Surely you jest.
Posted on 06/01/2014 5:45:14 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Last month, I ate a strawberry. The taste exploded in my mouth as my throat was bathed in rich juices. The meat of the berry was soft and succulent.
I was in France.
Last week, I ate another strawberry. There was a slight reddish flavour, which combatted the petroleum essence of the packaging. The meat of the berry was corky, dry and flavourless.
I was in Canada.
(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...
How exactly do they get farm-fresh tomatoes all year long? It can’t be as easy as greenhouses - we do that too. What’s the secret? I don’t buy them outside of the farmer’s market season any longer. Haven’t for years.
If you want apples with flavor, you have to buy them in season from a local farmer's market or travel the next county or two over to buy them from the Amish.
Our grocers won't buy from the Amish due to shelf life issues. When you make shelf life your primary objective, you must necessarily sacrifice flavor. The very properties which give produce their flavors (rich natural fructose and the like) also shorten their shelf life.
This, of course, is the crux of the problem. The French understand and love food as do the Italians. Anglo-Saxons nations don’t seem to have a clue.
Of course, the other reason French women aren’t obese is that they smoke like chimneys.
In case it helps anyone...
Sorry cats. I’ve lived in many places and spent a good deal of time in Europe. Brits get fat...
Nobody in my family ever got fat...
I realize there are differing opinions, but I am personally certain that soft drinks, nightly desserts, and high intake of “processed” foods makes you fat.
I am a chef and like the French we have a high-fat diet including lots of butter, thick sauces, etc.
What we DON’T do, that so many Americans DO do, is consume lots of simple sugars by way of sodas, cokes, and other “flavored” things.
“c’est juste mes deux sous...”
There is a definite connection. All the people I know who still smoke are quite skinny.
I have read that before about French food. Tastes so rich and good you eat less from the flavor rather than just eating until you are stuffed. Now I want a strawberry. From the local farm.
I’ve seen lots of fat chefs on Chopped. What’s with that?
But they still look like h#$l—aged 20 years ahead of their time, with the voice of a half-croaked frog.
Must be a remnant of the German Saxon influence. They seem to enjoy subduing their food with force much in they same way the periodically treat their neighbors.
Look at their schnitzel prep. German or Austrian chef looks at the piece of veal realizes it is soft and defenseless and proceeds to pound the hell out it until it's as flat as if a Panzer tank ran over it, tread marks and all.
Darn tasty though ala Viener style.
I don’t know about Frace, but in Norway the people do much more walking then in the states.
True, they seem short on the tattooed 1/4-ton fatties in spandex one sees at Wal-Mart.But then again, perhaps we could ship them a few. You know, the ones with the electric cart full of chips and gallons of sweet tea? The ones with the $400 EBT Cards?
My advice: enjoy the tattooed fat show while you can. The price of Obamafood has risen about 20% in just the last year and as the economy really tanks over the next two years, those Wal-Marters could easily slip below the 300# mark. Not to worry. I have it on reliable authority that tattoo adjustments will be covered by Obamacare.
I long ago noticed tha the fruit (particularly strawberries and apples) which are on sale are the varieties which are durable and ship well. Taste is a minor consideration. When we buy packaged strawberries we always wonder how they will taste - like cardboard or like strawberries. Sometimes one gets lucky.
I too was impressed with the variety found in French stores.
“In a desperate effort to satisfy us, the North American food industry strives to give us flavour, but in the cheapest way possible. So they give us salt, grease and sugar. And we gorge and gorge, hoping for something better, something real.”
Indeed. And not even sugar, usually “high fructose corn syrup”. I myself can’t taste the difference between “Throwback!” soda from Pepsi that I see on the shelves now and then, BUT I find that one 12-oz can or bottle of “Throwback” is enough, whereas finishing off 16 or 20 oz of the “regular” stuff with HFCS in a big glass still leaves me thinking I’d like a refill.
A recent development here in the US fast food places is to put some kind of sauce on any kind of sandwich or side dish. It’s basically just some kind of soybean-oil-based mayonnaise with the flavor of the season (chipotle, bbq, “ranch”) mixed in, then spread on the sandwich or offered as a “dipping sauce”. It’s a quick and easy 100 calories of that flavor that probably offer nothing else whatsoever to your body.
“What we DON’T do, that so many Americans DO do, is consume lots of simple sugars by way of sodas, cokes, and other “flavored” things.”
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Check out the heavy amount of sugar we consume in various “foods” and drinks:
We have a U-Pic field in our county. Next time I am near there, I think I will stop and pick.
We have a U-Pic field in our county. Next time I am near there, I think I will stop and pick.
Chocolate is a good example. Rich, high quality chocolate is satisfying after a few small bites. Cheap bars can be eaten in multiples without satisfaction.
The question is whether it’s the government’s job to see we get satisfying food.
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