Tag: Food

Sushi Anyone?

It is Sunday and I usually make dinner for the family….and that occurrence brought this post to mind…….First, not a sushi fan…..to me it is bait not a meal.

A little background….I have a friends that works on a tuna boat out of Booth Bay, Maine and he had always told me about the agents for Japanese companies that were waiting for them at the docks and that they would buy the tuna before it was even off load from the ship…..and the money that they were willing to pay for a single tuna……

And all that lead me post this piece…..from the Week magazine…….

012, at 10:44 AM

A chef holds the head of a bluefin tuna that sold to a sushi chain restauranteur who will likely lose about $600,000 on the purchase.

A chef holds the head of a bluefin tuna that sold to a sushi chain restauranteur who will likely lose about $600,000 on the purchase. Photo: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Call it sushi philanthropy: At 2012’s inaugural tuna auction in Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji market, Japanese sushi magnate Kiyoshi Kimura paid an “eye-popping” $736,000 for a giant bluefish tuna — then sold it to his disaster-ravaged compatriots at a steep loss. “It is not just about the money,” said Hiroshi Umehara, a spokesman for Kimura’s Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain. “It is also about the Japanese spirit.” After a year of earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear meltdowns, and economic contraction, “Japan needs to hang in there,” Kimura added. Here’s a look at this very expensive, patriotic “boost of umami morale,”

Not much more I could say….other than…..eeeeeeeeeewwwwwww!  Sorry if you like sushi…it still is bait on a plate.

The Fat Tax Cometh

The media is full of what I call “butt-in-skys” or some may call them “bleeding hearts”….these are the people in the media and elsewhere that seem to think that they know what is best for the people….and they would go to any lengths to have their wills be law……the most recent is Mika of Morning Joe on MSNBC…..she is on her high horse about obesity….she sees some sort of conspiracy behind every hamburger….her biggest bitch is the cost to health care….but if people live longer the chances of a more horrendous disease and deaths rises….I guess if I was making millions and had time to run and buy the best organics I might be a prude also……

But please!  Stop it!  Anytime government takes over our lives the sooner we lose all forms of free choice…..Mika’s thing is a sugar tax on sodas and such….but I will bet she will see the good in Denmarks new law….a Fat Tax!

An extra 39 cents on a pack of butter. Twelve cents on a bag of chips. Denmark has become the latest country to levy a “fat tax” (Hungary has a similar one), adding about $1.32 in cost per pound of saturated fat in any food that contains more than 2.3% saturated fat, reports the Guardian. The tax is expected to raise some $220 million a year and cut saturated fat consumption by close to 10%. The country already banned the use of trans fats in foods, back in 2004. Ironically, despite Danes’ reputation for being big fans of butter and bacon, the country is relatively slim, with a 10% obesity rate, well below the European average of 15% (not to mention the United States’ 33%). “All these things need to be looked at, but saturated fats have a higher calorie content than carbohydrates. I don’t think you can do everything all at once,” said a doctor who used to be chairman of a national obesity group.

I am sorry but the government inserting itself into my eating habits is bullsh*t!  What’s next?  A law telling us the benefit of eating straw?  Think I joke?

The federal government wants to restrict schools from serving peas and corn to America’s schoolchildren. But that idea isn’t producing many ho-ho-hos in Minnesota, the No. 1 grower of the green peas and sweet corn that schools serve.In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new rules aimed at boosting healthy foods in the school nutrition program. What raised eyebrows were the strict limits proposed for “starchy vegetables” – potatoes, peas, lima beans and corn.

Under USDA’s plan, a high school would be limited to serving one cup of “starchy vegetables” a week. That’s one meal’s worth.

So it is either straw or a piece of cardboard…..what is next on the list of “bad for you” foods?

In closing I would like to share something a friend sent me in an e-mail……

Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart problems than Americans…….

Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart problems  than Americans…..

Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart problems than Americans…..

Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart problems than Americans…..

Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of fats and have fewer heart problems than Americans…..

Conclusion:  Eat and drink what you want.  Speaking English is apparently what…..KILLS YOU!

Black Hawk Down (Again?)

On Wednesdays I try to post something international…..hot spots where I see a problem will arise that could force the US into doing something stupid or at least ill advised……

Black hawk Down……Remember the movie?  If you do then you will also know that it was based on a true story that took place in 1994….for those that are not sure what really happened…….

Somalia in 1994 after an American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Mogadishu and the bodies of crew members were displayed before the television cameras.

The sight was horrific….but what lead to that point?

Operation Restore Hope, when, in the final days of the presidency of George Bush senior, on December 5, 1992, 30,000 US troops were sent into Somalia under the pretext of delivering food aid to starving children.President Bill Clinton continued what became ever more openly an occupation. He was forced to pull US troops out of Somalia in 1994 after an American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down.

Now that you have had a refresher course in the US actions on the Horn of Africa….it will bet you are asking why would I re-hash the past….and I can say….Glad you asked!

The Obama administration is preparing a new military intervention in Somalia under the pretext of humanitarian concern for starving drought victims. The media has fallen into line with a campaign mixing crocodile tears and hand-wringing with denunciations of the Islamist movement al-Shabaab, which is blamed for the deepening crisis.US officials blame this organisation for the present famine. “The relentless terrorism by al-Shabaab against its people has turned an already severe situation into a dire one that is only expected to get worse,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared last week.

Back in 1990, it was those darn pesky “warlords” that were causing the hunger and the famine in Somalia and today it is those darn pesky al-shabaab that is doing it……and once again the media is helping the administration to build a case for intervention in another country with the US military…..is the US posturing to do just that?

I am not saying that it is inevitable that the US will intervene militarily….only that the possibility is there and with our record….it should be expected!  Why?  We have made the same mistakes over and over…..look at Afghanistan…..the same mistakes the Russians made…..and now it sounds like a rev up to “humanitarian” aid to Somalia……Does Libya ring a bell?

Stop The Foolishness!

From the VOMITORIUM

Yep, last day of Zen before I return to shoveling fecal matter (politics)….and today I want to touch on a subject that I know a little about….FOOD!

In my younger years I had a small cafe and worked later as a chef in a Mexican restaurant…..I am not classically trained but rather self taught….and even if I do sound a bit egotistical….I am damn good cook…..yep, I’m a foodie…I watch the Food Network, when politics and news get to be too much to handle….and over the years I have had a few bitches about the crap they push on these shows…..

One–Fusion food….less food more money….and food is suppose to be cooked the way it was originally meant to be…there is NO Cajun chicken tandoori…..or curried quesadillas and definitely no jalapeno-blueberry vinaigrette and then there is BBQ……anybody can be a BBQ chef…….if you screw up just pour some sauce on it and send along…..all this is the invention of cooks that cannot cook classically and need multiple favors to hide how bad their cooking really is…..I had rather be known as a “GOOD” cook than good chef……

Two–I do not want to see a tower of food……you are a cook not an architect…if you want to be artistic…then go to art school and leave cooking to those that actually know how it is done…..there is NOTHING appetizing about a tower of mushrooms that is on the verge of collapse…….

Three–stop the CON JOB….”we eat with our eyes first”…that is bullshit!  If we did eat with our eyes first then NO one would eat a dish that looks like puke in a pot….gumbo or something that looks like the spew in the Exorcist…..stop conning people with cute little slogans, they are almost as bad as the ones politicians use…

Four–stop trying to insist that food needs massive amounts of seasoning….that is for Middle East food and jerk….they are the only ones that can pull it off….the rest then you are just f*cking up perfect good ingredients……

Five–stop putting your trust in idiots that wear the shades on the backs of their head or the ones that say you can cook a classic meal in 30 minutes or less…..one cannot make a dish like Coq au vin in 30 minutes or a lamb tagine…..cook them properly or stay out of the kitchen!

I know, I am being a bit harsh and critical…but some of these TV chefs act like they have a cure for leprosy…….. food is a necessity and it should be enjoyed prepared the way it was intended…to take short cuts just pisses up good food…..if you cannot do it right or do not have the time….then go to KFC and stop pretending.

Just remember….those who cannot cook well become TV chefs…….food for thought!

Now that I have that off my chest…..please return to your holiday festivities and enjoy……

A Thing Whose Time Has Come?

Back a couple of years ago, I wrote a post on the idea from PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals)…..it pertained to the making of ice cream….I will make it easy for you…read it here:

Info Ink http://t.co/5zcZfkk

Yep that is right….breast milk ice cream!  It seems that someone has taken to the idea……

From an article on Reuters:

A specialist ice cream parlor plans to serve up breast milk ice cream and says people should think of it as an organic, free-range treat.The breast milk concoction, called the “Baby Gaga,” will be available from Friday at the Icecreamists restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.

Icecreamists founder Matt O’Connor was confident his take on the “miracle of motherhood” and priced at a hefty 14 pounds ($23) a serving will go down a treat with the paying public.

The breast milk was provided by mothers who answered an advertisement on online mothers’ forum Mumsnet.

EEWWWWWWW!  OK, I like breasts a lot….but this idea is not to my liking and will they hook these women up to a milking machine….maybe breast milk is tasty, I do not know, but should that not be for the baby to decide?

IMO, this is a stunt and not a good idea….Like I said I do enjoy a nice pair of breasts and I will be the firsat one to point out just how nice they are….but I do not think that the substance produced by them is for public consumption……

Grand Ma Was Right!

As my regulars know…I try to post something different on the weekends…we have enough politics and economics through the week….so why not lighten up the tone a bit…….

As I post from time to time…”There Is A God”!  And everything your grandmother told you about breakfast…you know that it is the most important meal…..oops…she may not have been telling you stuff….she may have been smarter than you think….why?

Eat a Big Breakfast
It’s time to nix the oatmeal with skim milk. Instead, start your day with a fatty breakfast, including eggs and even a piece of bacon, suggests Molly Bray, PhD, lead author of a recent study showing that a fat-filled morning meal will jumpstart your metabolism for the day faster than a lowfat, low-calorie breakfast. Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who eat 22 to 55 percent of their total calories at breakfast gain 1.7 pounds over four years. That’s not bad considering those who eat 0 to 11 percent of their calories in the morning gain nearly 3 pounds.

So eat those eggs and bacon……and DO what your grandmother told you to do!

But there is more good news on the horizon…as a caffeine addict I knew deep down that I was doing something good…..

Opt for Caffeine
It’s time to hit Starbucks. A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior shows that coffee drinkers have a 16 percent higher metabolic rate than those who abstain or drink decaf joe, because caffeine increases your heart rate and stimulates your central nervous system. Spread out the cups over your entire day to keep your metabolism running at a boosted rate—just be sure to have your last cup by early afternoon so you can hit the pillow with no problems later on.

See?  There is proof there is a God!

Amen!

The Food Nazis

Not to be confused with Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi”…….But damn close……I am talking about those elites with the large wallets that want to dictate what we consume……you know who they are…they are the ones yelling the loudest about calories and sugar and salt and fats on….on and on…..they are the ones that want the government to step in a control the consumption of certain items……

(Thinking……thinking…..)

Where I have heard this before?

After some careful thought…..I seem to recall back in the day in an American History class we were studying the beginning of the country…you know when Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and the boyz were trying desperately to find the right balance for the government of a new nation….I recall one of the lesser known Founders, George Mason IV, considered to be a radical as opposed to the moderate that most others were…..at the Federal convention of 1787,  he moved to empower the new congress to enact sumptuary laws regulating what people could eat, drink, or wear……in order to promote frugality among the lower ranks of society…….think about it!  Does that not sound a bit familiar?

We now have all these elites going on the tube telling us what we should eat and drink and in some cases what we should wear….we have governors telling us what foods are acceptable for consumption….we have mayors telling us what drinks are acceptable…all in the name of better health and most are aimed squarely at the “lower ranks of society”……

Once again the elites, those in the upper class of our society, are deciding what you should eat, drink and in some incidences wear…it was unacceptable in 1787 and it should be so in the 21st century….but you people buying the CRAP they keep selling…….at least they had enough brains to stifle that move in 1787….when less than 50% of the country could read or write…….what is your excuse?

As usual, those that are all for the government intervention are the very ones that bitch about too much government intervention……but on a side note……they will NEVER address the causes of the problem….just a solution that only effects a small group that will have to shoulder the entire situation….so damn typical of the American mentality!

SHHH! It’s The Food Police

Daily Agitator

Maybe I should have titled this “How to fight the FAT””?

Daily we hear or see the studies that say just how obese the American people are…..and daily we hear this pundit or that rant and rave about overweight kids and adults…just how disgusting it is and a drag on the society….and they preach something has GOT to be done to stem this rising tide…..and then they go on to the regulation of salt or fat or sugar or……everything they find objectionable….

They find objectionable?  They?  Who the Hell are they?  Mostly they are people that make plenty of cash and have plenty of leisurely time on their hands….meaning they can afford the more expensive “healthy alternatives” and they have the time to play in a gym or run in the street and block traffic……unfortunately, most working people are not so lucky, they struggle with money and they have zero leisure time….

First of all, in a restaurant it is a choice of the people what they will eat and if they like a burger with bacon and lots of blue cheese then who the Hell are they to tell them it is not good to eat this?  Sorry, for now I still have free choice after that they can kiss my ass.

These self-centered people also support lower healthier food in schools, low fat, less salt and sugar free……a noble concern….but what about when they go home?  We all know the dangers of high sugar, high fat and high salt, or at least we should.

For all those bleeding heart dietary freaks…….most people that are obese are poor….they are poor because they have NO money……they buy what stretches the food budget the best….that means high fat, high sugar because those foods are the cheapest.  No matter what you try to do in schools or restaurants…they will go home and eat the foods that you are bitching about…..why?  They are poor!

Okay……you are on your high horse about the high fat, high sugar and high salt diets of people…here is an idea!  Make healthy eating less expensive and poor people would be eating more healthier…..the whole population would eat better…and is not the idea you originally started with?

But you will not….you will spend all your time and effort talking about the habits of obese people and their children….you will condemn and ridicule….instead of facing reality and attacking the real reason cause of obesity….POVERTY!

Fight The Fat—Tax Sodas

The US is in the midst of trying to stop the fall into obesity of the American people….NY has outlawed trans fats in Restaurants, others are pushing for a tax on fast foods to try and curb the consumption of said food stuffs and now health experts are proposinbg the ultimate tax—

Several of the nation’s leading health experts are calling for a tax on soda as a means of curbing America’s obesity-epidemic.

Their paper, appearing in the most recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, calls for a tax on “sugar-sweetened” drinks in order to reduce the consumption of the drinks and lower health costs as well as fund government-run health programs.

“A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is really a double-win,” said Dr. David Ludwig, a co-author of the paper and director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children’s Hospital, Boston.

“We can raise much-needed dollars while likely reducing obesity prevalence, which is a major driver of health care costs, the paper states. “Ultimately the government needs to raise more money to cover the deficit, and in terms of ways of raising that revenue, a tax on sugar sweetened beverages is really a no-brainer.”

Is this the answer?  To tax the choices people make when they eat?  If so, why not tax everything that is considered unhealthy and lower the cost of so-called “organic” products that are healthier to eat?

I want to see how many people jump on this…especially those who think the we should have more individual responsibility.

Eat What?

I have heard of some novel ways to raise money….but this one is just sick!

The AP ran a story recently that was an eye opener……and gave me feelings of sympathy for some bulls.

The fundraising idea may seem a little nuts, but Oakdale‘s annual Testicle Festival is always a big hit. On Monday, volunteers with the town’s Rotary Club plan to fry up 400 pounds of the private parts of bulls and serve them to diners who pay $50 apiece for the sit-down meal.

The event, whose proceeds also benefit the Oakland Cowboy Museum, has drawn an average of 450 people and last year raised $28,000.

It’s common practice on cattle ranches for young male bovines to be castrated into steers, which after the initial loss, eventually makes them more docile and easier to handle. Fans of the delicacy, also referred to as “mountain oysters,” come from around the state.

According to Rotarians, everyone who buys a ticket is guaranteed to “have a ball.”

450 people are sucking down “nuts” but at least it is for a good cause……huh?