tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81494424058159880002024-03-13T06:34:06.123-04:00Edible IntelligenceAn education about the food industry from someone with an education in the food industry.Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-65250734882473669532016-02-14T00:27:00.001-05:002016-02-14T08:35:30.881-05:00My Last Chipotle Burrito: Person With Integrity.Much has been written about Chipotle's food safety woes of the past year, so there really isn't much to say that hasn't already been said.<div><br></div><div>Everyone from late night hosts to #GMO supporters to Bill Marler have taken their shots at Chipotle, many with great joy. </div><div><br></div><div>I was a little sad about what happened.</div><div><br></div><div>Don't get me wrong, I liked seeing the organization humbled. I was sad that a restaurant with good food and a moniker about "Food with Integrity", neglected the most important aspect of their lives...</div><div><br></div><div>The food.</div><div><br></div><div>They became evangelical about a marketing campaign about the idea of food, not the actual food, itself. The marketing campaign is pure liberal guilt and shame. It's faux activism and for all the wrong reasons.</div><div><br></div><div>It's also populism. The food brought people in, but the guilt brought them back... and the shame stopped them from going elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>People in some circles were really worried about hormones, probably because they didn't know what hormones were, as well as animal welfare, and whether they were spending too little on food. The people that Chipotle's marketing evangelism worked on, tended to believe anything about food, so long as it was negative. </div><div><br></div><div>All of this had been happening as Organic grocery stores started to take off. So the guilt over eating animals with hormones or veggies with trace amounts of pesticides fed growth in organic food. Those people could then gather at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and talk about the uneducated Wal-Mart people eating at McDonald's or Subway, then go on and on about how uh-mae-zing Chipotle is.</div><div><br></div><div>See how we really aren't talking about the food - even while talking about food?</div><div><br></div><div>Exactly.</div><div><br></div><div>Chipotle was too wrapped up in their meta-marketing twister to consider that they are supposed to be a fucking restaurant.</div><div><br></div><div>They featured specific brands like Niman Ranch and Belle Evans without considering whether those entities could keep up with Chipotle's demand.</div><div><br></div><div>They kept raising prices to afford brands they couldn't even secure a reliable supply of, while at the same time substituting brands like Tyson when they ran out of Belle Evans chicken.</div><div><br></div><div>So I guess it's no surprise that food safety wasn't a top priority. Food safety is a culture that you must have 100% buy-in for, or it will fail. Your employees need to know why they are doing what they do. They need to be able to make food safety judgement calls on their own, while managers aren't watching them or when there isn't a specific rule written about a specific scenario.</div><div><br></div><div>I don't get the sense that Chipotle has that culture. You can see it in various ways, like how sloppy they are with ingredients in their cold well, getting corn salsa in the sour cream and steak in the chicken. Even after the food borne illnesses, they let cooked meat set on the prep table and not in a hot well or heated cabinet.</div><div><br></div><div>I was done with Chipotle for a while, before the food safety scare, because of how their characterization of modern ag, as well as their anti-GMO stance.</div><div><br></div><div>A friend of mine told me about a special number you can text and Chipotle would send you a link to get a free burrito.</div><div><br></div><div>So just like a tired couple who know it's over and decided to have one last romp, I decided I would have a break up burrito.</div><div><br></div><div>I used the link they sent me to get a free burrito:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z5OMOnelQD0/VsAQQyQmAHI/AAAAAAAABJ0/Im2P6iskWog/s640/blogger-image-1477028718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z5OMOnelQD0/VsAQQyQmAHI/AAAAAAAABJ0/Im2P6iskWog/s640/blogger-image-1477028718.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>They now charge $7.50 for a steak burrito! I'm glad this one was free...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ACUHiT3DeaY/VsAQS5WP1zI/AAAAAAAABKA/9PfDEs13oqE/s640/blogger-image-252944161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ACUHiT3DeaY/VsAQS5WP1zI/AAAAAAAABKA/9PfDEs13oqE/s640/blogger-image-252944161.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>White rice, steak, red chili tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cheese. I got a drink and they charged me, because as the girl at the counter pointed out, the drink wasn't included... 🙄</div><div><br></div><div>The burrito was good, as they usually are. Remember, I have no issues with the taste of the food, it's just Chipotle's marketing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.</div><div><br></div><div>Here is an example:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZFaxTxJk-kQ/VsAQQYCLOpI/AAAAAAAABJw/xnFi6Bx9QHU/s640/blogger-image--1208366069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZFaxTxJk-kQ/VsAQQYCLOpI/AAAAAAAABJw/xnFi6Bx9QHU/s640/blogger-image--1208366069.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>They use <i>real ingredients</i>, not like the science experiments those no good scientists prefer.</div><div><br></div><div>This location still has a way to go towards creating a culture of food safety. When I walked in, there was the obligatory pan of chopped up chicken setting on the prep table, but there was also a guy with dreads cutting a huge block of Monterey Jack with a wire and no hair restraints. </div><div><br></div><div>Here is a pic of the guy:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z1hzW1ndUck/VsAQSKurdDI/AAAAAAAABJ8/UduSpVtRiRQ/s640/blogger-image--2107054791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z1hzW1ndUck/VsAQSKurdDI/AAAAAAAABJ8/UduSpVtRiRQ/s640/blogger-image--2107054791.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Put a hat on.</div><div><br></div><div>I drank a Coke with my burrito and giggled thinking about Chipotle's anti-GMO stance, even though Coke is sweetened with HFCS, which is derived from corn, and much of our field corn is genetically modified(all things I'm fine with).</div><div><br></div><div>The floor around their condiment station could use some attention:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kxYyaUf4tuQ/VsAQUJ6458I/AAAAAAAABKI/ICvJsHWFT5M/s640/blogger-image-1457659127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kxYyaUf4tuQ/VsAQUJ6458I/AAAAAAAABKI/ICvJsHWFT5M/s640/blogger-image-1457659127.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Notice the conspicuously placed rodent trap.</div><div><br></div><div>This facility passed their last health inspection in September 2015. In Ohio, you get 2 inspections a year at random times. I think they're overdue a visit, and given the recent food safety troubles, I'm shocked they didn't return.</div><div><br></div><div>I couldn't get a pic, but as the employee with the dreads came out of the walk in, I could see unlabeled pans, stacked on one another without a lid, so the bottom of the top pan was smashing what was under it.</div><div><br></div><div>Here is the back of the health inspection sticker:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wwVz0FBkDHY/VsAQRoSW17I/AAAAAAAABJ4/DzofeSwG1hg/s640/blogger-image-1655974186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wwVz0FBkDHY/VsAQRoSW17I/AAAAAAAABJ4/DzofeSwG1hg/s640/blogger-image-1655974186.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>And for good measure, here's my receipt. Maybe some day Chipotle will stop fearmongering about modern ag and GMO, but until they straighten up, I'll eat at Hot Head Burrito or Q'doba.</div><div><br></div><div>It's not me, it's you:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-16PAtFtbSck/VsAQTQcOD1I/AAAAAAAABKE/uRSSJ88MiLg/s640/blogger-image--1144332703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-16PAtFtbSck/VsAQTQcOD1I/AAAAAAAABKE/uRSSJ88MiLg/s640/blogger-image--1144332703.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-67076280505599129352015-12-25T21:29:00.001-05:002015-12-25T21:29:36.635-05:00Fat Activism, Empowerment, Overreacting & Blocking.Tonight, I had an unfortunate exchange that hit on several annoyances that really set an activist movement back.<div><br></div><div>So, perhaps it wasn't as dramatic as the last sentence implied, but I do think there are real lessons to take from what happened.</div><div><br></div><div>So what happened?</div><div><br></div><div>I'll get to that, but I first want to discuss a group I've been getting to know a lot better in the last year: the fat acceptance movement.</div><div><br></div><div>I first heard of this group on Penn & Teller's Bullshit! series on Showtime. The movement seeks acceptance of fat people in society instead of discriminating against them or applying tired, old stereotypes. </div><div><br></div><div>On Twitter, I started following and occasionally conversing with several people involved in the fight against fat stigmatization.</div><div><br></div><div>I think it's important for fat people(myself included) to start asserting ourselves and feel empowered to demand to be treated as the human beings we are.</div><div><br></div><div>Having said that, a movement such as this can be damaged by those who are abundantly defensive, but don't engage in discussion.</div><div><br></div><div>This brings me to this evening.</div><div><br></div><div>Let me preface this by saying I firmly believe I use Twitter correctly; meaning that I use tweets to further engage people in a particular discussion. I do this by responding to tweets and quote retweeting certain things.</div><div><br></div><div>I follow many dietitians, so I'll quote RT a tweet about some food pseudoscience or some provocative study and tag specific Twitter handles to get their thoughts.</div><div><br></div><div>That's what Twitter is made for.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, famed astronomer and science educator, Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted the following:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mq5BYnm-RbY/Vn37bAoJiHI/AAAAAAAABIM/3LVEziSUCEM/s640/blogger-image--379849980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mq5BYnm-RbY/Vn37bAoJiHI/AAAAAAAABIM/3LVEziSUCEM/s640/blogger-image--379849980.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>That's a typical NDT tweet, where he takes popular lore and applies some scientific reasoning to it. I felt there was a good prompt for discussion amongst the fat acceptance movement, because a common refrain from smaller people is to just eat less sweets and you'll be thinner.</div><div><br></div><div>It's not that easy, by the way, and contrary to popular belief, fat people aren't constantly eating sweets. This was the exact type of exchange I was hoping my quote retweet would bring about.</div><div><br></div><div>The response to my quote RT was much less enthusiastic than I had hoped...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OXlNNmRllwk/Vn37cFw3z0I/AAAAAAAABIU/bDjLWbiZ1uA/s640/blogger-image--72202460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OXlNNmRllwk/Vn37cFw3z0I/AAAAAAAABIU/bDjLWbiZ1uA/s640/blogger-image--72202460.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Apr3Qd3dNxM/Vn37Xlko39I/AAAAAAAABH0/3PtM0_mhaf4/s640/blogger-image--1343149467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Apr3Qd3dNxM/Vn37Xlko39I/AAAAAAAABH0/3PtM0_mhaf4/s640/blogger-image--1343149467.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Not entirely clear how I was <i>forcing </i>her to read a tweet, but ok, I won't send her anymore tweets like that, but I did feel it was necessary to explain myself, given her reaction.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PhYFebaNF-A/Vn37aMEKOsI/AAAAAAAABIE/Hxe5YcITVGk/s640/blogger-image--1609703987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PhYFebaNF-A/Vn37aMEKOsI/AAAAAAAABIE/Hxe5YcITVGk/s640/blogger-image--1609703987.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Fair enough, but...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2b6L7UAeE-Q/Vn37WjO6XXI/AAAAAAAABHs/8K3dXDduU4Y/s640/blogger-image--1728725108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2b6L7UAeE-Q/Vn37WjO6XXI/AAAAAAAABHs/8K3dXDduU4Y/s640/blogger-image--1728725108.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I will defend that statement. No, I don't assume her only concern in life is fat acceptance or body positivity. I would, however, assume someone with a Twitter handle of FatBodyPolitics has - at the very least- a passive interest in FatBodyPolitics...</div><div><br></div><div>She would later go on to accuse me of changing who she is as a person, but that's confusing, since her handle is a subject and not her name. If she so strongly identifies with FatBodyPolitics, then why refuse to engage in a tweet that touches upon that subject?</div><div><br></div><div>I'll post the next several exchanges without comment...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c2MHxD8ybN4/Vn37hzUd3vI/AAAAAAAABI0/fRpD1KtgB2M/s640/blogger-image-408812470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c2MHxD8ybN4/Vn37hzUd3vI/AAAAAAAABI0/fRpD1KtgB2M/s640/blogger-image-408812470.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iiLOhgO9XOI/Vn37Yk_C2uI/AAAAAAAABH8/EruulwhWBeg/s640/blogger-image--972597716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iiLOhgO9XOI/Vn37Yk_C2uI/AAAAAAAABH8/EruulwhWBeg/s640/blogger-image--972597716.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LpT0JNefFXI/Vn37eiPZHMI/AAAAAAAABIc/7E-W9ATDDLs/s640/blogger-image--1425136133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LpT0JNefFXI/Vn37eiPZHMI/AAAAAAAABIc/7E-W9ATDDLs/s640/blogger-image--1425136133.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HSVP5crNz8Q/Vn37gw-Fg1I/AAAAAAAABIs/iU3UEs8Bwrk/s640/blogger-image--1778733860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HSVP5crNz8Q/Vn37gw-Fg1I/AAAAAAAABIs/iU3UEs8Bwrk/s640/blogger-image--1778733860.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AuyVGqPQs78/Vn37fQD_pvI/AAAAAAAABIk/EtaCkUJWdHo/s640/blogger-image--1700649283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AuyVGqPQs78/Vn37fQD_pvI/AAAAAAAABIk/EtaCkUJWdHo/s640/blogger-image--1700649283.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FOPbVwGBazM/Vn37jT5S9vI/AAAAAAAABI8/W9WuvvCGguM/s640/blogger-image--1715277948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FOPbVwGBazM/Vn37jT5S9vI/AAAAAAAABI8/W9WuvvCGguM/s640/blogger-image--1715277948.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Admittedly, the bit where I said I was responding to her handle and not her as a person was poorly worded and allowed her to twist that comment into an accusation of being treated as an inanimate object.</div><div><br></div><div>Clearly, I was referring to the name of her handle and not at all attempting to dehumanize her. This should be evident in the example I give of BadAstronomer. </div><div><br></div><div>If my Twitter handle is MufflersAndManifolds, then I can't get too pissed if someone sends me muffler and/or manifold related tweets... Sure, there is much more to MufflersAndManifolds than exhaust alone, but the handle represents more than just the person.</div><div><br></div><div>In the scheme of things, this exchange has little bearing on the outcome of the fat acceptance movement, but it's a sign of things to come if people of a movement aren't happy warriors for that movement. You must engage to be heard.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, blocking is the Twitter equivalent of a nuclear bomb or erasing someone from the history books. Nothing is ever resolved by blocking someone, which is why I very rarely block.</div><div><br></div><div>Another major annoyance is people who like her overreacting replies and comment only based on her skewed side of the story.</div><div><br></div><div>This was a friendly quote RT; not intending to hurt, belittle or troll. Her response was beyond disproportionate.</div><div><br></div><div>If you in any measure pretend to care about a particular movement, then you have to engage with people or your super on-the-nose Twitter handle is pointless.</div><div><br></div><div>And for fuck's sake, don't block someone unless it's absolutely necessary.</div><div><br></div><div>As for the 3 women I tagged in that original quote RT; I genuinely like you. I don't follow people to harass them. While I'm a little hurt and bewildered by how this turned out tonight, I still like you all and the parts you play in the movement.</div><div><br></div><div>Had I not been blocked, this post wouldn't have been necessary.</div><div><br></div><div>Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter. I promise I won't block you.</div><div><br></div>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-32657086842820957252015-11-26T21:05:00.001-05:002015-11-26T21:05:32.989-05:00Thanksgiving At Golden Corral.Buffets have a bit of a reputation. Buffets are basically thought of as the futons of the restaurant world. Just as a futon is a mediocre couch and a mediocre bed, buffets are often a mediocre chicken place and a mediocre pizza place and a subpar steakhouse.<div><br></div><div>Buffets used to be called smorgasbords and people would go there a few times a year with family. Suddenly, we plateaued and the basic smorgasbord wasn't good enough.</div><div><br></div><div>The next evolution was the steakhouse/buffet hybrid. Earlier versions of Golden Corral, Sizzler, Ponderosa, and Bonanza sold you a steak for $8 - $15 and for an extra $5 - $7, you could add the buffet. In some places you could order the buffet, then pay extra to have a steak brought out, which I think was Golden Corral's early model.</div><div><br></div><div>But that wasn't good enough after a while...</div><div><br></div><div>The next evolution was steak night. On Friday & Saturday nights, patrons got free steak(and seafood) with their buffets. This was popular enough to be expanded to every night. The latest evolution is the addition of breakfast on the weekends.</div><div><br></div><div>My apartment's cooktop doesn't work, so I've been eating out more than I should. I stopped at Golden Corral last weekend and saw that they were serving Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 9am.</div><div><br></div><div><i>"How sad."</i> I thought. All those lonely people forced to settle for Golden Corral on Thanksgiving Dinner.</div><div><br></div><div>As fate would have it, I decided not to go to my aunt's for Thanksgiving due to car issues.</div><div><br></div><div>So I headed to the Golden Corral in the East Columbus suburb of Whitehall.</div><div><br></div><div>First of all, it was <b>packed</b>. It was busier than I have ever seen a Golden Corral. Inside, I notice all the people, who completely defy the stereotype which buffet patrons have unfairly earned.</div><div><br></div><div>I saw all shapes and sizes of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. There were families, singles, young, old, white black, Asian, Latino. Everyone.</div><div><br></div><div>People were happy too, talking to each other, laughing. It wasn't sad. At all.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fq-kNzFeoAo/Vle6ZgBic5I/AAAAAAAABG8/zLWSXlftLGs/s640/blogger-image--1296123267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fq-kNzFeoAo/Vle6ZgBic5I/AAAAAAAABG8/zLWSXlftLGs/s640/blogger-image--1296123267.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Then there was the food.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite it being Thanksgiving, I went for a fried chicken thigh which, for the record, is the best cut of chicken. Golden Corral's chicken is usually... Ok. It's a buffet, so it's normally greasy from being piled together with the breading broken off.</div><div><br></div><div>This was easily the best fried chicken I have ever had at a Golden Corral. Not the best ever, though. Full disclosure, I worked at KFC for 7 years, so that is the best fried chicken when I cook it. That Golden Corral chicken was a close second though.</div><div><br></div><div>The steak (yes, you can still get steak on Thanksgiving) was better than it normally is and just a step below a steakhouse.</div><div><br></div><div>The turkey I had was fucking devine. I went with the pan of pulled dark meat instead of the carved breast. They left bits of the skin mixed in with the turkey, which may sound gross, but was incredible.</div><div><br></div><div>I also had chicken wings coated in a plum sauce, which were some of the best wings I've ever had.</div><div><br></div><div>I think the reason things went so good was because they were ready. It was all hands on deck and not too different from KFC on Mother's Day, which is that chain's busiest day. The food was turning over so fast that nothing sat out for more than a few minutes.</div><div><br></div><div>The employees weren't stressed or panicked or angry with the capacity crowd- all were friendly.</div><div><br></div><div>I know you missed it for this year, but I highly recommend Golden Corral for next year. Also, give them a shot next weekend while you're out Christmas shopping. They're better when they're busy.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l9w5Rw-N6RQ/Vle6aiC6pVI/AAAAAAAABHA/NRpNcT4sGp8/s640/blogger-image--1547010613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l9w5Rw-N6RQ/Vle6aiC6pVI/AAAAAAAABHA/NRpNcT4sGp8/s640/blogger-image--1547010613.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-45822687126951152842015-10-04T07:02:00.001-04:002015-10-04T07:02:52.749-04:00Knee-Jerk Reactions To Monsanto Hurts GMO Advocacy.While the science supporting the safety of GMO is all but settled(no credible, reproduceable studies showing harm exist), public opinion seems to be less open to the technological process.<div><br></div><div>I blame Monsanto...</div><div><br></div><div>Well, let me be more specific; I blame people's knee-jerk reaction to Monsanto, and in turn, our knee-jerk reaction to people's knee-jerk reaction to Monsanto.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm sure that, like myself, many science communicators find it odd that the same people who support science when it comes to climate change, and support science when it comes to evolution, put their fingers in their ears and go 'la la la, not listening... la la la, Monsanto' when it comes to #GMO.</div><div><br></div><div>I think anti-corporatism explains this. Many people who haven't read the literature on Climate Change are all too happy to support it because it's an indictment against 'Big' fill-in-the-blank, namely, Big Oil.</div><div><br></div><div>They're not pro climate change(phrasing?) so much as they're anti big oil.</div><div><br></div><div>While religion isn't a corporation per se, it is structured like one, and organized religion is certainly not without its series of scandals. So while many people are against evolution because they see it as an attack on their religious beliefs, I would argue there are at least as many people who support evolution because it disrupts religion, just as climate change disrupts big oil.</div><div><br></div><div>For years, when arguing in favor of GMO, I would preface the argument by divorcing the issue from Monsanto. In hindsight, I was handing the anti-GMO activists a winning debate strategy.</div><div><br></div><div>For years, we never bothered to challenge claims that activists would make about Monsanto: they go after small farmers, their products have lead to suicides in India, they're the ones responsible for agent orange, et cetera.</div><div><br></div><div>So when anti GMO activists engage in a debate, they've been able to stake unchallenged claims FOR YEARS that we ceded to them in order to get to the meat of the argument, science.</div><div><br></div><div>The trouble is that we never got to the science because Monsanto was the Skip, Reverse, and Draw Four of their Uno deck.</div><div><br></div><div>Monsanto gets worked into every counter-argument, and we couldn't do anything about it, because we tacitly accepted the premise that Monsanto was some evil, corporate monster.</div><div><br></div><div>If we want to reach more people, eliminate the activist driven stigma against GMO, and as a result, eliminate the labeling efforts meant to silence that technology, then we need to fight back against all the anti Monsanto nonsense, which is really just anti-corporate nonsense.</div><div><br></div><div>When we neutralize that argument, the activists have nothing but discredited studies from anti Monsanto activists parading as anti GMO activists...</div><div><br></div><div>And we can beat them, every time.</div><div><br></div><div>P.S.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm not paid by Monsanto, but I did solicit them, tongue-in-cheek, for a donation, so I could get a place to live. Even if they give me money in the future, my views on GMO are already complimentary to theirs, so no COI would be possible.</div><div><br></div><div>That being said, I really am homeless, and would not turn down any donations that would help me get an apt. I'm not trying to get a fancy downtown loft, just a decent place in a walkable neighborhood. </div><div><br></div><div>I have zero savings and a new job, so it's going to take a while to save up money for an apartment.</div><div><br></div><div>If you would like donate, please visit the link on my Twitter profile page.</div><div><br></div><div>If you want to read more about my sad, strange misadventures in poverty and homelessness, check out my other blog, </div><div>Poor Blog: <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">http://samispoor.blogspot.com/</span></div>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-89792196611543891472015-02-26T12:32:00.001-05:002015-02-26T12:32:02.947-05:00USRTK: Sneak Peek At How GMO Labels Will Be Used.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey everyone. It's been a while, because I haven't really had much new to write about. if you are finding this blog for the 1st time, please go back and check out past posts where I discuss all the major food and ag issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot has already been written about the <a href="http://usrtk.org/" target="_blank">USRTK</a>'s Freedom Of Information Act requests aimed at 14 publicly employed academic researchers, and <i>I'm not the news</i>. For those not in the know, here are some links to read up on the story:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2015/02/13/anti-gmo-group-target-certain-university-academics/#.VO9DzPnF-8C" target="_blank">Discover Magazine - Keith Kloor</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/scientific-community/2015/02/agricultural-researchers-rattled-demands-documents-group-opposed-gm" target="_blank">American Association for the Advancement of Science - Keith Kloor</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/02/anti-gmo-activist-seeks-expose-emails-food-scientists/" target="_blank">Wired - Alan Levinovitz</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.biofortified.org/2015/02/usrtk-wants-the-emails-of-public-scientists/" target="_blank">Biofortified - Karl Haro von Mogel</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In making these requests, the US Right To Know campaign has tipped their hand at how they would behave if #GMO labeling went into effect. Allow me to explain...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The FOIA is widely acknowledged to be somewhat disingenuous in this case. Despite what the USRTK claims, that researchers are doing the bidding of some corporate master, they know better. If they had evidence strong enough to prove a direct pay off of(or veiled threat to) academic researchers by ag/food corps, then they would have blown the lid off that story long ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This isn't about that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is about guilt by association. Food and ag scientists are employed all over the world in their area of expertise: food companies, ag companies, and public universities. These researchers often communicate with each other about research, perhaps asking for guidance when something stretches beyond their very specific area of expertise, or to get help with experimental design, or to ask other scientists to elaborate further on recently published research findings. If we had these methods of communication even 20 years earlier, we would be light years ahead in our understanding of food and ag science. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Communication between scientists is a very good thing. </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, people doing this type of work tend to already cross pollinate the public/private divide through switching jobs. Two scientists may have already been co-workers, students, or old advisers when the other was doing post grad work and are still keeping lines of communication open.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What USRTK will do with the information retrieved on the tax payer's dime is run a simple keyword search, then publish those emails, regardless of how innocent they are, and try to say that big food/ag is in cahoots with university researchers. Do not expect anything to be published in context. The USRTK will exploit the highly conspiratorial mindset of the Food Hysterics that follow them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's say they find an email where Kevin Folta contacts a former student of his who now works for Monsanto about going biking, perhaps their vacation times line up or they both are participating in the same biking event. In reality, this is nothing... just two people riding bikes, but to a suspicious and cynical food activist, this could be some sort of smoking gun they will show to everyone they are trying to turn against food and ag science.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That brings me to the issue of labeling #GMO.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Labels will be used in the same way the emails obtained through the FOIA <i>will </i>be abused. Watch how USRTK handles the benign, routine communications between scientists and see whether they try to make mountains out of mole hills. My guess is that they will and this is the same type of strategy that would be employed if #GMO labeling becomes law. It doesn't matter <i>what </i>the label is, it only matters that it's a label, Just like it doesn't matter what the emails say... only <i>that </i>there are emails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please keep in mind that labeling isn't the end of USRTK's strategy, only the very beginning; after which, you will see a massive and very product specific campaign aimed at strong arming companies into dropping ingredients developed using a genetic modification. Ultimately, they want to end #GMO</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">p.s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am poor, and while nobody has paid me to write this, there is a PayPal Donate button at the top of the blog. I currently have $50 to my name and I'm in between jobs. If anyone wishes to make a donation, it will be greatly appreciated and will go towards food/rent/utilities. I don't smoke or do drugs, so you have no need to worry about your donation being abused. Thanks in advance to any who donate. Thanks for reading.</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-57063482678213322482014-02-27T02:53:00.000-05:002014-02-27T02:53:22.338-05:00Added Stupidity<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This still needs to be confirmed by the FDA, but <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/27/283055089/first-look-the-fdas-nutrition-label-gets-a-makeover?ft=1&f=1053&utm_source=food_nprfood&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">NPR</a> has released a first look at the updated nutrition facts panel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a jaw-dropping example of knee-jerk Food Hysteric capitulation, the FDA has added <i>added sugars</i> as an added row under sugars. Of course, these are proposed changes which may go in effect after a 90 day public comment period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Expect many comments, especially from the food industry.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not because the industry has some sort of shame about the amount of sugar in foods, but about the impossibility of validating added sugars for the nutrition facts panel. You see, food companies know what amounts of what ingredients go into a formulation, and therefore, are able to calculate the amounts of sugar added; that's not the problem. The problem is that food companies have to send samples out to be validated every year to make sure the amounts on the NFP are accurate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How could you possibly test for added sugars, though? You can't. You can only test for total sugars. This means that if these changes are codified into regulation, the FDA would have no choice but to take each food company's word as to the amount of added sugars in foods. Sure, they may be able to estimate the amount and check that against the amount of sugars in the formula; the difference would be added sugars. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But those estimates, like the amount of sugar naturally occurring in concentrated orange juice used in Mnt Dew, could vary by several grams. The FDA, therefore, would have to spot PepsiCo those grams of sugar, giving them the benefit of the doubt. I wonder if the Food Hysterics thought of that when they peddled this nonsense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They <i>claim </i>added sugars lead to increased fatality from cardiovascular diseases, cited in only <i>one </i><a href="http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1819573" target="_blank">JAMA</a> study. What's more troubling is that the study only shows a coorelation, not a causation. The study refers to increases in mortality as sugar intake exceeds 10% of total caloric intake. The study's authors claim they were able to isolate added sugars from total sugars and weed out other conflicting sources of mortality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there are a couple problems with this...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, there is only one study, and one study proves nothing. The second issue is with the data, which was gathered using a survey... I'll give you a moment to sit and think about that....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">............</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah. The study's authors depend on surveys from patients who remembered what they ate and how much, so the data is unreliable. Even if the data is accurate, we still have a correlation and not a causation. Scientists would still need to explain how consuming a specific amount of sugar - above what is naturally found in a food - can cause cardiovascular diseases. This is not likely. The likely explanation is that people eating excessive sugar also were more sedentary, carried higher body fat, et cetera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The science is not strong and there is little science involved in the proposed changes to the NFP.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were changes I did like though, like the addition of potassium and vitamin D. Currently, these are only voluntary, but Americans don't get enough potassium and that may even be a cause of some heart trouble. They should have also added phosphorous to the list, which is something people with renal diets have to watch very carefully. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They proposed reducing the amount of sodium, which can be good or bad or pointless, depending on whom you ask and what time of day it is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess the other big thing was the reshuffling of serving sizes, which I have no problem with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, this may prove to be a cautionary tale in how we need to make changes such as these based upon science and reason, not Food Hysteria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">smh...</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-82349510725358081612014-02-19T14:55:00.000-05:002014-02-19T14:55:27.415-05:00Misinformed & Disingenuous.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I once heard the winning strategy of debate competition explained as quickly taking the other side's argument to an outrageous extreme that shows how flawed it is; usually by tying the viewpoint to nuclear war or the Nazis. Of course, this is a horrible method for making an argument in the real world, and often leads to a much more polarized debate, because both sides quickly drift further away from reason.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is exactly what Chipotle has achieved in their latest marketing vehicle entitled, '<a href="http://youtu.be/U5_D0rdqeAs" target="_blank">Farmed & Dangerous</a>'. In this Chipotle sponsored video series, a marketing firm is hired to help clean up the image of a <i>Big Ag</i> company. The company has a new form of feed called a 'PetroPellet', which is somehow a petroleum based feed. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the cows eating the pellets is caught on security video exploding, and a massive effort to cover up the deleterious effects of PetroPellet is put into place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few things...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Chipotle is attempting to get away with is constructing an allegory to show how evil Big Food and Ag corporations are, but since the truth is fairly benign, they have to resort to wild hyperbole. The Petroleum tie in is meant to associate agriculture and big oil, obviously. More subtly, the series aims to tie Big Ag to Big Tobacco - an inaccurate comparison that many activists have already tried to make. The problem with this comparison is that Big Tobacco tried covering up science that showed the ill effects of tobacco, while the vast consensus of all available research regarding food & ag supports the technologies and processes that are currently on the market.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tobacco was the tobacco industry's only commodity, and there was an irresistible urge to protect that commodity. The Food Industry and the Ag Industry as a whole has many more commodities and thousands more products made by individual food and ag companies. My point is that they can make money from anything, therefore there's no incentive to fool anyone about the safety of any one product or commodity. Also, food and ag scientists eat the end products and many have their own farms, so their incentive is towards safety. Food and ag scientists are also incentivized to conduct research that will stand up to peer review, since it's the scientist's name on the research and scientists typically work for more than one company or university in their life. A scientist proven to be dishonest will see their career cut very short. Lastly, the individual food and ag companies have a major incentive to produce safe food and ingredients. If one of these companies fails or is dishonest about it's products, their very existence may be at stake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This all may sound incredibly naive to someone who isn't involved in food and ag, and that cynicism is owed to tactics from groups like the CSPI and companies like Whole Foods and Chipotle. If Chipotle is right and all of us in food and ag are evil co-conspirators out to poison humanity,then why all the hyperbole? Wouldn't the truth be more than enough? Of course, that's assuming that the truth is on the activists side. It isn't, and that's why you see Chipotle's Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Mark Crumpacker, Executive Producing non-sense, non-science, fact free propaganda.</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-81436380189866545152014-02-04T15:37:00.000-05:002014-02-04T15:37:02.066-05:00Debate Prep.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Those of us eagerly awaiting the Bill Nye vs Ken Ham debate on Creationism need to manage our expectations.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off, it's a debate, not a dry reading of facts. Ken Ham is much more studied expert of Creationism than Nye is an expert on Evolution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ham doesn't have to be right to win a debate. I see this all the time getting into online flame wars with food hysterics. They concentrate much more on small or even anecdotal evidence rather than the big picture or scientific consensus. This works in the activists favor in a debate because they will continually ask for immediate evidence that contradicts the study/anecdote they just cited. The actual expert didn't prepare to rebut specific examples other than the most obvious, so to the audience, it would appear that the expert was stumped by the activist. This is what is so hard about debating on social media.</span></div>
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<div style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Activism and debates are more about emotional appeals than they are about what is actually true.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of this puts Bill Nye at a disadvantage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Bill Nye to win, he must have <i>already anticipated</i> every bit of evidence and anecdote brought forth by Ham, and be able to cite a source <i>refuting it from memory</i>. If they have the benefit of visual aids, then Bill Nye would count on an assistant bringing these sources to the screen as he mentions them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in the end, Bill Nye is unlikely to convince anyone that believes in Creationism that they are wrong, just as Ken Ham is as unlikely to convince anyone who believes Evolution is true, that they are wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>If you like my writing and wish to support me, you can donate to my PayPal donate button on the right. I work as a freelance writer, as well, so if you would like me to write a piece for your publication or reprint an Edible Intelligence blog post, please email me.</i></span></div>
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-12973531882935464772013-12-19T08:20:00.000-05:002013-12-19T08:20:29.733-05:00Fat Shame.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've all heard the saying that kids are cruel, but adults aren't much better. One of the worst things that happens when we grow up is that most of us forget what it was like to be a kid. If we remembered what it was like, then maybe we would treat each other a little better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When kids are cruel, it seems to me they are doing 2 things. First, they are experimenting in methods of verbal communication. Second, they are learning how to deal with emotions and emotional arguments. They learn what language or inflection is threatening, coercive, or hurtful to others. We learn to be mindful of other people's feeling, but as kids, we hurt a lot of feelings in the process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calling someone fat or ugly, or saying someone is ugly or stupid because they are fat is a part of kids figuring out boundaries. What we are seeing now is adults engaging in the same hurtful rhetoric that they should have gotten over as children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adults are cruel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The way I see it, fat shaming among adults stem from 2 things. Some adults engage in this as a push-back against what they see as political correctness run amuck. 'You can't make fun of anybody anymore!' Adults also see Fat Shaming as some sort of tough love for all of us fatties out there. Fit or even just average people can't wrap their heads around fatness and tend to oversimplify the causes of fatness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you think being thin is only as simple as, 'not eating so much' or 'putting the fork down', then you may logically conclude that fat people are just lazy or unaware of how fat they've become.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is also some dubious health information out there that enable these attacks on people of heft. We see many stories online where every conceivable ill in society is 'linked' to obesity. So adults may feel they are fulfilling some duty as a citizen to make you understand that you or myself are just lazy and gross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regardless of the reasons, there really isn't a pathology ascribed to fatness where you can pinpoint the exact weight or body fat percentage where heart disease or diabetes starts. Keep in mind that all the literature talks of '<i>links</i>', not a causation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can't tell someone's health just by looking at them. Rubenesque Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, was given a clean bill of health that runs contrary to conventional wisdom concerning his large frame. He made a joke at himself by coming onto a late night talk show and eating a donut. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But notice that despite being healthy, Chris Christie quietly had bariatric surgery done. Why? Because being fat means you are not taken seriously. This is a stigma aided by misinformation from public health advocates and fueled by a push back of what some perceive as an overwhelming amount of political correctness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, you see Joe Rogan reacting to fat advocate's reaction to a picture posted by a fit mom with the phrase, 'What's your excuse'. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6bI2RM0ouA/UrLw0s3ZfYI/AAAAAAAAA8o/FXB8B_jZbgc/s1600/HT_fit_mom_maria_kang_jt_131015_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6bI2RM0ouA/UrLw0s3ZfYI/AAAAAAAAA8o/FXB8B_jZbgc/s1600/HT_fit_mom_maria_kang_jt_131015_16x9_992.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Listen to the inflection in Joe's voice and how he talks over his guest who tries to tell Joe that it isn't quite as easy as they think to lose weight. Unfortunately, his guest is a 'biohacker' with some pretty interesting and unproven theories about weight loss and supplements.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joe Rogan was a national Tae Kwan Do champion in his youth and working out has been so normalized that he feels ill if he misses a workout. So from his perspective, anyone can do what he does because he does it. His guest tried to make a point that certain exercises are probably too hard on large people's joints, but was talked over by Joe's tirade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you have this sort of unempathetic 'bro' attitude toward fat people as well as a lashing out against fat people if they speak up about being marginalized. Athletes get a high from exercise, and fat people feel run over by a truck. Do these guys think that their tough love really motivated people to go out in public and run/walk/lift weights?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'It's so great to be associated with people feeling good about themselves'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So is Adam Richman saying that fat people feel bad about themselves? Some do, sure, but our body size is a lot more complex than some mental issue. The trouble with this statement is that success and confidence are associated with a body shape, and nothing else. Does Adam Richman really think that he got so big during Man Vs. Food because he lacked self esteem?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can't all afford to have a dietician design a diet for us and we all don't have the time to break our day's eating down to a 150 calorie mini meal every 2 hours like Adam did to try to recharge his metabolism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Metabolism is often the answer, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can safely say that I eat much less than I did when I weighed 100 lbs less. This doesn't seem possible until you account for metabolism. I used to eat way more, and this, added lots of weight. At a certain point, I started eating less with only brief moments of hero eating mixed in. It didn't work. My metabolism slowed. Eating doesn't energize me, it makes me fall asleep. To lose weight is arbitrary, but if I make an effort to weigh a lower number, then the best bet is to do it slowly and incorporate exercise and surround myself with people who won't snicker at me in a gym or make fun of my bike with the oversized seat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People who have their pictures mocked online aren't motivated by the abuse, they are withdrawn further... depressed, not really wanting to join the cruel world that waits to mock them in person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, this debate on fat shaming has nothing to do with what people look like, it's about treating people with kindness and dignity. Don't laugh at a big person trying to lift weights or ride a bike or run...or just go for a walk. Befriend them. Introduce them to your girlfriend's single friend. Let them know it's ok to be a person and exist in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This sums up the feelings many normal sized people have, unfortunately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave you with an image of what is in all of our best interests to fight against. This is Hollywood actor, Nick Searcy. He plays the Chief on Justified. Patton Oswalt guested on this show... How would he feel about working with Nick Searcy, knowing how <i>vile</i> he is?</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-43015992711427443462013-11-13T00:19:00.000-05:002013-11-13T00:19:28.781-05:00McRibbed<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a perfect example of the problem with the food industry...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem is not that this is a formed pork patty that is individually quick frozen in a spiral freezer, packaged, shipped to a distribution center, then trucked to individual McDonald locations... those are all monuments to the advancement of modern food technology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem is that people seemed genuinely surprised at the appearance of the uncooked patty. It shows the genuine disconnect that people have with their food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What did they think, anyway? Did they think that we have ribless hogs? Did they think that raw pork would be shipped great distances while <i>ONLY</i> being refrigerated?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do I think the McRib is made? I could be a little off... but I'll give it a shot:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Lean pork w/ trim(skin, fat) is boxed in 40 lb blocks, frozen, and shipped to a further processing facility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. That frozen pork is put into large grinder mixers w/ various other seasonings and ground in to a frozen mixture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. That frozen mixture is put into stainless steel tubs and those tubs are loaded into a Formax or similar type machine that presses the patties into the familiar McRib shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Those patties are individually quick frozen in a spiral freezer, packaged, shipped to a distribution center, then trucked to individual McDonald locations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's really no big deal and not at all shocking.</span></div>
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-12490278403148294412013-10-22T16:51:00.000-04:002013-10-22T16:51:54.336-04:00An Investment In Future Shoppers.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've already blogged about the #GMO debate many times, but I think it's important for me <i>to bring some clarity</i> to the issue, to paraphrase the great <a href="http://www.toddglass.com/" target="_blank">Todd Glass</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, so we have the Washington state #GMO labeling initiative I-522. If this passes, then most foods that have genetically modified ingredients will have to have a label stating so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why do farmers, scientists, science writers, and people in the industry have an issue with this?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, the label serves no safety or educational function. If you buy the wrong kind of flour, your bread may turn out horrible. If you buy something with an undeclared allergen, you could go into anaphylactic shock and possible die. So it's important to label things like what kind of flour because cake and all purpose flour and flour made with summer or winter wheat may function differently. We label allergens so people can easily see what to avoid... for obvious health reasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you accidentally buy a food with a #GMO ingredient, <b>nothing different will happen to you. Nothing.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why label it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why would the Organic Foods lobby be funding I-522?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you that don't know, foods classified as 'Organic' must not use #GMO inputs in their production. So at first glance, it would appear that the Organic Foods lobby would have no dog in this fight... so why be involved?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where the label's purpose comes into focus...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, so let's say you are Whole Foods and business is pretty good. Organic food as an industry has been growing at around 25% a year for at least the last 5 years now. Pretty soon, that growth will reach a lag phase and start to level off. Whole Foods is aware of this and know that they need fresh customers to sustain year over year growth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, one way to guarantee more customers is to tell people your food is intrinsically better because it isn't #GMO. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how do you do that? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You could list all the ways that non-GMO foods are demonstrably better... but what if you can't prove that? The other option is the tried and true practice of propaganda. You don't tell them why your food is better, you tell them the other food is so much worse. Doubt is easy to grow and impossible to discount completely because one cannot disprove a negative.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you spread propaganda about #GMO and you associate #GMO with big corporations(unlike mom & pop stores like Whole Foods). You introduce doubt by saying the studies aren't big enough or long enough or independent enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next step for Whole Foods is to warn people about every product you don't want them to buy... a label.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The label serves as a warning or to put it mildly, <i>a reminder to choose a different food</i>. Now here's the catch: most grocery stores sell conventional foods and have a small organic section. The organic section isn't really the big money maker and is subsidized by all the regular groceries. Grocery stores in general operate on a pretty thin profit margin. So when people read what is essentially a warning label, they will start to buy USDA Organic foods, which means that regular grocers will see sales drop on about 90% of it's inventory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is where Whole Foods comes in...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stores like Safeway and QFC will take a big hit to their private brands as well as the nightmare of having to segregate stock for Washington stores from it's distribution inventory for Oregon, Utah, Idaho, etc. They may even have to close some Washington stores because of this. But who will be there waiting with their <i>mostly</i> #GMO free inventory and a distribution system already designed to keep certain foods separated?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Whole Foods</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you can bet Whole Foods can expect to pick up major market share as sales from their competition drops. It will be a major windfall for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soon, Washington residents may have no major grocer to go to except <i>Whole Paycheck,</i> and Whole Foods will be waiting with open arms.</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-75184428618874166352013-09-10T15:42:00.001-04:002013-09-10T15:42:45.267-04:00False Start.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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[Warning: This post is not directly related to food science/food industry]<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">As I awaken 30 minutes ahead of my 10am alarm and start to prepare for an interview, 2 words entered my brain.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">False Start.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">In HS, I was either going to be a gym teacher or a chef. I left HS and entered one of the top culinary institutes in the world, but my aversion to 70 hr work weeks and onions made me realize that chef wasn't my dream.</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />I transfer from Johnson & Wales to Ohio State for one quarter before being informed that I didn't get any financial aid, so I became a member of management at KFC where I had been working.<br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />A couple years later, I decided I wanted to go back and get my degree no matter what, even if it broke me. I was pushed by family to take any kind of job opening, even if it was something I didn't want to do. I talked myself into accepting a role as a plant manager trainee for Cargill in one of their feed mills... in Vermont.<br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />Back to Ohio, I moved in with a friend in his mom's basement. It was the loneliest place in the world. I finally got a job in Fairfield and moved to scenic Norwood. 3 months later, I left that job.<br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />I worked several other short term gigs, selling cars, driving rail workers, helping with the Census until I was no longer able to pay rent in my bed big ridden Norwood apt.<br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />I moved in with my poor parents living in Ashville, OH(where we had NO roots) and eventually worked a few short term jobs until I got hired on by Kroger for their Quality Training program in Cincinnati. I moved into The Banks luxury apartments on the Ohio river for 30 days, then into my current Clifton apartment. After 5 months of disagreements with how my training was being(or not being) handled, I left.<br /><br />False Start.<br /><br />Several short term jobs later and here I am, about to interview for a seasonal position with Macy's on Fountain Place, unloading trucks. I'm actually debating whether or not to wear a suit. Every minute of today hurts. I'm sad and bitter and want none of this. While I'm tired of the false starts, I know there has to be something better than unloading trucks for $8.15/hr. I have a value that is somewhat intangible and doesn't appear on a resume, but nobody is hiring a 'Sit In On Meetings, Make Sarcastic One Liners, and Come Up With Great Ideas' Specialist. I'm hoping another interview comes along to save me from this job IN CASE I am offered it, or from the shame of NOT being offered it.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Despite what I know about food, I am not awesome at other parts of my life. I'm just putting my experiences out there, so that maybe other will identify with them and feel at least a little bit comforted.]</span></span><br />
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-36335266809680010182013-08-14T02:50:00.000-04:002013-08-14T02:50:53.507-04:00Giant Eagle Poised To Land In Cincinnati?<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kgbkRrN0KIQ/SpaKqPWufQI/AAAAAAAAABg/z9LZ-DiNCQo/s1600/MV2F.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kgbkRrN0KIQ/SpaKqPWufQI/AAAAAAAAABg/z9LZ-DiNCQo/s1600/MV2F.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An article that appeared Thursday on <a href="http://triblive.com/business/headlines/4501139-74/echo-eagle-giant#axzz2bu8Wua4y" target="_blank">TribLive</a> stated that the real estate developer for Giant Eagle's grocery stores has sold a third of it's stock to an investment firm in a $294 million deal. Such a deal opens up large amounts of cash which may be used for expansion... possibly into SouthWestern Ohio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those unaware, <a href="http://www.gianteagle.com/" target="_blank">Giant Eagle</a> is a regional grocery chain based in Pittsburgh, and currently has over 200 locations in Western PA and in Ohio as far South as Grove City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Compared to Kroger, Giant Eagle has a more modern, youthful appeal and a very inviting store layout. The Market District store(comparable to Kroger's super rare Fresh Fare concept) in the Upper Arlington neighborhood of Columbus offers a vast array of hot prepared foods, exotic meats, a station to make your own nut butter, and a stage for cooking demonstrations. It blows the competition out of the water and is so nice, you could eat there <i>for</i> dinner with all the available seating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the past, Giant Eagle's CEO Laura Shapira Karet has said that the companies expansion strategy would be focused on building stores <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2011/11/16/Shapira-Karet-Giant-Eagle.html?page=all" target="_blank">within its established geographic footprint</a>, but that was well over a year ago. Giant Eagle is pretty well saturated within Columbus, and Cleveland, leaving the Southern half of Ohio as the most logical step.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know the perfect place for them.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEpcuexP970/UgsUIEtJkkI/AAAAAAAAA58/BbDT6wvC5Qo/s1600/kenwoodcollection1-304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEpcuexP970/UgsUIEtJkkI/AAAAAAAAA58/BbDT6wvC5Qo/s1600/kenwoodcollection1-304.jpg" height="178" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Kenwood Collection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Kenwood Collection used to be called Kenwood Town Place before there were issues with contractors being stiffed, which led to years of a rusty I-Beam eye-sore, which led to a foreclosure and now... new <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/07/30/heres-the-latest-on-phillips-edisons.html?page=all" target="_blank">developers</a> with a new name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This property sits on the edge of the massive Kenwood Town Center, featuring H & M, Apple, Oakley, Nordstom, and many other high end shops and restaurants. This mall is never really slow, as the surrounding neighborhoods of Indian Hills, Silverton, and Montgomery feed it with throngs of affluent suburbanites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The former Kenwood Town Place was the location of The Kroger Co's Fresh Fare concept, which featured greater meat, deli, and seafood selections as well as a wine tasting section and better prepared meal options. Kroger pulled out citing low foot traffic, which <i>if true</i>, would have no doubt been due to the lack of progress made on the rest of the property.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mall that shares land with the Kenwood Collection is currently being remodeled, and will no doubt bring more interest into the already busy mall. People also visit retailers like The Container Store and Crate & Barrel that stuck with the Town Place project through the low times and will no doubt be a great compliment to whatever fills Kroger Fresh Fare's large square footage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So all the high end, refreshed mall and the high end, back-on-track mixed use development is missing is Giant Eagle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll admit that this may come off as biased and that's because it is. I <b>really</b> want to see Giant Eagle come to Cincinnati. The store is a refreshing change of pace from what you get from Kroger. Also, Giant Eagles fuel rewards program is at least twice as good as Kroger's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Kroger gives you 100 points for every $100 spent, equaling 10 cents off per gallon, Giant Eagle gives 10 cents off for every $50 spent. So not only are the rewards more straight forward, but you get twice as many. Also, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giant Eagle offers a fuel perk bounty on certain sale items. 'Buy 4 boxes of cereal, get an extra 15 cents off'.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Where a big spender at Kroger can get a 40 cent discount in a month, you can easily get 3 times as many. Even better, and perhaps the best part is that Giant Eagle's fuel perks accumulate in a rolling 60 or 90 day period; whereas points don't combine between one month and the next at Kroger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naysayers will say that Kroger is too strong in Cincinnati, but I would say to them: 1. we already have Meijer, Walmart, Target(some have groceries now), Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Fresh, and Remke-Bigg's and 2. Giant Eagle does well in Columbus, a town <i>lousy</i> with Kroger locations. So that doesn't matter. Also The Kenwood Collection is located on I-71, making distribution a couple hours away from Grove City(the next closest location). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, I'm sure the folks who make expansion decisions for Giant Eagle will want to send multiple shipments of goods 100 miles further to service more than one location. It's cool, I already have the 2nd location scouted. As a currently unemployed person, I would be willing to offer my thoughts as a consultant to Giant Eagle at a competitive rate... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>PS... I'm poor</b>. This is a hard thing to say since most of my readers are fiercely self-reliant, 'up by the boot-straps types', but I was wondering if anyone noticed the PayPal Donate button on my blog? I'm currently in between jobs and I'm getting behind enough to the point where I don't know how much longer I can stay in my meager apt. </span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I'm not asking to be completely subsidized, I'm just asking that those who can, donate. For my part, I will continue to look for work while posting more than I have been in the past. I grew up on a hog farm with an outdoor toilet and a wood burning furnace, so hard work is something I grew up on. So while it's easy to grunt, 'Get a job!' and 'Get off yer ass!', please understand I am not a lazy person and I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the donate button if it wasn't getting serious. </span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Hopefully, something good will come my way quickly, but until then, <i>hope</i> isn't paying the rent. Thank you in advance for any donations, and to those who can't or won't donate, I still appreciate you taking the time to read this.</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Sam</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-20141252718403203552013-08-12T16:57:00.000-04:002013-08-12T16:57:49.529-04:00The single most important issue in all of food and agricultural sciences.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ggWUnAcXQKg/UglEjqxgNlI/AAAAAAAAA5U/I5V4YH9hrX0/s1600/GMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ggWUnAcXQKg/UglEjqxgNlI/AAAAAAAAA5U/I5V4YH9hrX0/s1600/GMO.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Credit to the internet for this meme pic. I think it may be traceable to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RichardDawkinsFoundation" target="_blank">RDFRS</a>. Beyond that, I don't know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I replied to a Facebook post in regards to an article posted on the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science Facebook page... You know how the internet is... Anyway, I spent enough time on the response that I thought I would post it. The battle for GMO survival has become the single most important issue in all of food and agricultural sciences. Every scientifically literate person has a responsibility to read up on the arguments for, against, and all of the <i>credible</i> research.</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing else has been more closely studied, scrutinized, and validated for safety as GM foods that are approved for market. No other foodstuff gets more criticism from unsubstantiated claims and from people thoroughly unqualified to discuss plant genomics than GMO. </span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the longest time, subject matter experts in biotech ignored the anti-gmo activists because they just assumed everyone else would see how irrationally hysterical they were being. So we finally have SME's from both academia and industry speaking on behalf of biotech, but it's almost too late. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as it is with racism, anti-semitism, and creationism, the science minded people will just have to hold on until more smart people are born and understand the scientific principal before we reach a critical mass of science literacy where these fairytale crisis dissipates quietly. Education doesn't work if the anti side is so dug in and accuses anyone on the pro side of being a 'shill', but that doesn't mean the true SME's and the science literate public won't keep trying. And similar to opponents of gay rights, the anti-gmo crowd will not be looked upon favorably 20 or 30 years from now. As I would say to the anti-gay crowd, 'Don't you see where the future is heading?'.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love it? Hate it? Have a credible peer reviewed journal link for an article that wasn't already discredited? Post below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Also... I'm poor</b>. This is a hard thing to say since most of my readers are fiercely self-reliant, 'up by the boot-straps types', but I was wondering if anyone noticed the PayPal Donate button on my blog. I'm currently in between jobs and I'm getting behind enough to the point where I don't know how much longer I can stay in my meager apt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not asking to be completely subsidized, I'm just asking that those who can, donate. For my part, I will continue to look for work while posting more than I have been in the past. I grew up on a hog farm with an outdoor toilet and a wood burning furnace, so hard work is something I grew up on. So while it's easy to grunt, 'Get a job!' and 'Get off yer ass!', please understand I am not a lazy person and I wouldn't so shamelessly promote the donate button if it wasn't getting serious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully, something good will come my way quickly, but until then, hope isn't paying the rent. Thank you in advance for any donations, and to those who can't or won't donate, I still appreciate you taking the time to read this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sam</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-85103840212121782082013-05-24T10:40:00.002-04:002013-05-24T10:40:49.002-04:00America!<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you think about Memorial Day this weekend, try to have some context as to why it matters. What makes America so special, that we celebrate the people that fought and died on its behalf? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As tough as it is now, this is still a place where social mobility can happen, where people can persevere and overcome the obstacles in their life. Maybe not everybody can be millionaires, but we are ordained by our founding fathers to pursue happiness. In America, we at least have the best chance to try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an example of this, and for the context I spoke of earlier, please read about Chelsea Fearce below.</span><br />
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-teenager-overcomes-homelessness-valedictorian/story?id=19242121#.UZ94myvwHDN" target="_blank">Chelsea Fearce</a><br />
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-44104278274874452902013-04-25T01:23:00.000-04:002013-06-26T15:23:49.828-04:00GMO Labeling or How To Best Protect The Right To Misinform Consumers.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I would dust off blogger and add another 1AM missive. It get's harder to write about this stuff because it's already been said before and also there are now a respectable number of subject matter experts who are finally starting to write about food and ag issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What follows is a story about proposed GMO labeling legislation, one person's intro to that story on G+, and my comment on both. It is not necessary to read the story. You could even skip the intro to the story, but you may lose some of the context of my comments...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/102744407669548081722" target="_blank">+Malthus John</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The bipartisan legislation would require clear labels for genetically engineered whole foods and processed foods, including fish and seafood. The measure would direct the FDA to write new labeling standards that are consistent with U.S. labeling standards and international standards.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Sixty-four countries around the world already require the labeling of GE foods, including all the member nations of the European Union, Russia, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“This legislation is supported by a broad coalition of consumer groups, businesses, farmers, fishermen and parents who all agree that consumers deserve more – not less – information about the food they buy.”</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">According to surveys, more than 90 percent of Americans support the labeling of genetically engineered foods. In fact, many consumers are surprised to learn that GE foods are not already labeled.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Thanks </span><span class="proflinkWrapper" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="proflinkPrefix" style="color: #999999;">+</span><a class="proflink" href="https://plus.google.com/102227800261183349957" oid="102227800261183349957" style="color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Bernie Sanders</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> & Barbara Boxer!</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the story about the bill that Bernie Sanders(whom I like) and Barbara Boxer(whom I also like) have <a href="http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=798EC32A-32BD-4787-868F-29C74F8A67E0" target="_blank">cosponsored</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are my comments on the whole matter from my g+ acct:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It's not because you want to know or that you want a choice, it's that you think there's a difference. People who already made up their mind based on whatever misinformation they've bought into, probably already buy organic anyway. This isn't for them. This proposed legislation is for the minds of the uninformed consumers that the anti-gmo activists want to pollute with unjustified fear and misinformation.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact of the matter is that for all intents and purposes, there is no difference between, for instance, corn that is gmo and non-gmo. For the consumer, there is no difference, but you want to scare them into thinking there might be. </span></span></form>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anything approved to be on the market has already had allergenicity and toxicology studies validating it's safety, but no amount of studies will ever be enough for the anti-science, anti-gmo activist. </span></span></form>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the same as the conspiracy theorist who believes Sandy Hook was faked or the creationist that can never see enough evidence to convince them that evolution is real. </span></span></form>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are just like them.</span></span></form>
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-83231302414304853272012-10-11T02:07:00.001-04:002012-10-11T02:07:26.854-04:00Scapegoat Activism.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was about to go to bed when I saw an article being promoted by <a href="https://twitter.com/HuffPostFood" target="_blank">@HuffPostFood</a> on Twitter that said, 'the dark side of soda'. Curious, I clicked on the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/the-real-bears-big-soda_b_1943559.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Food" target="_blank">article</a> and discovered it was yet another ridiculous piece from Michael F. Jacobson of the ill-named Center for Science in the Public Interest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article blames soda for amputations, impotence, and painful dentistry. Clearly, this is meant to shock people. I don't know why I expected anything reasonable from that organization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We live in a time where we can have as much of whatever it is that we want. With that, we should be mindful of overdoing it; eating too much(guilty), drinking too much, et cetera. Anything consumed in excess will carry with it certain negative consequences. Anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Knowing that, should we proceed on a route of zero tolerance, with the logic that if we can't have too much of something then we shouldn't have any of it or should we proceed with the totality of the diet in mind and try to engage in all things in moderation?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacobson talks about how we used to enjoy 6.5 or 10 fl oz servings of Coke or Pepsi, but now we have 20 fl oz and up of these beverages and... well, you know... amputations. He goes on to mention Big Soda, by which he means Coca Cola and Pepsico. He doesn't mention smaller companies that make the same sort of beverage to sell in organic groceries... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He goes on to promote an animated short called The Real Bears, which is an attack against the aforementioned Big Soda. Once again this should be of little surprise to people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael F. Jacobson and the CSPI commonly engage in what I call, 'Scapegoat Activism'. You see, they have built a big, expensive institution that must be constantly fed with new members and donors. 'All things in moderation' is not a very good recruiting tool, but fear, hysteria, and misinformation are. So what they do is pick a villain, put the word 'Big' in front of it to signal to you that this is a big, profit hungry corporation that not only doesn't care about you, but hopes to separate you from your money while killing you, and then blame all of society's ills on that one villain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The villains are things like conventionally grown fruits and veggies, Happy Meal kid's toys, food coloring, and of course, big soda.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They employ a couple methods for scaring people to their side. One is through giving you some information, but not enough to dissuade you from becoming irrationally afraid. For instance, they'll have an article talking about the evils of caramel coloring and how it will lead to cancer, but they'll leave out the information about how much of that coloring you would need to ingest to maybe get cancer and how that number means you could <i>never</i> drink enough cola to get there. Two is through using the same logic that Bush used as rational for a whole manor of policies. It's the whole, 'if A = B and B = C, then A = C' crap. Oversimplification would be a vast understatement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem with that method is that food doesn't really work that way. Our diets are fungible, meaning that we have a certain number of calories/sugar/sodium and the sources of those things will change from day to day. You can spend a lot of calories on certain things and still be ok so long as you make room for it. This is how Michael Phelps could eat 12,000 calories a day and weigh 165lbs and not 1,000lbs, because he offsets the caloric intake with exercise. It's how that one guy was able to eat a Big Mac every day for 25 years and not be fat. There is absolutely no data showing that people got amputations, impotence, or cavities from soda alone. It's the totality of the diet that matters, not a short term indulgence, and not one item in the diet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He needs new villains to drum up membership, donors, and credibility so more people believe him and so he can publish another article with a new villain to start the process over again. That, my friends, is Scapegoat Activism. Don't let yourself get played.</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-43716161980170225532012-08-19T15:45:00.000-04:002013-09-18T07:24:58.053-04:00Be Aggressive.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once credibility is established, and in the absence of a subject matter expert to correct the record, people will believe what they're told.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think about that for a minute.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the 80's and 90's, you saw this with the tobacco industry. Tobacco lobbyist would come out against whatever scientific study came out and you really didn't hear anything from the scientists until papers started getting read in Congress that showed executive's efforts to cover up health risks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly, Activists and activist profiteers - those who latch on to activist causes for profit like Michael Pollan - have the audience's ear; an audience that serves as a blank slate and recruitment tool for the activists. Of course, the activist profiteers need those fresh faces to sell books and book speaking engagements. So these people build the perception of credibility through the lack of other adults in the room questioning them and setting these activists and profiteers straight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with being an activist or being a profiteer. The problem is when the profit comes from misinformation, like in the case of the tobacco lobby or Michael Pollan. The problem is when activists use misinformation to recruit more people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"[Nutritional Science] is kind of where surgery was in the 1650s. Really promising, really interesting ... but, would you let them operate on you?" - Michael Pollan, Speech at Sydney's Opera House.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For science to progress, for reason to move forward alongside our debates about food, there must be an answer to that above statement. How many times do you think that got repeated as people got into buses and cars and headed home or to dinner that evening? How tragically ironic is it that one of the people advocating for and romanticizing subsistence level farming put down modern nutritional science as being too simple... not advanced enough?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need to be more aggressive in promoting science. We can't just set the facts out on the back porch like milk in a saucer in hopes that science starved kittens will lap it up. Those kittens are on someone else's porch getting an earful about how bad your milk is, and when they do come around, it will be to make some snarky, <i>matter-of-fact</i> statement about how wrong you are before sauntering off with their tails wafting through the breeze.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">There's a wisdom beyond what people tell us, we have just stopped listening to our bodies.</span>" <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">- Michael Pollan, Speech at Sydney's Opera House.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is actually a variation of the God of the Gaps argument made in Creationism. If they don't have all the answers we need right now, then we must not accept any of the answers they have and be skeptical of everything they say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don't see this in other areas of science. In astronomy, you had Carl Sagan, who had facts on his side <i>and</i> credibility. After him, came people like <b>Michio Koku</b> and <b>Neil deGrasse Tyson</b>, who I would consider to be our generation's Carl Sagan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those on #agchat and #foodchat on twitter who would advocate being more diplomatic, I would like to add that Mr. Pollan's speaking engagement in Sydney was most likely a paid gig. The people he sent out into the world with that message - either directly or indirectly - paid to hear it. So if people will pay to hear that message, how far do you really think being diplomatic gets you on the free internet?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's not just Pollan, either. We have activist organizations, who through their activism, have become profiteers. You have Michael Jacobson and his Center for Science in the Public Interest. You have Jeffrey Smith and his Institute for Responsible Technology. You also have the somewhat misleading named, Union of Concerned Scientists. I could go on and on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need to share resources, use our best professional groups and get out there and fight the misinformation. We have groups like the <a href="http://www.foodinsight.org/" target="_blank">International Food Information Council</a> and the <a href="http://www.ift.org/" target="_blank">Institute of Food Technologists</a> that we can network in and find people to do media appearances through. We can appear with one of these groups when they end up on Real Time with Bill Maher, The Daily Show, Hardball, et cetera. We can invest a little more time to social media by posting tweets about what we do as farmers, or plant geneticists, or food scientists, or food science professionals. We can put out blogs, youtube videos, and podcasts to broadcast the truth about science. Hell, one or two of us may actually get booked for paid speaking engagements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that would be offense, and the conventional wisdom among too many is to not be argumentative, to sink to their level. What we get with that strategy is what we currently have now, a landscape dominated by activists and their profiteering hangers on, who say whatever they feel is right, regardless of whether it's true. Their numbers grow, and science shrinks. Hysteria soon becomes fact. Get off the bench. <b>Be aggressive.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.melbourneweeklyeastern.com.au/news/national/national/general/nutrition-is-just-arithmetic/2629750.aspx?storypage=0" target="_blank">Story about Pollan's speech in Sydney.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science/Is-the-food-industry-under-attack-from-an-NGO-media-complex" target="_blank">Recap of Jon Entine's speech at IFT 2012.</a><br />
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-65908644620193579202012-07-04T18:46:00.000-04:002012-07-04T18:46:34.250-04:00A Lack of the Killer Tomatoes.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was initially very happy when I saw <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/science/flavor-is-the-price-of-tomatoes-scarlet-hue-geneticists-say.html?_r=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this story</a> in the New York Times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story talks about how plant geneticists cracked the code on why red tomatoes seemed more bland. It was fascinating as well as exciting, because they now knew what gene was turned off because of the red ripening mutation... which means they could simply turn on the flavor producing gene, in theory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What really bummed me out about this article was the following sentences; '<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><i>But were the genetically engineered tomatoes more flavorful? Because Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the consumption of experimental produce, no one tasted them</i>.</span><span style="background-color: white;">'</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm all for regulation of food and ag, as I've posted about before, but at a certain point, we have to shed this pre-millennial thinking that scientists are reckless and don't know what they are doing. At this point, I think plant geneticists and bio-engineers have the ability to make a strong hypothesis about potential gene outcomes, such that they may take a bite out of a fucking tomato.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This thinking leads into the next self defeating paragraph in the article; '</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><i>And, Dr. Giovannoni says, do not look for those genetically engineered tomatoes at the grocery store. Producers would not dare to make such a tomato for fear that consumers would reject it</i>.</span><span style="background-color: white;">'</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what, don't even bother? Why would the public reject it? I think the doctor is referring to the anti-science activists that have romanticized any kind of old-timey ag of <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="cf7a9da8200fbef18a42ac38cc1f191b66246639" grtype="null" id="GRmark_cf7a9da8200fbef18a42ac38cc1f191b66246639_yore:0">yore</span> where poor, perpetually underfed subsistence level farmers broke their ass to make a crop that we would return to the grocery store for quality reasons.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not educate throughout the process? Why not put up the varying steps on YouTube with annotations on why each step is done and have links to accompanying notes for background reading? We need much more educational outreach, because clearly the activists... <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="e1355277295ad54e434d0b546e6fe581d19ecfbc" grtype="null" id="GRmark_e1355277295ad54e434d0b546e6fe581d19ecfbc_the:0">the</span> '<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="e1355277295ad54e434d0b546e6fe581d19ecfbc" grtype="null" id="GRmark_e1355277295ad54e434d0b546e6fe581d19ecfbc_Anti's':1">Anti's'</span> are growing their numbers every day with a steady stream of misinformation. Shying away from progress in this world for fear that we may be misunderstood is a cop-out.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine if that story ended with them taking a bite out of that tomato and noting that it tasted much better... Would it mean we would see them in the store next year without any safety validation? No, but it would take a step towards dulling some of the anti-scientific, conspiratorial rhetoric out there.</span></span></form>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-21560775917742908012012-06-03T22:12:00.001-04:002012-06-03T22:12:17.842-04:00Nanny Nanny, Boo Boo.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzRD7Q0zbaY/SmjmJxl0yDI/AAAAAAAAABI/zUHrcvIJWfM/s1600/Photo+165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzRD7Q0zbaY/SmjmJxl0yDI/AAAAAAAAABI/zUHrcvIJWfM/s200/Photo+165.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First, please read NPR's story about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/31/154055518/bloombergs-sugary-drink-ban-may-not-change-soda-drinkers-habits" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" target="_blank">large sugary drink ban</a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, then read my response.</span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Health is relative to the
person, not relative to the food. Let me repeat that: <b>HEALTH IS
RELATIVE TO THE PERSON, NOT RELATIVE TO THE FOOD. </b></span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Too many calories are
saved as fat. Too much sugar can lead to insulin problems. I know
diabetic people that drink a minimum amt of pop or even none, and I know
perfectly healthy, normal, people that drink a ton of Mtn Dew. HFCS is
no different than sugar, which is the whole reason coke/Pepsi are able
to use it instead of cane/beet sugar. </span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I DO NOT support
this because it's not going to work and it's too difficult to enforce.
This sort of legislation is the exact sort of thing that the right cites
when giving examples of left wing over-reach. It doesn't work, for
one. This will amount to a tax on these drinks and we have seen that
such measures do not impact levels of obesity. Why? Because people will
just drink twice as much pop when they get home or eat more calories. </span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Another problem is how can you possibly enforce this? Are regulators
going to set up <i>Cops In Shops</i> style stings? What about people from
outside of the city that purchase a big drink and bring it into NYC?
Will their drinks be confiscated... or dumped out as some beat cop is
writing out a ticket? This is nothing but a plan to shame people, which
only serves to alienate them more and keep them inside where they
shouldn't be if they are already way overweight. I know my progressive friends mean well, but you are
going about this the wrong way and creating a group of people even more
ignorant of science who shun ANYTHING that has an industry behind
it.</span></div>
</form>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-33118716041307503842012-04-12T23:15:00.000-04:002012-04-12T23:15:18.298-04:00Wonky Tonk<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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Mark Bittman surrogate <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/wonkbook-why-you-should-care-about-antibiotics-in-animal-feed/2012/04/12/gIQAOEfZCT_blog.html" target="_blank">Ezra Klein</a> devoted his Wonkbook writing today to the issue of animal antibiotics. For those unaware, Klein is an exceptional policy wonk and something of a subject matter expert on politics. I get his Wonkbook updates emailed to me daily.</div>
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I wrote about the need for more Subject Matter Experts <a href="http://edibleintelligence.blogspot.com/2012/02/need-for-and-futility-of-sme.html" target="_blank">a month and a half ago</a>, but I was specific about the SME's needing to speak from their <b>own</b> area of expertise. This is where I have a problem with Ezra Klein's Wonkbook entry. Ezra <i>IS</i> something of a foodie and has written about experiences with Haute Cuisine in the past, but Ezra is not by any means a regular writer of, or expert in, food & ag issues.</div>
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He mentions how 70% of all antibiotics go towards animals, which I am not disputing. I would say... as I have in the past that there is a simple explanation for this. There are about 315,000,000 people in this country... but over a billion head of livestock. So while 70% seems like an alarming number at first glance, it's entirely reasonable that since animals out number us more than 3 to 1 that most of the antibiotics goes towards animals.</div>
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Ezra went on to very matter-of-factly wax on about how animals are all 'stacked on top of one another'. While this can be true for chicken, we aren't stacking animals or crowding them nearly as full as is made out to be true in the media. It's counterproductive to cram animals tightly together(chickens notwithstanding) because the stress will cause illness and negatively impact rate of gain.</div>
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Antibiotic use is a hotly debated issue, but I haven't seen any evidence that we are eating the antibiotics that the animals eat, as Ezra Klein asserts. I haven't even seen credible evidence that animal antibiotics contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans. Again, it would be foolhardy to give antibiotics, therapeutic or not, to animals when it will still be in their system at slaughter. It's a waste of antibiotics, and besides, USDA regulations require a minimum withdrawal period before animals can be harvested. That number is different depending on the medication.</div>
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Also... don't people cook their meat? Other than steaks, are people eating rare chicken or rare hamburgers? How else would antibiotic resistant bacteria make it from the animal to you?</div>
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I'm still a fan of Ezra Klein, but I just wish that people would stick to their area of expertise or at least do more homework than reading Bittman's blog or Michael Pollan's books. We have many great colleges with awesome food/ag science departments that a man of Ezra Klein's notoriety could easily access.</div>
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[The number of head of livestock in this post was a loose estimate, and if anything, is probably very low]</div>
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<br /></form>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-9595246251810209362012-04-07T21:13:00.000-04:002013-07-09T01:10:08.675-04:00Mecca Flakes<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So we have several companies that make corn flakes. Hundreds of workers are responsible for this breakfast classic that has been a part of the American breakfast for many decades.</span><br />
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What if I propose a rule saying that any company that employs a Muslim man or woman must put a symbol on their boxes when they worked on the line that produced that box of cereal?</div>
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Presumably, we've already done the same background checks as we have for every other employee. The employee has received many hours of food safety, GMP, bio security, and other basic company/HR training. The employee has also received the same on the job training that any other line worker gets and is monitored closely for a period of time after he/she is trained.</div>
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"But still.... how do we know that he/she won't.... you know??? I'm concerned for my family... I should have a choice between corn flakes made by friendly white people and ... you know... Look, I know they're not ALL bad, but... you know... I've <i>heard</i> things. A few of them have been known to be bad in the past... and well... I don't want to take any chances."</blockquote>
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Would this bother you? Would you be outraged? Would you think it was a load of crap that the person proposing such a rule would hide behind 'choice' when we all know they're motivation is either fear or misinformation?</div>
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Suppose this rule went into effect and several groups boycotted the companies that manufactured these 'Mecca Flakes' as they will call them. Pretty soon, those companies will get rid of any Muslim employees and a general panic may be stirred up about the role of Muslims in our society, despite all assurances of safety and all calls for sanity and for reason.</div>
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Now, replace the word Muslim with GMO.</div>
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"Oh Sam, that's different!" </blockquote>
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Bullshit. The traits of one worker on one line in one factory that hammers out thousands of boxes of cornflakes a day is NO different than one gene in a plant that produces corn in a field that produces many thousand of bushels. </div>
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Do you think it's wrong to require a company to disclose it's Muslim employees? Good.</div>
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"But what about choice?" </blockquote>
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'What's the difference?', I say. In both cases their safety has been verified and their performance thoroughly analyzed. In both cases, a non Subject Matter Expert stirs up fear and misinformation, recruiting others that are ignorant about the issues to call for labeling so they have a 'choice'.</div>
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Labeling of GMO comes from two agendas: 1. I don't know enough about science to know this is safe, I'm afraid and fear drives my choices or 2. I want more people to be afraid and stirred up about this and with GMO labeling, we will have something specific to boycott so we can drive the technology out of the market altogether.</div>
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Remember when Rush Limbaugh was trying to get people to vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Presidential Primaries? He wasn't doing so for any genuine reasons(sorry Ditto Heads), he knew that the GOP had a strong campaign ready to go against her, The Anti-GMO activists know that they can drive mass hysteria IF there is something to point at and be hysterical about. </div>
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I don't support labeling because:</div>
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1. Safety has already been verified.</div>
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2. It IS the same commodity - Corn is corn & soy is soy</div>
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3. USDA Organic already has guarantees for being GMO free</div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. I want to take a stand against runaway activism that preys on the ignorance and fear of others to get what they want.</span></form>
Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-40715012522407041542012-02-22T23:24:00.000-05:002012-02-22T23:26:50.546-05:00The Need For And Futility Of SME.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Science is facing a huge paradox in the media... perhaps even a goose. Ok, bad joke...sorry. The paradox is that we simultaneously need more Subject Matter Experts speaking out on behalf of their area of expertise, while it seems more and more evident that these efforts to educate will fall on deaf ears. I submit to you one such example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I joined the group answer site, <a href="http://www.quora.com/Sam-Vance" target="_blank">Quora</a> a while ago and didn't really do anything with it. Well, I decided to search for food and jump in on a question I felt I could answer and hopefully enlighten someone. Instead of passing my knowledge on to others, I ran into the mental brick wall that calls itself <a href="http://www.quora.com/Kent-Fung" target="_blank">Kent Fung</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Kent is sort of a compilation of many other online encounters I have had, and more than any other, embodies the conspiracy theory mindset that I have been complaining about that comes from the hysterics and activists. I will now post the quest that I answered, plus all of the replies...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here is the main question:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.quora.com/Which-foods-are-produced-in-ways-which-make-an-animal-suffer/answer/Salar-Barekatain?__ac__=1#comment773837" target="_blank">Which animals suffer the most under the hand of humans? Either due to common conditions such animals are kept in, or specific extra suffering to alter the quality of the food product.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here is the answer that I responded to:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">'<span class="inline_editor_value">I would say any non-organic meat that you
buy from most of the grocery stores. One of the best documentary about
food that we eat is called "Food Inc." you should watch it.</span><a class="edit inline_editor_edit
suggested_edits" href="http://www.quora.com/Which-foods-are-produced-in-ways-which-make-an-animal-suffer/answer/Salar-Barekatain?__ac__=1#" id="__w2_kDtNb8G_inline_editor_link"><span id="__w2_kDtNb8G_inline_editor_link_text"></span></a>'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here is my response:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">'<span class="inline_editor_value">You are much better off checking out a
few food science text books or checking out some food or animal science
courses at the local university than you are by learning from Food Inc.</span>'</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Kent Fung:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">'I'm all for education, but to be honest, when it comes to issues
affecting public health -- such as agriculture, medicine, and nutrition,
what's taught at many -- perhaps even most -- U.S. universities has
been compromised by the corporate sponsorships and grants on which they
rely. So yes, by all means, take college courses -- but also be aware of
who's paying your professor's salary.'</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Me:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'No, it hasn't. There are no corporate
overseers telling professors what to say and what to teach. That is
pure non-sense. When a corp gives money, it's usually towards
facilities and not to a specific individual. The university has say
over the staff, not a donor. You may find a highly publicized scandal
here or there, but 99% or more are teaching legit science.'</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>Sam, the only people who tout this line are either already bought and
paid for -- or charmingly naive. Money corrupts, and professors aren't
immune to this effect -- particularly when in many cases, professors
aren't paid by the universities in which they teach -- but by corporate
grants. (Government grants are no better, as many government officials
who decide on grants have multiple vested interests in promoting the
agenda of big pharma and agribusiness as well.) Very, very few people
are going to bite the hand that feeds them. Professors aren't any more
ethical than anyone else, and even those who might have resisted will
find themselves unable to when, for say, $10 million -- chump change to a
major corporation -- a company can endow an entire department. What
professor is going to risk not just his own funding, but the funding of
all of his colleagues?<br /><br />The pharmaceutical industry was notorious
for exactly this behavior, getting influential medical school professors
to not only advocate on behalf of their drugs to other doctors, but to
toe the corporate message in their lessons to students. The problem was
so prevalent that many universities ultimately had to establish clear
policies regarding the matter. Alas, in the real world, crafting
policies doesn't solve ethical problems -- it just makes people find
creative ways to be unethical.<br /><br /><a class="external_link" href="http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/morreim/prescribing.html%5C" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.scu.edu/ethics<wbr></wbr>/public...</a><br /><a class="external_link" href="http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/87601272.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.jsonline.com/f<wbr></wbr>eatures...</a><br /><br />The
food business isn't any different. Like their big pharma cousins, they
make huge grants to university agricultural departments, and to
professors who profit enormously from their largesse. There are few --
even in academia -- who won't slant their research in exchange for
millions of dollars in their personal bank accounts. Take Monsanto for
example:<br /><br /><a class="external_link" href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/76804/?page=entire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.alternet.org/e<wbr></wbr>nvironm...</a><br /><a class="external_link" href="http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6458.cfm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.organicconsume<wbr></wbr>rs.org/...</a><br /><br />Note
that the ethical problem is particularly worrisome at public
universities because state governments have increasingly slashed support
for them, forcing schools to turn to corporations for money to fund
operations. I see that you're at OSU. Sorry, Sam, but your education has
already been compromised.<span class="inline_editor_value">' </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Me:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span><span class="inline_editor_value">Corps make donations because they need
the highly trained graduates that come out of them. The professors
have varied backgrounds as far as food science goes. Some are life long
academics, who just do research in the lab, some came from industry,
and some were strictly Chemists or biologists before teaching food/ag
science. I was there and saw with my own two eyes how all this works.
The professors spend all their time wrapped up in helping answer
student's questions about their research or grading, or conducting their
own research. Your argument is sounding very conspiratorial. Really,
you sound no different to me than someone making wild claims about
9/11. The two links you chose to use to backup your conspiracy theory
are from environmental and organic activists, and can hardly be taken
seriously.</span><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>Environmental and organic activists "can hardly be taken seriously." I
can see who you expect to pay your bills. Incidentally, I suppose now
you're going to tell me what's wrong with the articles by researchers at
Santa Clara University and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In fact,
given the decrepit state of American's general health, I'd say it's
mainstream food producers who can't be taken seriously.<br /><br />Your
logic doesn't work. Corporations don't need to make donations to get
"highly trained graduates." All they need to do is offer decent salaries
and they'll get all the "highly trained" graduates they need. There
isn't a labor shortage in this country.<br /><br />You also clearly don't
understand how modern universities are funded.<br /><br />Lifelong academics
who "just do research in the lab" cost lots of money. That money
doesn't come from the university, it comes from grants made by external
donors. A typical university's budget is focused on maintaining and
building more gee whiz facilities to recruit new students. Teacher and
researcher salaries are taken care of by government and corporate
grants.<br /><br />What about those who came from industry? Most still have
ties to their old employers -- and I don't mean that they go have drinks
with their old boss -- I mean that they've started joint ventures on
the side with them, or their old employers are actually funding their
academic work.<br /><br />And then you write about people "who were
strictly chemists or biologists" before becoming teachers. Unless you're
implying that they were independently wealthy and dabbled in chemistry
and biology as a hobby, preserving their amateur status for the
Olympics, then they were paid by someone, You know who that someone was?
A major corporation, because that's where the money is.<br /><br />"You were
there and saw with your own two eyes how all this works," eh? You
audited professors' tax returns, looked through their stock portfolio
and bank accounts to see where their money came from? What about the
departmental budget -- did you examine it, and where the money that
funds the department comes from? No? Then you <b>didn't see "how this
all works."</b><br /><br />You further claim that your professors "spend all
their time wrapped up in helping answer student's questions about their
research or grading or conducting their own research." 1) Who funds
their research? 2) "All their time, huh?" You know this because you
lived with your professors and can account for their time every day of
the week, including who they speak with?<br /><br />Let's be clear that this
problem isn't limited to the fields of food science, public health, or
medicine. <b>All </b>academic research, particularly in the sciences,
has proven susceptible to this vulnerability.<br /><br />Conspiracy? It's
enough of a problem that the NIH is looking into it. Do a Google on
conflicts of interest in scientific research -- I'm hardly the only one
who's noticed there's a problem.<br /><br />Here's a nice little
presentation at the University of Chicago for the Global Health
Initiative: <a class="external_link" href="http://globalhealthinitiative.uchicago.edu/documents/Conflict%20of%20Interest%20in%20Research_S%20Olopade.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://global<wbr></wbr>healthinitiative.uc...</a><br /><br />Now
yes, this deal primarily with corruption by the pharmaceutical
industry. But: Worldwide revenues for pharmaceutical industry are
estimated at $2.3 trillion a year. Worldwide annual revenues from the
sales of processed foods? Nearly $5 billion, and that's in 2006 numbers.
Are you really going to tell me that with that much money involved, the
food industry is LESS willing to be underhanded than big pharma?<span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Me:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span><span class="inline_editor_value">There are no corp overseers watching
over the research. Classes are all textbook and lab based science, not
from one specific corporation. Corporations do have an interest in
seeing that universities have the tools necessary to train students.
It's the universities that supply brain power to the corps, not the
other way around. Go to John Coupland, who is on Quora, and ask him how
many corporate overseers he comes across in his food science dept at
PSU. You've made up your mind and bought into the crazy conspiracy
theory, which is unfortunate, because you really don't know what
you're talking about.</span><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>They don't have to "watch over" research. My boss and his boss
don't watch my every move either, but you can bet that I don't do
anything to piss them off.<br /><br />Why don't <i>you</i> go to John
Coupland and ask him if he's in the habit of encouraging or
publicizing research by his staff that shows (or might show) that the
products made by the corporations who fund his department will kill you?
[edit: quick Google of John Coupland shows that his research is of
interest only to manufacturers of processed foods. There's no way his
opinion will be unbiased. His department, incidentally, has so many ties
to industry groups within the food manufacturing industry that you've
basically made my point.]<br /><br />You've made up your mind to enslave
yourself to corporate america, which is unfortunate, because you're
contributing to the decline in U.S. civilization.<span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Me:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span><span class="inline_editor_value">This is all about being anti-corporate
for you. It certainly isn't anything about science and you aren't
interested in any sort of truth. Research often falls in line with
Corporate interests because corporate interests tend to follow the
science and use scientific research to develop new products and improve
existing products. It isn't some biased atmosphere that exists only to
serve corporate America. You have such a sad and twisted view of
science, education, and business in general. Nothing I will ever show
or tell you will convince you otherwise, because you have bought into a
conspiracy theory.</span><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>Curiously enough, I'm not anti corporate at all, and I happily work for
one of the largest corporations in the world. But the truth of the
matter is that the agribusiness corporations are the source of much of
the world's ills, and part of the way they are able to get away with it
is by corrupting what is taught to students -- from primary school
through university -- as "conventional wisdom." Look how good a job they
did with you.<br /><br />I'd love for you to show me evidence that
"convinces me otherwise," but all you've put forth in your argument is
your dubious claim that you know how the system works because you've
"been there." Well, you don't, because you were never more than a cog in
the machine.<span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Me:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span><span class="inline_editor_value">That's the whole beautiful point, I
can't show you evidence. You are convinced of your view of the world
and put me in the position of proving a negative, which is impossible.
Any evidence I show you will NEVER be good enough to get you to change
your mind. You have quite stubbornly painted yourself into a corner
after picking your version of reality.</span><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>No, the reason you can't show me any evidence is because you're merely a
foot soldier, and no one trusts foot soldiers with the truth or the
battle strategy. It's going to be tough for you when, decades from now,
you finally figure it out. Have a nice life until then ... and if you;re
determined to be a tool, at least make sure you're a well-paid tool.<span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Me:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span><span class="inline_editor_value">I'm not a foot soldier for anyone.
Hell, I just paid my rent 3 weeks late and I'm in between jobs. My
employment has had no influence over my views. Facts have.</span><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">Kent Fung:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="inline_editor_value">'</span>Wow. So you're an <i>unpaid</i> shill. Dude, that's sad. Most people ask
for money before they sell their soul. Ah well.<span class="inline_editor_value">'</span></span></div>
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="inline_editor_value">So you see that nothing I said or could say would ever convince Kent that maybe he was wrong. This is how the conspiracy theorist thinks. Have you ever tried talking to someone who is convinced that we never landed on the moon or that 9/11 was an inside job or that fluoride is being introduced into the water supply as part of some evil government plot? It's maddening and every point where you think, 'Ok, he can't possibly have anything to say about <b><i>that</i></b>', the person takes it to another amazing, cynical, convoluted level.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="inline_editor_value">I asked <a href="http://www.twitter.com/johnncoupland" target="_blank">John Coupland</a> to respond and, being the English gentleman he is, he politely declined. As a professor and food scientist, he plays things pretty even handed, keeping an open mind and never saying never. He mentioned to me that the issue may be slightly more complicated than either of us indicated in our back and forth on Quora.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span class="inline_editor_value">We need more Subject Matter Experts talking about <i>their</i> specific area of expertise, but it's pointless to talk to people like Kent, whose mind is made up.</span></div>
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<span class="inline_editor_value"><br /></span><br />
<a class="edit inline_editor_edit" href="http://www.quora.com/Which-foods-are-produced-in-ways-which-make-an-animal-suffer/answer/Salar-Barekatain?__ac__=1#" id="__w2_UVWAMYm_inline_editor_link"><span id="__w2_UVWAMYm_inline_editor_link_text"></span></a></form>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-29658564161566959782012-01-06T12:44:00.000-05:002012-01-06T12:44:27.004-05:00Great Food Science Videos.<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjPHnRYSDfY/S4SHPS9FHmI/AAAAAAAAAEA/d3rYNu7WDg8/s1600/SamLab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjPHnRYSDfY/S4SHPS9FHmI/AAAAAAAAAEA/d3rYNu7WDg8/s200/SamLab.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>
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I thought I would do a little outreach today and post some videos that highlight food science in some way...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Disney & <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/IFT" target="_blank">@IFT</a></div>
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<br />
Penn State's <a href="http://foodscience.psu.edu/" target="_blank">Food Science Dept.</a><br />
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My favorite series of food science related videos featuring Science media personality, <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/drkiki" target="_blank">@DrKiki</a><br />
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My favorite food science related video features Cornell Researcher <a href="http://dyson.cornell.edu/people/profiles/wansink.php" target="_blank">Brian Wansink</a> on a segment of <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/pennjillette" target="_blank">Penn</a> & Teller: <a href="http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/home.do" target="_blank">Bullshit!</a><br />
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</form>Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149442405815988000.post-85743046219360590222012-01-04T14:57:00.002-05:002012-01-04T18:31:04.480-05:00Childhood Obesity<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is sort of a blog request from <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/WineePamela" target="_blank">@WineePamela</a> after some tweets I wrote about how to fight Obesity. I've written about weight loss before, but I really feel weird about doing it because I'm a pretty big guy. I guess I'm like a coach, where I know all about the game but I wasn't the greatest player.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are really concerned that kids are too fat, then you have to approach things from a more pragmatic standpoint and stop with all the slogans, easy answers, and non-expert speculation. So to fight childhood obesity...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Parents:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When kids are little, all parents ever do is tell kids to stop running around, slow down, sit still... and finish your dinner. I thought all the hoopla over Kids meal toys at McDonald's was silly because most kids I've ever seen eat there waste more than half of their food.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So maybe be glad when the kids are doing winds sprints while giggling and if the kids don't finish their dinner... give them a little less.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Coaches:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I remember the most about playing sports in middle and high school was all the punishment exercise and yelling. I got horrible anxieties before practices. Coaches do more to limit physical activity later in life than any video game console. When one guy screws around, the football/basketball/wrestling coach has everyone run wind sprints, do laps, or do some form of calisthenics as punishment. This is a horrible message to send.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Teachers:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Coming from a food science background, I naturally think it's an ideal subject for high school students to tie together chemistry, biology, and chemistry, but it also gives you a great background in nutrition. Kids should know what a calorie is, how to calculate the number of calories they need to maintain/lose/gain weight, and how to track their caloric intake. it's also a great way to learn which foods are the best sources of protein/iron/vitamins/calcium/potassium. This is very practical knowledge that also reinforces what the kids have already learned in school, while also reinforcing scientific method and critical thinking skills.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Other Kids: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kids are mean and being fat seems to be one of the last socially acceptable forms of discrimination in this country. This is a tragic combination. Fat people in general get very little sympathy because they are just seen as sloth-like lazy buffoons.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Other kids can help by not shaming or being cruel to obese kids. Furthermore, they can make friends with obese kids and include them in their physical activities. Shame does not work. If your feeling down on yourself, you slow down, stay out of view... you don't go for a walk or go exercise.</span><br />
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5. Food Activists:</div>
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I know you think everything is all a big conspiracy and that all processed foods are poison... but seriously, knock it off. Misinformation serves only to confuse people and prevents them from reaching a solid, science based understanding of food. Misinformation also allows people to peddle their ridiculous weight loss schemes and bilk the public for billions of dollars a years. Please stop.</div>
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6. Fashion Industry:</div>
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Pencil thin models give people an unrealistic yard stick to judge themselves and others by. We no longer think hometown girls are cute because they don't look nearly as hot as the model. This also creates a much bigger gap bewteen the beautiful people and the obese. </div>
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If you are a big kid, your clothes aren't only bigger, but they're completely different. Why? Why can't you get big sizes from Gap, Adidas, Champion, and Nike. How easy is it to get active wear in big sizes in the same style as the smaller sizes? And while I'm at it, stop putting flames or dragons... or flaming dragons on big & tall clothing. What is that? So not only do fat people feel ostracized, they have special fat clothes that look completely different.</div>
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PayPal</div>
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You should see a PayPal Donation button in this blog post and on the side of this page. I'm currently out of work and behind on rent. I've done this blog for two and a half years and have many great, informative posts. If you can spare anything... even $5, it would be greatly appreciated. The donations are anonymous, so you don't have to worry about getting an awkward half sobbing thank you from me or me pledging a life debt to you. Rent is overdue and I hope to get hired on somewhere... for something, sometime soon. So if you've read and liked my writing over the past couple years, please send a dollar or two my way. Even if you think I'm a tool, give me a buck so I can keep writing and giving you more to complain about. </div>
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Edible Intelligencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407476500631094935noreply@blogger.com1