The oil in your oatmeal A lot of fossil fuel goes into our breakfast

SFGate.com ^ | Sunday, March 26, 2006 | Chad Heeter

[Nachum]

Please join me for breakfast. It's time to fuel up again.

On the table in my small Berkeley apartment this morning is a healthy-looking little meal -- a bowl of imported McCann's Irish oatmeal topped with Cascadian Farms organic frozen raspberries, and a cup of Peet's Fair Trade Blend coffee. Like most of us, I prepare my breakfast at home, and the ingredients for this one probably cost me about $1.25. (If I went to a cafe in downtown Berkeley, I'd probably have to add $6 more, plus tip, for the same.)

My breakfast fuels me up with about 400 calories, and it satisfies me. So for just over a buck and half and an hour spent reading the morning paper in my own kitchen, I'm energized for the next few hours. But before I put spoon to cereal, what if I consider this bowl of oatmeal porridge (to which I've just added a little butter, milk and a shake of salt) from a different perspective. Say, a Saudi Arabian one.

Then what you'd be likely to see -- what's really there, just hidden from our view (not to say our taste buds) -- is about 4 ounces of crude oil. Throw in those luscious red raspberries and that cup of java (an additional 3 ounces of crude), and don't forget those modest additions of butter, milk and salt (1 more ounce), and you've got a tiny bit of the Middle East right here in my kitchen.

Now, let's drill a little deeper into this breakfast. Just where does this tiny gusher of oil actually come from? (We'll let this oil represent all fossil fuels in my breakfast, including natural gas and coal.)

[HawaiianGecko]

Liberals do hate themselves, but this one has a point. I'm not sure he understands his own point...

I got the impression he understands his own point, as did you. He also makes that point in both an enjoyable and easy to understand manner.  I have personally always understood this from a mile high perspective, but he brings the point home very succinctly.

I have always snickered deep inside when I see and hear the Hollywood crowd brag about driving their bio-diesel powered automobiles not realizing that it probably took more energy and belched more pollutants to build the damn thing than they are saving. I'm still waiting for one of these moralizing morons to spend the night in a hotel around 9,000 feet of altitude where their fuel will solidify on them.

These of course are the same people that buy and drink the following. Good grief it took a mountain of energy just to produce the $4,300 dollars at the U.S. Mint to buy this silly set.

This cask strength Johnnie Walker Blue Label commemorates the 200th birthday of the man himself, and comes packaged in a contemporary baccarat decanter.

Color: A dark full gold with dense shades of amber.

No of whiskies: "In the neighborhood of 16."

Nose: Harmonious and perfectly balanced: hints of smokiness and a real depth of sherry character, with hints of raisins and toasted nuts.

Palate: Hugely flavorful with rich peatiness, deep smoke and traces of spice. Develops into intense flavors of oak, dark chocolate, and rich home-made Dundee Cake. Cardhu, Benrinnes, and other Speyside malts combine to provide the rich sherry and oak flavours. Royal Lochnagar from the tiny Highland distillery gives a rich sweetness with hints of freshness. Mature grains give oak and vanilla character while Caol Lla brings the deep, pungent spice and smoke.

Finish: Well balanced, long and intense, with hints of oak, Islay seaweed and vintage oaks.


  rws32337Regular price: $4,374.98Sale price: $3,999.99

 

 

[AmericanChef]

I didn't see a firm promise anywhere that Chad would give up his oaties to save the planet. Lefties are such hypocrites.

[Tzimisce]

I'm a great environmentalist cause I don't eat breakfast. :)

[TheSpottedOwl]

I encourage everyone to click through and read this hilarious article.

I could barely get past the part where he dumps raspberries in his oatmeal! Hasn't he heard of Quacker Oats, Maxwell house, brown sugar and raisins? Philistine!

[billbears]

an average of more than 7 calories of fossil fuel is burned up for every calorie of energy we get from our food

Well I'm burning about 25,000-28,000 calories of fossil fuel a day. I promise to do my best to burn more.

[Dog Gone]

This article made my day. Self-loathing liberals are standup comedy routines.

What makes it better is that we're not laughing with them. We're laughing AT them.

[VOA]

Liberals--What doesn't kill them makes them whinier.

that was such a beaut that it had to be repeated...

[libstripper]

Remember all the starving orphans in Africa. Eat your oat meal.

[76834]

Nope:

Drink beer and watch NASCAR.

[Cobra64]

This is a stooopid article.

[radiohead]

The main choice you have is to either kill yourself or whine constantly.

You're so right! ROFLMAO!!!

[libstripper]

Unfeeling capitalist pig!!!

[billhilly]

"I'm a great environmentalist cause I don't eat breakfast. :)"

Besides that, breakfast on a hangover is like removing a bandage from your armpit.

[OldFriend]

First they complain that dairy farms harm the environment, all that flatulence from the cows, you know.

Now they're complaining about eating grains?????????????????????

Guess they just want us all to up and die!

[76834]

You got it.

Also will pop some corn and pour on plenty of melted butter.

Also energy intensive.

Eat your heart out.

[kittymyrib]

The only solution is to grow your own food in your Berkeley apartment or starve. What dreck.

[Notwithstanding]

IOW:

"Unless you die today, you will kill the planet."

This guy explodes the lefty myths by proving that buying all that crap that liberals buy is simply a useless act that accomplishes nothing but to make them all feel good.

Here is a new chant for the lefties:

Organic. Fare Trade. It matters not.
You just keep making your planet hot.

[July 4th]

It's good stuff. I make steel cut oats for breakfast on occasion, with some raisins, salt, and maple syrup.

[76834]

The only solution is to grow your own food in your Berkeley apartment or starve. What dreck.

I have always had a couple of hogs, a few chickens and sometimes some goats in the back yard.
Also maintain an ample kitchen garden.

We eat well here, possibly Too well if you look at my waistline.

Of course this is a semi rural area in Central Texas, not Berkeley.

[RBroadfoot]

It may be somewhat surprising that he accounts for the energy consumption, but doesn't mention the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases that his breakfast causes.

Perhaps that's because the author doesn't want to account for his own flatulence.

Actually, it seems to be a pretty good accounting. If the author really wants to save energy, he'd buy Quaker oats in the old-fashioned cardboard box. Alternatively, he could plant his front yard in oats.