In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan

Finished off reading an amazing "eater's manifesto" by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food. It's a short and engrossing read on the problems with the American diet and how we can choose to reverse them. Pollan has an excellent way of subverting the obtuse language of food as we know it in the Western context. And much of it, Pollan argues, cannot even be called "food" - he cuttingly deems much of it "edible foodlike substance," ha! His writing is sincere and his tips for changing one's own diet to be healthier and more conscious are easy to incorporate. By not pushing vegetarianism or veganism but leaving the choice of diet open, Pollan hopes to change the death path of the quote-unquote average American.

Sidenote, re: deathpath - "In 1960 Americans spent 17.5 percent of their income on food and 5.2 percent of national income on health care. Since then, those numbers have flipped: Spending on food has fallen to 9.9 percent, while spending on health care has climbed to 16 percent of national income." This is outrageous.

In Defense of Food is a work that all people must read, because though we all eat, we are too often misguided or wrongly mystified, largely by a movement championed by the food industries (hand-in-hand with scientists) known as Nutritionism: studying nutrients in isolation to extract their supposed benefits, then injecting these into our food products.

• Wonder Bread with the whole grain removed and manipulated in the lab with any number of additives to make it white and soft.
• Milk with the fat removed, then - since the health benefits of the milk have been cancelled by doing so - adding in vitamins that are really only fat-soluble anyway. Low-fat or skim milk isn't real milk: you're drinking milk rendered less nutrient-dense and then patched up with additives so it resembles milk.
• And so on, and so on. Won't spoil the book.

Seriously though, best guide to eating I've read yet. And I thought I already had an idea of what's essential to nutrition... it's liberating to forge a path to more deliberate eating. It'll debunk those myths that are perpetuated all around us in order to sell more food-like substances in our groceries. Go pick it up as soon as you can: In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan.
Then take a good look at what you have on your plate. Is it food?

Sriracha Chili Sauce

Okay, I realize I'm obsessed with Sriracha sauce (aka "rooster sauce" or "cock sauce"), but I'm finding it's not that uncommon to be... check this out: the New York Times article about it, "A Chili Sauce to Crow About," is presently the #1 most emailed article. What! To its credit, however, it's a good condiment for practically anything - obviously in pho noodles, but also atop any savory rice dish or mixed into other sauces. And new visitors to our house almost unfailingly comment on how great the stuff is. Sriracha-users seem to be pretty enthusiastic fans!

Debate over burritos, linked from DCist.com

Mmm. I realize it's not yet 7am, but this discussion over the best burritos in the District reminds me that there are many burrito shops that I haven't yet tried. Plenty of places in Mount Pleasant, even, which is super close to my house. Say what you will, I consider the burrito an art form among foods.

Also, it seems I'm among the few who rank The Burro's burritos high... have that habanero sauce once, though, and you'll never look back.

Froyo everywhere, all the time!

Walking through Adams Morgan today, I noticed the former space of the Miss Pixie's location is being converted into a frozen yogurt place! The sign's probably been there awhile, but I just now noticed that it was touting some froyo. Here's to hoping it's good, because it's close enough to my house. I'm already a Mr. Yogato addict, and that's fairly new in the city as well. What's nicer than some froyo topped with mochi pieces in the summer heat? I still need to try the other frozen yogurt places, like Tangysweet (I've never been).

Cool diagram for people who like cool diagrams (and food)!

The NY Times has a nifty chart detailing how the American weekly diet has changed since 1970. Fastest growing food category? Fats. We're also eating more shellfish, less veal, adding an increased amount of sugar and sweeteners to processed foods, but overall just putting a lot more on our plates.

It's the meat, stupid?

This press release from the PCRM details the demonstration by doctors in which they used over 1000 tomatoes to spell out "It's The Meat, Stupid!" to draw attention to the meat industry's role in spreading the salmonella outbreak. It hasn't broken mainstream media, however... they're still on the pepper lead. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a handy little breakdown of where the salmonella Saintpaul infections have been identified, including 31 people in Virginia, 38 in Maryland, and one in DC.

"...going vegan takes serious bloody willpower."

A bit of light reading for you this morning:
Restaurant critic Jay Rayner goes vegan for a week.

It's entertaining, but not to be taken too seriously (militant vegans, he may piss you off). Rayner writes very humorously and provides good perspective on what a vegan diet appears like to those out of the loop, including the frustration of hidden animal ingredients and the difficulties encountered when dining out.

Also, a photo website comparing what packaged foods actually look like, contrasted with how they appear on the box. Heh!

Ack! My peppers!

So now the investigation into the salmonella outbreak in the U.S. uncovers that it might be linked with consumption of jalapeño peppers, or maybe cilantro or serrano. I eat so many jalapeños. Maybe it's time to cut back? But there was a huge tomato scare before it was jalapeños, and I still ate those happily. There's really no solid evidence pointing to any one type of produce just yet.

Quick link for reading, food-related.

Must run, but here's an interesting article I read from a previous issue of Time magazine on the geography of childhood obesity. From a few weeks ago because I don't subscribe, but I picked up an old issue to flip through at my parents' house today.

It's true that fatty foods, loaded with preservatives and highly processed, become the mealtime staples for poor communities. Take-out places are cheapcheap, and very prominent in low-income areas. Grocery stores may often be further away than your neighborhood fast-food joint. Obesity in the U.S. is a huuuge problem. Literally. And it's escalating. It isn't just an aesthetic thing because there are too many health complications to name.
Anyway, thought I'd share the link - and happy fireworks today!

Five Guys Columbia Heights!

Yow! The Five Guys at 1400 Irving St NW has finally opened, as of yesterday - or the day before. Somehow I missed it. Now, as soon as you step off the Columbia Heights Metro, you will be struck down immediately by the call of greasy American fare. Being veg, all I eat from Five Guys are the french fries, but oh man are they delish. And I'm always hearing great things about those burgers, so give it a shot if you've never been.
Then head over immediately to Sticky Fingers Bakery, only about two blocks away, for a cowvin cookie or some other vegan dessert to polish it all off. Mmm.

Also, an interesting post on the future of local retail in the age of DC's rapid gentrification.