't have this issue even in Canada since the steak comes from a single cow.

Burger meat from multiple cows: this sounds like a worse problem than temperature of a burger.

Trust your meat. Know your farmer. Cook it for yourself, especially in Canada. You have to work harder to get a burger cooked to your temperature. If you like a well-done burger, you can eat almost anywhere in both countries.

photo credit: CTV Life Channel/Food Network

Using fish heads is the best way to make a fish stock

Some cultures will serve a complete fish, straight down to the fish heads. This act upsets some people because they aren't used to consuming or seeing that part of an animal.

The photo (above) is not something you would see in your regular grocery store. A random collection of fish heads.

Fish heads are crucial in making fish stock. Boil a few fish heads and other parts with proper vegetation and you get homemade fish stock.

You could buy a can of fish stock or use a bottom of clam juice and pretend that is the same thing. Making a homemade fish stock requires a sacrifice: dealing with fish heads.

Fish heads could double as a prank for family members who might be more squeamish about fish heads. You could tell them dinner is the actual fish heads.

My local taco cart provider offers tacos from the cabeza, or head. Guanciale is bacon from the pig jowl in Italy and the flavor is wonderful.

The reality is that fish have heads. Cows. chickens, pigs, and the other animals you eat also have heads.

This isn't to scare you or make you turn vegan. Just a reality that fish heads are real and can be used to make yummy stock.

"Fish heads fish heads / Roly poly fish heads / Fish heads fish heads / Eat them up yum"

My introduction to fish heads came in 1978 or 1980 on the Dr. Demento show. Fish Heads from Barnes and Barnes was a classic demented song (a good thing).

The idea of eating a fish head seemed very foreign after listening to the song. Who would eat a fish head?

The song is very good, my second favorite seafood related demented song behind Wet Dream by Kip Addotta.

Use up food you've had for awhile to reduce food waste and save money

Stanley Tucci shows the diversity of Italy and the common theme of cucina povera

I didn't price the fish heads at that market. They are generally cheap. The bits and pieces of vegetation into a stock could help reduce your food waste. Water is free. A cheap fish stock that could add flavor to a lot of related dishes. The only sacrifice is dealing with fish heads.

You could eat most of the fish head as is. Anthony Bourdain and perhaps Andrew Zimmern wouldn't object to eating the whole fish head but you don't have to go that far.

Making fish stock just means having to touch the fish heads as they go into the pot. And straining them to get the liquid gold out when you are done.

Cooking for yourself is normally relative safe from eyeballs. If you are up for an adventure, fish heads can bring wonderful flavor for pennies.

photo credit: me
video credit: The Cosmiks

Use up food you've had for awhile to reduce food waste and save money

"Weird Harold's oatmeal is so old." "How old is it?" "Weird Harold's oatmeal is so old that [insert rest of the joke]." 

The old Match Game reruns had this pattern, which was a homage to the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson audience.

The modern human response is to buy food even with food in the house. You need a specific item or want to use up food and desire another ingredient that can put them together.

Truly empty refrigerators feel like a cheap prop in a movie or TV show. We shop for more food while we have food in the house.

Some food gets lost in the shuffle. The food is lost until you rediscover it, more of a problem if you live alone.

I came across a container full of locally sourced whole hullless oats. The kind of oatmeal that takes 20-30 minutes to make. The kind we never "time" to make.

With my recent look at reduced enthusiasm for food, which is sadly a real thing, I knew I had to jumpstart meals to increase enthusiasm. That is when I ran across the oats.

On the surface, the "best by" date was an alarmingly long time ago: October 2019. The hullless oats were still in good shape, not at their best. Still edible? Turns out to be rather good.

Our sibling blog — CanadianCrossing.com — had a story on how the CFL Edmonton Elks had a record home losing streak that went back to October 2019. That streak finally got snapped in 2023. How old were the oats? The oats were that old.

The only noticeable shift was that cooking the oats didn't take 20-30 minutes to cook, the time now close to 10 minutes on the stovetop. I have time for 10 minutes on the stovetop in the morning.

I'm also using up maple sugar and cinnamon that have been in the cupboards for awhile.

Coping with reduced enthusiasm for food

I plan to use up the oats ½ cup at a time until the oats are gone. I save money because this money is spent. Using up food in the house is a good way to go to the grocery store less often. Fewer headaches since you don't have to stare at the prices these days in the grocery store.

We are told to be creative with our food bill to save money. Switch to beans and rice instead of steak. Hamburger Helper by itself? All of that is good. This is a simple solution. Eat what is in the house already.

The oats taste good and with the colder weather, oatmeal feels good inside my body. As long as the oats taste good, this helps my food budget.

Chances are your creative eating solution won't involve something as wild as 4-year-old oatmeal well past the "best by" deadline. Feel free to share your solution in the comments section, provided you are comfortable sharing with the whole class.

photo credit: me

Don't fall for a restaurant that says it is 'approachable'

A Midwestern tavern is approachable without irony. An "approachable Midwestern tavern" is almost certainly not approachable.

The long-time tenant in this Midwestern spot was approachable. They even had a "secret" seating area behind the bar for intimate conversations. A beautiful selection of hard ciders. That tenant left the space in 2020.

An "approachable" type outlet took over the space. The secret sitting area was gone. The menu, besides being very expensive, only had a few reasonable priced entrees. When you read the description, they would be for dishes that felt overpriced without mention of quality ingredients to somehow make up the difference.

Sure you could get an expensive drink on the rooftop. The idea is to eat for a reasonable price.

That tenant didn't last long, about a year (2022-2023). Now there is a new "approachable Midwestern tavern" into the space.

The grilled cheese on tomato soup for $18. You get smoked gouda and sharp cheddar, a slice of Texas toast at the bottom of the cheese. Chives decorate the open-faced sandwich plate that has a thin layer of homemade tomato soup. You don't even get a bowl of soup for $18.

The long-time tenant had appetizers that was reasonably accessible on the menu, a gateway to get to eat on the rooftop. That would seemingly be "approachable."

These kind of places view "approachable" through a very different filter, such as you don't have to get dressed up to dine yet your wallet needs an upgrade. Coca-Cola has the gall to advertise "original taste" on its high-fructose corn syrup version. Technically true by using a definition no one finds relevant.

The kids menu ($8) and desserts ($7) offer slightly better access.

Be approachable without saying you're "approachable." Go into any place in the Midwest with a Friday night fish fry. That place will be approachable without any secondary motivation. The places that are truly approachable don't have to say it out loud.

We realize that these types of restaurants don't want to be truly approachable as in any adult feels like they can go inside. The common person inside their establishment reduces the intended image of those who are courted to be there. The irony is that even if you have the extra cash, the ROI will likely be rather dismal.

The rooftop feel is lovely, well, at least from 2 owners ago. We get that a rooftop view can come at a price. When the bar is set pretty high, you might enjoy having a rooftop place in your extended neighborhood. You would enjoy it more if a place was truly approachable.

Patrons who fall for the word approachable who don't know they are being tricked or hoodwinked. The modern culture might blame those patrons for not knowing irony. Patrons shouldn't feel shame if they are tricked into coming into their establishment.

Another neighborhood place was a cafe many years ago. A local upscale pie shop took over and had a good run cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The space was closed for about 3 years, opening recently as a private space for people to pay $70/person for a shared experience. The switch has been depressing for those who felt like the space belonged to the neighborhood. Technically, both of these spaces are private property so they choose the paths they are on. We can choose not to go to those places.

I could afford the ridiculous $18 grilled cheese with tomato soup where I would be hungry 30 minutes later. Getting friends to pony up $70 for the shared experience would be more difficult than paying $70 pour moi. The expensive place isn't marketing itself as "approachable" yet is even more out of reach.

Both are out of reach for most where not so long ago, these spaces were very open to the neighborhood.

BalanceofFood.com advice coverage

These 2 places are on the same street less than a mile apart from each other. Eating out is getting bad enough for places you like and respect. Place what little food money you have in places that are truly approachable that want to offer you value for a fair price.

photo credit: me