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January 23, 2011
A farmer against more mush from the food nazis
Blake Hurst, Missouri Farmer, on Our Real Food Problem @ The AmericanMiller spends a lot of time talking about nutritious food, but we don't really have a nutrition problem. Beri-beri and scurvy are not endemic in American society. We don't really have a hunger problem, either. Some 6 percent of American households are what the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls "very low food security." That's a problem, but one extraordinarily difficult to solve with traditional food assistance. What we have is a fat problem. It matters not whether doughnuts made from industrially grown, highly processed wheat flour and fried in genetically modified soybean oil, or French pastries made from whole organic wheat and lightly sautéed in organic canola oil are a staple of one's diet, if we insist on eating so many of either that we gain weight. We don't have a food system problem, but a problem of self-control. We can't solve that with quinoa or locally grown, free-range chicken breasts.
Posted by Vanderleun at January 23, 2011 12:19 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Deep fat fried quinoa croquettes with glazed barbecue boneless chicken thighs that have been first sautéed in butter. With a side of bacon wrapped brussel sprouts. Dessert is a butter cake with a butter cream frosting.
Posted by: Jewel at January 23, 2011 2:54 PM
If you let me have a pass on the quinoa, I'll bring ice cream.
Posted by: Roger Drew Williams at January 23, 2011 3:38 PM
Here's my recipe for quinoa, Rog:
7 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered.
cold water, kosher salt, the better to boil them in, my dear.
When they are fork tender, lower the temperature, pour off the water and drain in a colander - and while they dry a bit, use the same pot you boiled 'em in and melt a stick of butter with a half cup of heavy cream and freshly chopped parsley, white pepper and a dash of nutmeg.
Pour those golden lovelies back into the pot and mash 'em up good. Add a dollop of sour cream, the better to insult the food nannies - and tell your fartling to call it quinoa when he's interrogated at the educational gulag by the authorities on what he had for dinner last night.
Posted by: Jewel at January 23, 2011 4:18 PM
Where's quinoa from? South America someplace, right?
How does that fit with "eat local"? How much carbon was emitted in transporting it to the local Whole Foods?
Regards,
Ric
Posted by: Ric Locke at January 23, 2011 4:25 PM
Am I invited Jewel? Sounds heavenly.
Posted by: Cilla Mitchell, Galveston Texas at January 24, 2011 3:21 AM
Jewel, what kind of wine would go with that sumptuous meal? Don't want to come empty handed.
Posted by: Cilla Mitchell, Galveston Texas at January 24, 2011 3:23 AM
Cilla, that's the damn problem. You're blasting your carbon footprint to hell and gone driving from Galveston, Texas to Upper Quinoa for that stick of butter and cup of cholesterol.
Posted by: Peccable at January 24, 2011 3:31 AM
Jewel, nothing, but nothing can replace the taste of that stick of butter.
Posted by: Cilla Mitchell, Galveston Texas at January 24, 2011 3:50 AM
And nothing ever shall, Cilla! Quinoa has its place in the pantry, and it is a delicious replacement for chia seeds, don't get me wrong, but nothing loves your family more than golden, steaming, hot, buttery, creamy, and did I say buttery? Yes, buttery mashed potatoes!
Posted by: Jewel at January 24, 2011 6:23 AM