snacks and glints

KFC comes out with a new sandwich. The bread is made of two fried pieces of chicken, with cheese and bacon sandwiched between. Can KFC be sued for this?

A great article in the Economist this week on the demographic shift of Africa – meaning, women are having less children. Let’s give out a shout out to our sisters. Not an easy task in the African context.

Maybe US school lunches programs will finally stop serving tater tots and fish sticks.

A rip on Michael Pollan, by a farmer no less.

Getting your kids to eat well, requires that well, you eat well. Good luck america.

Organic food not NUTRITIONALLY better

So a new UK study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came out comparing the nutrtional content of organic versus conventional foods.  The meta-analysis of 55 studies showed that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority. There were a small number of differences in nutrition between organic and conventionally produced food but not large enough to be of any public health relevance and found no differences in most nutrients in  including in vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

Without large-scale, longitudinal research it is difficult to come to far-reaching clear conclusions on this, and there is not sufficient research on the long-term effects of pesticides on human health.

Now the debate rages on. Slate, Huffington, Independent, to name a few are posting opinion pieces. I dont think this is going to stop people from eating organic. Most consume organics because they feel it treads more lightly on the earth, and they dont want to consume pesticides, antibiotics, chemicals etc.

But read the study for yourself and make your own conclusions. And do what is right for you, and your budget…

cooking a spectator sport

Just read this Michael Pollan NYT Magazine article about how we have stopped interacting in our kitchens and instead watch others interact in their kitchens, on TV.

I think it is just laziness…

ryan mcginley keeps a food diary

If you like photographer/artist Ryan McGinley’s work, it may be interesting to see what he eats.  I think it is interesting to read about what people eat – it can be so personal. Particularly with the detail that he goes into. But one particular thing I noticed about him is that he orders food in the early early morning from really sorta expensive places. What restaurant serves at 3 am? I guess they do for Ryan…And maybe this was an off week, but he sees really stupid movies.

doughnuts are bad. but these are so good.

Ever been to Doughnut Plant in the lower east side of NYC? If not, it is a must, as is a visit to the Pickle guys. We used to live right on top of the pickle guys and right down the street from the dreamy doughnut shop, but interestingly, I always thought it was called Planet not plant. I like planet better.

doughnut plant

Serious eats seriously tried out almost every doughnut they have to offer, but missed my favorite, seasonal variety – the pumpkin doughnut. Yum. I am not a fan of promoting junk food, but a doughnut and a hot cup of coffee in the lower lower east side is just a thing to do sometimes. At least a New York thing to do.

bites: street food of new york

Try these two place when hitting the streets of nyc:
1. Calexico taco stand on wooster and prince in soho. The carne asada tacos rock.
2. Van Leeuwen’s ice cream truck stand on the highline. A scoop of strawberry is so refreshing on a breezy summer night it will make you start singing seals and croft’s “blowing through the jasmine in my miiiinnnnndddd.”

Eating “good” is not easy

New York magazine published an interesting article on the 17 most politically problematic foods but that is not what interested me as much as the introduction:

“Eating was once an enjoyable, relatively uncomplicated experience; the biggest dilemma was how much butter to put in the mashed potatoes. No more. In this post-Pollan, Food, Inc., locavore-aware world, your dinner plate, like it or not, is a minefield. Beyond the enduring concerns about calories, artificial ingredients, and, of course, taste, there are now a host of politically minded food anxieties. Is the chicken free-range? Is the salad from a labor-friendly farm? Was the coffee shade-grown? Sometimes it seems the future of the planet is riding on your hamburger. While it’s wise (and often delicious!) to maintain a healthy skepticism about too much food-correctness, it’s not a bad idea to do your part where you can.”

Why does this ring so true and what is a foodie to do? I fare on the healthy skepticism side as the science has not yet caught up with the hype. Read on to see the 17 foods but topping this list are my personal indulgences – shrimp, coffee and wine. ugh…

europeans have superhuman sugar sensors

cupcakes at chelsea market

A study published in Current Biology found that those of European ancestry were more sensitive to sweet tastes, due to the genetic variation of the gene, TAS1R3. Because of the superman-like ability to detect very trace levels of sweetness, it is assumed that Europeans are more likely to like desserts LESS than Africans or others orginating from tropical environments. Maybe THAT is why french women dont get fat. Either that or all the cigarettes…

Two Recommended Reads

James McWilliam’s Just Food: Where Locavores get it wrong and how we can truly eat responsibly

Walter Willet’s Eat Drink and Be Healthy

who doesn’t like fried calamari?

fried calamari at Salone del Gusto