Balance of Food

Roadrunner won't be the solution Anthony Bourdain fans want

Roadrunner is going to disappoint you if you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain. The film, that debuts today in theatres, comes from Morgan Neville, a filmmaker known for quality documentaries such as 20 Feet from Stardom and Won't You Be My Neighbor?. There are critiques about how Neville approached this film but that isn't why fans will be disappointed.

Fans will be disappointed because they are searching for a solution or solutions they will not find. They think they knew Anthony Bourdain. Their logic, understandably, is there a reason for what happened at the tail end of the life of Anthony Bourdain.

If you want to understand Anthony Bourdain, you have multiple books. Several TV series. Countless interviews.

Talking about one's death is something Bourdain did quite a bit on his shows, particularly No Reservations. This doesn't mean one will snuff it, the words used in A Clockwork Orange. Talking about one's death shows signs of curiosity and intelligence, traits fans love about Bourdain.

Monty Python had a bit of fun with this idea in The Meaning of Life (1983), choosing how one dies.

Comparing a human being to Jesus has huge ramifications and we are not making a comparison. The general divide between how you might feel about Jesus, provided you are a believer, is whether you focus on his death or how he lived his life.

Roadrunner focuses on Anthony Bourdain as a famous person, putting off to the side his first 43 years or so and concentrating on the final 18 years. Not as a comparison, again, but the Bible focuses mostly on the last 3 years of the life of Jesus.

The documentary spends a lot of time on the life of Anthony Bourdain, the public life we saw and read about, and the private life within that time. Bourdain was a complicated person; traits that made him attractive to watch him travel the world and eat amazing food.

Fans will go to see Roadrunner even if they will be disappointed. Some people hate watch; this will be watched out of love. Go to see the film to get a broader picture of someone rather special. This film, no film, will present a scenario where people will truly understand Bourdain.

Your humble narrator is definitely in the mindset of approaching how someone lived their life as opposed to how they died. We could argue that Bourdain would have been an inspiration to keep living in similar ways to Robin Williams. We don't get to decide such things.

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On the second Bourdain Day, how Anthony Bourdain would handle a worldwide pandemic

Bourdain Day is a way to celebrate the love of food and food cultures

Anthony Bourdain legacy: Find your own food adventure

BalanceofFood.com travel coverage

Appreciate how Anthony Bourdain approached the world, how we are similar to each other even if we have different colors, cultures, genders, and approaches. Be kind to others, eat well, value yourself, have some fun: this is what we should remember about Anthony Bourdain.

If you choose to wait, Roadrunner will air on HBO Max and CNN after the theatrical run. Then again, you might be the one who sits in the center about 5 rows from the top of the theatre at the first showing today.

video credit: YouTube/Focus Features
photos credit: Roadrunner film

Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump on how they approach food

The political conventions wrapped up last week, so we know the official presidential nominees of the two major political parties.

The bar for food and the President of the United States has been set by Barack Obama, who will leave the post in January 2017. Neither Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will live up to that standard. You might be surprised how similar their food patterns reflect their personalities and the notable exceptions.

5 questions you should ask presidential candidates about U.S. food policy

Let's examine the food patterns of the two presidential candidates as seen through the eyes of The Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema. We'll start in the order of the candidates from the conventions.

Donald J. Trump

Donald Trump might be a billionaire; then again, probably not. But his food tastes run the blue-collar route.

Breakfast is his least favorite meal of the day. Bacon and eggs or cornflakes are top breakfast choices. Lunch is at his desk, Sietsema noted. The infamous taco bowl picture shows Trump at his desk eating lunch.

You shouldn't be surprised that Trump doesn't like vegetables and doesn't eat a lot of them. As Sietsema said, "If he eats anything cruciferous, it’s a mystery, right up there with how he combs that hair."

While eating pizza with a knife and fork caught Jon Stewart's eye, Trump was eating just the toppings, avoiding the crust to cut down on calories.

In truly American fashion, "flavor and nutrition appear to be afterthoughts, while food safety is a priority."

As many as his food sins might be, the worst one might be extremely well-done steaks. Trump extols in his commercials for Trump Steaks that steak is his favorite food. Pity the cow who gave up his life for a chef to overcook an otherwise lovely steak. That is sadly consistent with "food safety" but not with good taste.

The world is Trump's oyster, but he prefers Filet-O-Fish

Why Hillary Clinton eats a hot pepper every single day

Hillary R. Clinton

Hillary Clinton might not seem that exciting on the campaign trail, but her diet has a daily dose of spice.

Clinton told a town hall on ABC's Good Morning America, "I started using hot sauce back in 1992, because I read an article that said it would help my immune system stay healthy." The former secretary of state also eats a hot pepper each day.

Sietsema reports that Clinton’s favorite hot sauce is the sriracha Ninja Squirrel. She also enjoys hummus, fish, and food from India and Mexico.

With a vegan husband, the Clintons differ on their approaches to food. Clinton describes her husband's diet as "vegan-ish" in the article. Sietsema notes that Hillary Clinton enjoys "everything in moderation, including moderation."

For snacks, Clinton enjoys dark chocolate and Goldfish crackers. Hopefully, they aren't consumed at the same time.

Clinton says she is a lousy cook but can do pretty good soft scrambled eggs.

One of these presidential candidates has done a McDonald's commercial, 2 Pizza Hut spots, and an Oreo commercial and it's not Hillary Clinton.

You can absolutely argue that Donald Trump is promoting food he would actually eat in real life. Of those 4 spots, he is only seen eating the product in the Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza, and without a knife and fork.

Then again, Bill Clinton and McDonald's were synonymous in the 1990s, though without any commercials. Post White House, Clinton fought to reduce the number of soft drinks in schools.

If you believe a president should be a role model, electing a president who has actively promoted fast food would be the opposite direction from Barack and Michelle Obama.

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Cindy McCain, Bill Clinton, and Michelle Obama submitted recipes in the First Spouse tradition in 2008. McCain's recipe was plagiarized from the Food Network Web site. Bill Clinton got his recipe from his cook Oscar Flores who apparently got the recipe from Betty Crocker. To no one's surprise, the only candidate not tied to plagiarism was Michelle Obama.

Hillary Clinton famously referred to baking cookies in 1992 as a remark about women's role in the outside world versus being a homemaker. Clinton later submitted a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that got rave reviews.

In 2016, what the president or first spouse can or can't cook isn't relevant. The approach to food by the First Couple is important. Before Michelle Obama became the Let's Move advocate, I touted that the First Spouse should help Americans reduce alarming obesity levels. Glad Michelle Obama took my advice.

‘First Spouse’ should focus on reducing obesity levels

The First Lady, er, Spouse, needs to make a difference

You do wonder if what a presidential candidate eats affects their perception of food. If you rarely eat vegetables, you might not see the goodness in growing fresh vegetables, especially on the White House grounds.

photo credit: Barbara Kinney and Michael Davidson via HillaryClinton.com
video credit: McDonald's

Ellie Krieger back on TV with Ellie's Real Good Food

Ellie Krieger was a natural on TV on the Food Network in the days when that channel had some nutrition information in its shows. Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger ran on the Food Network from 2006-2011.

Krieger has shifted her TV home to PBS and even used Kickstarter to raise funds for Ellie's Real Good Food.

The Food Network and Cooking Channel feature a lot of food but not too much on nutrition. How to Live to 100 is a rare exception, though Jason Wrobel is as obnoxious a host as one can find even if his information is solid and useful.

PBS doesn't even have too many nutrition options. A telegenic registered dietitian wanting to talk nutrition on television is a rare sight.

The Washington Post adds Ellie Krieger to provide much-needed nutrition advice

Krieger also started writing in late 2014 for The Washington Post. She started doing biweekly online chats, though those chats have stopped.

Episode 2 had a chocolate theme. Krieger talked about the properties of chocolate and cocoa powder. Her presentation plays on food that is tasty and also good for you. She was clear about options within the recipe, even offering that you don't have to add sugar in making a coffee chocolate milkshake.

She recommended using dark chocolate with 60%-70% cocoa solids as the perfect mix "of taste and health." Krieger noted that the higher percentage "of cocoa solids that's in chocolate, the more of the good antioxidants it has, the more deep dark chocolate flavor but also the more bitter it is, so if you use 100% cocoa solids, it would be basically like baking chocolate."

We even learn the difference between natural cocoa powder (left) and Dutch cocoa powder (right).

The debut episode covers make-ahead recipes such as blueberry-chia overnight oats and turkey-stuffed pizza pockets. Episode 3 dealt with carbohydrate options; Krieger did a video chat with a woman who cooks different dinners for her family (with carbs) and for herself (no carbs). She had a low-carb dish that involved chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and penne pasta.

Krieger has a very relaxed style, slightly more relaxed than in the days of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.

For all the talk about food and losing weight, the reality shows are virtually only about exercise and the food shows are about what tastes good, nutrition be damned. Krieger has been a notable exception.

The opening segment designed to be more creative is a work in progress. The segment drags the show down. A better placement would be in the middle of the show, maybe a segment breaking down nutrition of ingredients on the show. Breaking up the show in the beginning is a bit jarring; that breaks works better later in the show.

For more information about the show and where and when the show airs in your market, click here. Ellie's Real Good Food airs on PBS stations across the country. Check your local listings.

photos credit: Ellie's Real Good Food/PBS

Mark Bittman: Sell out or realist?

Mark Bittman is leaving the food policy beat after 5 years at The New York Times in part because "this column has run its course." Bittman is leaving The New York Times "to take a central role in a year-old food company."

If Mark Bittman feels that way, imagine how I feel after 10 years of covering the beat without the money, fame, and influence he has had.

A journalist friend of mine who covers the food beat still has a job, but her workload got cut back recently. She would do well in the NYT role as would I because we are still committed to food policy journalism.

"I've raised the topics I thought I should; I made the best arguments around those subjects where I was capable; I threw my heart and energy into it; and to a large extent have said what I had to say."

Though I have been doing this blog for 10 years, I can relate to this sentiment. You have seen fewer stories recently at BalanceofFood.com because to some extent, I have spoken what needs to be said on a number of issues. But I still think strong, good voices should be heard on food and nutrition.

The fact that Bittman went after Tamar Haspel's "ridiculous stance" on "expressing disdain for salads" is all the more reason for him to stay around.

A year or two ago, I would have ripped into Haspel over her take on salads. Maybe I understand Bittman more than I care to admit.

"I've been surprised by the lack of progress in other areas. I would have bet that we'd have gotten antibiotics out of the food supply by now, because the downside of their abuse is so clear. That hasn't happened, largely through a lack of conviction on the part of the Obama administration (no industry is going to voluntarily stop using an ingredient if it believes it benefits its business)."

As someone who has covered food and politics, I have not been surprised at a lack of progress. Criticizing the Obama administration is perfectly fine, but understand that every single positive change from government has happened while Obama has been in office. Also, the Dems have controlled the House, Senate, and White House at the same time for only 4 years since 1981. As slow as the U.S. political system moves even when people are on the same page, glaciers are literally moving faster, even without climate change.

Even with a presidential election in 2016, the political landscape won't change terribly much. A Democratic administration might extend what the Obamas have done, but Bernie Sanders might be the only Dem running for president who would address significant change in this area. Thanks to redrawing congressional boundaries in a heavily partisan fashion, the House is likely to remain under GOP control until at least 2022, no matter how little they do. Without the House, the Senate can't generate a lot of momentum on the topic.

"But it's time to hang 'em up. Just after I started this column, I promised my editors that I wouldn't overstay my welcome, that five years represented a sensible amount of time to rail against the injustices and praise the advances I was seeing in the world of food and things linked to it."

I'm not quite sure what direction this blog will take. We certainly have stories to write about food and its impact. But we don't want to keep writing about the same points with the same level of outrage. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are still alive but aren't in the business of attacking what passes for food marketing and policy. We don't see Larry Wilmore or Trevor Noah or even John Oliver spending too much time on food policy.

A lot of journalists have been forced to sell out because journalism jobs keep disappearing. Bittman's job at The New York Times is disappearing, though voluntarily. We need more good food writers in positions of power to wage influence over the American food scene. If The New York Times were to call or e-mail, we would be glad to discuss a future in food policy journalism. Hopefully, more people will take up the task to try and make a difference.

Mark Bittman may be quitting the fight, but the fight needs to go on for a long time.

The Washington Post adds Ellie Krieger to provide much-needed nutrition advice

As someone who writes a lot about nutrition, I try and find resources on the Internet where people are talking about nutrition.

Years ago, long before it was as cool to think about nutrition, The Washington Post had a weekly chat called the Lean Plate Club.

The Lean Plate Club was the all-encompassing name for articles, chats, and other resources from Sally Squires where consumers could learn about nutrition and ask questions. As the world turned more in the direction of nutrition, The Washington Post got rid of the Lean Plate Club.

Recently, that same newspaper hired Ellie Krieger to join its staff. She writes a weekly Nourish column and hosts a biweekly chat at WashingtonPost.com.

Krieger is better known for her Food Network show, "Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger." Her program provided sensible, realistic ways to think about nutrition in everyday recipes. Smart, reasonable help on a topic not really covered by the Food Network or the Cooking Channel.

Krieger's chats (click here for a sample) are only every 2 weeks. They haven't been going on for all that long, so the usual rapport of the WaPo chats hasn't been established. Still, this is one of the few interactive ways for consumers to learn more about nutrition.

She is also contributing stories for the newspaper (click here for a sample story).

Unlike the days of the Lean Plate Club, the newspaper now has a paywall. But you do get a limited amount of articles for free before you have to pay. You can also keep up with what Krieger is writing about through her Twitter feed.

The Ellie Krieger material is very welcome in a world where consumers still are confused about nutrition. The material is light years behind the Lean Plate Club but there is room for growth and potential.

At BalanceofFood.com, we cover nutrition issues but we also like to read other sources for our information. I learned a lot from the Lean Plate Club and feel like my readers have benefited from information I have learned. I am learning from Ellie Krieger even more than from the TV show. I just wish, in this time where people really want nutrition information, to get even more from Krieger and The Washington Post.

screen capture: WashingtonPost.com

Calvin Trillin on poutine from way back in 2009 from the New Yorker archives

This column ran on our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com. Please enjoy it here. Click here for my take on poutine in Montreal.

The New Yorker is making its archives available for a limited time. Calvin Trillin is one of the best writers, food or otherwise. Trillin has a connection to Canada in that he lives in Nova Scotia in the summer.

Getting to write about food and living in Canada in the summertime: Officially jealous.

Trilin writes about food in a way that conveys place more than the food itself. Trillin wrote about poutine in this 2009 column from the New Yorker called "Funny Food."

"As a punch line, poutine has a lot going for it. Many Canadians believe that it is also good to eat."

In the column, Trillin writes about Wilensky's in Montréal, Smoke's Poutinerie, poutine in Nova Scotia, defying Canadian stereotypes, Rick Mercer, going on a subsequent poutine trip in Montréal.

Especially for 2009, the article is well-researched and lends an insight from a U.S. writer about poutine long before it became cool in hipster circles.

Here is a link to the 2009 Calvin Trillin column in its entirety. Read it while you can.

Special thanks to the Food Republic Web site for letting us know about this gem from the New Yorker.

photo credit: me

What's Tempting: Embracing butter

Time magazine is telling its readers and casual bystanders this week that the experts were wrong about butter and saturated fats, and we should stop the war on butter.

Some of us never fought that war.

The cover story by Time magazine was wonderful news for those who felt deprived because certain factions were telling them butter (and other saturated fats) were bad.

Some of us enjoyed butter in moderation, using butter when we needed that flavor, taste, and consistency.

Time magazine might be the loudest voice, but this is only the latest news on the benefits of whole real food. As we found out this spring, full-fat (and therefore more saturated fat) dairy products helped reduce obesity.

The butter in the Swedish study was of much better quality than what most Americans consume as butter. If you feel well-grown meat and milk are a concern, then butter also falls in that list.

Good quality butter in moderation, as part of a balanced diet.

Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to fat in the kitchen. Butter makes an occasional appearance. Bacon grease makes surprise visits. Most of the time, extra virgin olive oil wins out for being a good fat.

Previous coverage:

What's Tempting: Full-fat dairy products

Deep-fried butter: a little is all you need

Butter has a soft spot in my heart. Yes, I have eaten deep-fried butter, and I grew up in a family that used melted butter for fondue.

I understand the power of butter: use well, use wisely.

If you are jumping back into butter, welcome back. You have been missed and we welcome you back with no judgments. We do have one new recommendation: buy better butter.

This does mean paying more for butter, but we have good news. You will naturally use less butter each time.

Using better butter means using less butter that helps in two ways: 1) you won't overdo good butter so you don't have to worry about overdoing butter, and 2) by using less butter per serving, the cost differential is sharply reduced. So you might not spend that much more for better butter.

Americans envy the French because they eat rich, decadent foods and don't gain weight as much as those in the States. Eating the rich, decadent foods without understanding the approach is only working with half the story.

The Time magazine cover story will give people the "freedom" to eat butter once again. They should also have the responsibility to eat butter well.

Eat a wide variety of fats. Avocadoes, olive oil, butter, nuts. Meat and fish provide fat. Cheese and milk, too. And maybe an occasional dose of bacon grease.

Like any other food category, eat mostly good fats. Add some "bad fats" in moderation. And have fun with them. Be mostly good and the guilt can melt away … like butter.

photo credit: Time magazine

What's Tempting: Marijuana edibles

"The caramel-chocolate flavored candy bar looked so innocent, like the Sky Bars I used to love as a child." — Maureen Dowd, columnist for The New York Times.

We certainly applaud food tourism. But if you are headed to Colorado this summer, you might want to exercise some portion control … but not for the usual reasons.

Dowd clearly had some problems with her marijuana edibles, as profiled in Tuesday's column.

The "worst" of it for Dowd is that she "lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours."

Dowd got advice the next day that she clearly needed before eating the candy bar: "candy bars like that are supposed to be cut into 16 pieces for novices; but that recommendation hadn’t been on the label."

Like a good journalist, Dowd threw herself into her quest to sample the marijuana edible at full force. If Dowd had followed the advice, there would be no column.

We don't know from the column how long Dowd waited once she arrived to eat the candy bar. Having been in the Canadian Rockies in 2012, higher elevations can mess with you. There's a reason why John Denver sang about "Rocky Mountain High."

Dowd might be better off exercising that right in Washington state, though that state has been really sssllooooooww in implementing legal marijuana. Soon, you will be able to get pot-infused coffee in Washington state. That product might be more Dowd's speed.

Marijuana edibles serve a significant purpose where marijuana is legal. Smoking pot has many drawbacks. Some physically can't handle smoking. The smell turns off some people. And it's more obvious that you are consuming pot when smoking it.

The marijuana edibles world is similar to how things go in the food world: a little goes a long way.

Eating 1/16 of a candy bar seems eccentric. However, a marijuana edible is not a regular candy bar. In fact, if you do it right, you might want a regular candy bar … or three once the marijuana edible has kicked into form.

Dowd pointed out a couple of extreme cases in the column. Same message for Dowd goes for everyone: a little bit goes a long way and know how much you can handle. Same goes for food, though not for the same reasons.

Marijuana edibles are not food in the traditional sense, even if they look like food. Perhaps the labels should reflect that better (a marijuana leaf on the package, perhaps) but we live in a country where front labels can be pretty deceiving.

Know what you are putting into your body: food or drug or both.

What's Tempting: Food education for nannies?

"And their nanny, from Wisconsin, does not always know the difference between quinoa and couscous."

Pleased that you have a lifestyle that lets you afford a nanny, yet not satisfied that she (more than likely she) doesn't know how to cook with organic or local food? Don't worry: you can shell out $2,500 to teach your nanny, er, uh, have someone else teach your nanny how to cook the way you want your 5-year-old to eat.

The $2,500 doesn't cover how much it will take for the 5-year-old to eat what you want them to eat. Heck, for $75, you can find a college student to teach your nanny, from Wisconsin, the difference between quinoa and couscous.

The 5-year old in The New York Times story has a "comfort zone of roast chicken and rice and beans" that most parents would be thrilled to have.

"We were too basic with her food in the beginning, so we want marc&mark (the consultants) to help us explore more sophisticated food that has some diversity and flavor," she (the mother) said. "I don’t want her growing up not liking curry because she never had it."

Again, you could hire a college student, stay-at-home mom, or someone from India to cook a curry to give to a 5-year-old. You could even teach the nanny to order a take-away curry for the child to try, again for far less than $2,500.

Food education for children is valuable, whether they are latchkey children of working parents in TriBeCa or poor children in Colorado or Mississippi. Children should learn a world beyond chicken fingers and Honey Boo Boo spaghetti recipes.

Like learning a foreign language, getting your kid acclimated earlier is better, especially if they positively respond.

Even if your 5-year-old doesn't like curry the first time, you introduce the concept at a time where they do a lot of learning.

For $2,500, you can teach a lot of kids about the basics of good food and good nutrition. The kids can even teach their parents and older siblings what they learned in the classroom.

Most kids don't need to know the difference between quinoa and couscous to improve their food knowledge. And they can learn about other cultures through food. Don't just serve them curry; have them learn about India through curry.

Even if you believe in the food education process as described in The New York Times, spend that money on your child, not the nanny. Not that the nanny shouldn't improve her own food education, but the child should be the focus of this lavish education.

And even for $2,500, you might still get a child that struggles to like vegetables.

Temptation of the Week: Part-time vegan

You can punch a time clock on the whole vegan thing: start the day punching in as a vegan and when it's time to go home, you can punch back out.

That may not be the spirit of what Mark Bittman is extolling in his new book "Vegan Before 6," but he does offer a more approachable take on being a vegan. Bittman says he can eat whatever he wants for dinner, though I'm willing to admit that his version of "whatever he wants" is more limited than yours or mine.

Bittman is a believer of meat, just in a supporting role.

You certainly don't have to take "vegan before 6" literally. You can flip the script, eat one meal vegan, add some vegan ingredients, or go part-time vegetarian.

The main issue to take is that you don't have to go deep in the water to make a difference. After all, Bittman, The New York Times food writer, eats meat and fish and uses butter — just not all the time.

Though I find myself a conscious omnivore, I do find the idea of being more vegetarian friendly to be tempting. Experimenting with coconut oil and almond milk might get me to be more vegan friendly.

The only thing that separates me from being "vegan before noon" on most days is the milk I usually drink for breakfast and the pecorino romano cheese I put on my spaghetti. The cheese is purely out of habit. Then again, I use very little cheese. The milk is also somewhat out of habit. The milk and cheese do have a protein purpose.

Except for an occasional use of pancetta, bacon, or anchovies, the usual morning meal is vegetarian, just not vegan. Fake cheese could substitute for the pecorino romano, but I would rather go without. Almond milk or other fake milk could supply the missing protein.

Yes, I get some protein from the whole wheat spaghetti and the mushrooms, but feel like the morning should have more substantial protein.

The general consensus is that adult women should get 46 grams of protein per day, men 56. Getting that protein sooner rather than later can help you get through the day.

I see almond milk as a great sub for baking or cooking, but am not convinced for regular drinking … yet.

Some days, I do go "vegetarian before 6" especially if I'm eating bread and cheese for lunch. I don't feel like I'm missing the meat as much if I'm consuming protein. Right now, that protein is dairy-based, though I might need to rethink this.

Doing that day after day isn't going to happen for me. I need flexibility to achieve my balance of food. I can get meals to be mostly vegetarian or mostly vegan on occasion. I'm willing to consider reasonable alternatives throughout the day.

photo credit: Clarkson Potter/Publishers