Chicken Came First
Used to be that the subject of gas and corn was not considered appropriate for polite conversation. And while I can’t claim the language is always polite, our clients in the protein industry (a/k/a chicken, beef, pork) have been discussing corn and gas for sometime. Ethanol that is. Now with today’s research report from Iowa State University http://www.card.iastate.edu/publications/synopsis.aspx?id=1050, I suspect it is a conversation that will soon be coming to a dinner table near you.
The study reports that US food retail prices have gone up 14%, because of ethanol. You see, there’s just not enough corn to feed both the coq co vin and the car.
Speaking for myself, I vote for the chicken. He can’t cross the road without it.
Kitchen Envy
Get a group of foodies together and the discussion frequently turns to the latest kitchen appliances and gadgets. So it wasn’t surprising that last week’s food editor tour of the Southern Living http://www.southernliving.com/southern/ kitchens generated diverse opinions about the magazine’s firm commitment to using typical midrange appliances for their upcoming remodel. Southern Living’s position is that their kitchens should resemble those of their readers, and thus guarantee similar results. To some of the editors, this non-Wolf , zero Subzero http://subzero.com/ approach sounded like the dark ages.
Had I not just returned from a weeklong kayak trip http://http://halfmoonbaykayak.com/ down a desolate patch of Baja, I might have agreed. But that was before I’d enjoyed fresh-baked calzones and rich brownies made on a very small (we were in kayaks after all) Coleman burner, aided with a little twig fire on the pot lid to create an oven effect. This was not your father’s camp food; this was a different menu every night, with gastronomic results that could come from your Wolf.
So, say what you will about state-of-the-art equipment. An innovative chef is the main ingredient on my list any day.
Recipe Screensavers.
A recent Vittles team meeting veered into a random conversation about the dearth of good screensavers. (The operative word here, being “good.”) I mean, really, if koi or Pamela Anderson aren’t your cup of tea, the pickins’ are pretty slim. So, in an effort to add some taste to the world of screensavers, not to mention recipe collectors, we decided to prove that “free” and “good design” are not mutually exclusive. And because our new screensavers feature six original recipes, they can even help with that ever nagging “what’s for dinner? dilemma. Whether you lean towards Seared Lamb Chops and Poblano Chicken Quesadillas, or prefer a less protein-focused Smokey Beet Salad or Roasted Cauliflower Fusilli, our recipe developers have created something for every palate. Feel free to share with colleagues. That may help keep their drool off your screen.
- Download the Vittles Screensaver for Mac (ZIP archive, 2.72m)
- Download the Vittles Screensaver for PC (ZIP archive, 2.54m)
- Download the Recipes from the Vittles Screensaver (PDF, 367k)
Just say no.
The Washington Post reports that the FDA is about to approve a new antibiotic for cattle that the American Medical Association and other health groups strenuously object to. In fact, even the FDA’s own Advisory Board voted to reject it.
The drug, called cefquinome, is a highly potent antibiotic which, according to the Washington Post story, is “among medicine’s last defense against several serious human infections.”
Anyone familiar with the concept of the food chain probably isn’t surprised to hear that using it on cattle is expected to speed up human resistance to the drug.
This won’t be the first time the FDA listened to big pharma instead of health officials. In the mid 1990s they ignored the CDC and other public health officials and approved BAytril and SarFlox (fluoroquinolones) for use in poultry to fight campylobactor. Guess what? People were soon being hospitalized with fluoroquinolone-resistent strains of campylobacter. (And if that doesn’t turn your stomach–it took until 2005 till FDA could finally get it banned.)
Just say no.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the FDA is about to approve a new antibiotic for cattle that the American Medical Association and other health groups strenuously object to. In fact, even the FDA’s own Advisory Board voted to reject it.
The drug, called cefquinome, is a highly potent antibiotic which, according to the Chronicle story, is “among medicine’s last defense against several serious human infections.”
Anyone familiar with the concept of the food chain probably isn’t surprised to hear that using it on cattle is expected to speed up human resistance to the drug.
This won’t be the first time the FDA listened to big pharma instead of health officials. In the mid 1990s they ignored the CDC and other public health officials and approved BAytril and SarFlox (fluoroquinolones) for use in poultry to fight campylobactor. Guess what? People were soon being hospitalized with fluoroquinolone-resistent strains of campylobacter. (And if that doesn’t turn your stomach–it took until 2005 till FDA could finally get it banned.)