And this made me happy...

I had a piece of dark chocolate today and one of the ingredients was "non-gmo soy lecitin". I've never seen this before in my life, but it was encouraging. At least its a start on what we've been talking about right?

This made me sad...

There was high fructose corn syrup in the ketchup I ate this morning... eww. I never noticed before, but I did this week because of our discussions recently

Interesting NYT articles this week

Two VERY interesting stories so far in the New York Times this week about food. The first ran on Monday and is about a restaurant in the Netherlands which is really a lab to monitor food culture, eating habits, diet, and all sorts of related things like heart rate while eating. It is really fascinating how the researchers created this restaurant with all the measuring instruments in places like floor tiles and seat cushions, so it all seems like a normal dining experience. Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/world/europe/26dutch.html?ref=todayspaper
The second article ran on Tuesday and is about traditional food crops surviving in Italy (and all over the world, but the reporter profiled a man in Italy). The article talks about how there are all these traditional crops (called landraces) with special properties and flavors and how many of them are dying out fast because the older generation is growing them and the newer generation isn't interested. It is also interesting to note that the article mentions a United Nations International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources. I had no idea there was international law precedent for traditional crops! Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/world/europe/27italy.html?ref=todayspaper

for the seniors...

Barbara Kingsolver has been chosen to be the 2008 commencement speaker. Her most recent book is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life." Here's the recent article from Duke: http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2007/11/kingsolver.html.

McDonalds vs. Starbucks

I found this article on msnbc.com about how due to the success of the McCafe McDonalds is planning on selling lattes and other drinks of that nature. Apparently they want to become a beverage destination and not just serve beverages as afterthoughts. So I found this article interesting because I knoww quite a few people with starbucks addictions but cant really see them going to mcdonalds the same way. McDonalds doesnt have the same feel or reputation. Also because I know we have discussed the role of fast food in society, and think this article ties in kind of interestingly. How could expanding into the overpriced beverage market affect the role of the fast food restaurant? Also will people who go to starbucks but dont frequent Mcdonalds start going there for drinks and then start buying the food? I dont know, I just thought this was kind of interesting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21837962/

Meat. The environment. Bad.

So, I saw this article from the New Scientist while I was doing research for Env 101. The article is basically in line with my reasons for being a vegetarian. I thought I would post a link because it makes some interesting assertions. Like the fact that "a kilogram of beef is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution than driving for 3 hours while leaving all the lights on back home."
here's the link:
http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/search/homesubmitForm.do

Sound familiar?

I was reading the Chronicle today, and there is an article about the Bioengineering conference held here at Duke over the weekend, and one of the topics was patenting plants and animals like in the movie we watched Monday. They talked about the Monsanto case just as we did. It's good to see that people are talking about this stuff, especially on a college campus where it might be easier to get more people interested. See you all tonight!

Ashley

LINK:
http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/11/12/News/Lawyers.Dispute.Patents.On.Animals.And.Plants-3094496.shtml

Future of Food

Hey y'all.

So, I got bored and was looking up stuff about the video we watched last night for class. I found a website for a conference they held in 2005 to discuss, that's right, the future of food and everything pretty much entailed in the dvd. Here is the link:

http://www.futureoffood.org/

There were a lot of people and of many different professions that attended this.

The info on Wikipedia regarding GM crops also seems pretty reliable - there is a good-sized blurb on the Schmeiser case as well.

GM food info

So before tonight, I would have thought GM just meant General Motors. I am anxious for our conversation next week, as this is a topic that I have given very little thought before tonight. Now, as I munch on my organic (phew!) corn tortilla chips, I am reading up a little bit more on GM foods... here's a pretty realiable looking site with some information: http://pewagbiotech.org/resources/factsheets/display.php3?FactsheetID=2.

Food Related...

Hey all,

So I am planning the Opening Party for the Duke Smart Home (hopefully you guys have heard of it) and my main job has been to research caterers and pick one. Caterers are a topic in and of themselves. However, more interesting to me, we are using compostable, bio-degradable forks and knives instead of plastic ones. I got them from Not Just Paper, which is a store on Main Street between East Campus and Brightleaf Square. It was an awesome store and they have lots of supplies, including eco-friendly stuff that is very affordable (buying in bulk=good). I thought since we've been talking about environmentally friendly food, and food processing, this could be a cool supplement for anyone looking to be more green.

And, by the way, the party Friday is open to anyone and everyone. It's at 7:15 and there'll be free dinner. We're hoping to have the TV's going by then too so we can watch the Bball game. Come stop by if you can! (I couldn't resist... I had to add my plug for the party!)

Baked Oatmeal

So I realize a calorie-dense recipe is not really appropriate for our reading this week... but, it's not fast-food and is delicious when enjoyed every once in a while. If you enjoy the baked oatmeal at the Refectory, you will probably think this is just as tasty. A friend of mine makes it and got her recipe from cooks.com:

1/2 c. oil
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. dry oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix together oil, sugar and eggs. Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt and milk.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve warm with warm milk.

Enjoy :)

Obesity and Poverty

The reading for this week focused on Hispanic children and how poverty and family structure contribute to their obesity. However, Hispanic children are not the only children that face this difficulty. According to the article listed below, there is actually a higher percentage of African-American children ages 12-19 who are obese than Hispanic children. The children are also not the only age group at risk. According to the article, 66% of adults in America are overweight!
http://www.futureofchildren.org/newsletter2861/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=422826

Vertical Farming

Hey guys, I was on the internet looking up info on the basketball team when I came across this article. Its basically about how the population of the world is growing and we are not going to have enought land to grow all the crops we need so people are looking into growing crops in sky scrapers. It seemed like a pretty cool idea, though Im not sure how feasible. Perhaps you environmental people know more than me.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21154137/

AnotherThyme

Seeing Ashley's post on Foster's (also fabulous), I'd like to plug AnotherThyme - it's definately a favorite of mine in Durham, and I have been going there (along with the Q-Shack and Elmo's.. the other "musts" of nearly every family visit) probably for the last 6 years or so ago, when my older brother started at Duke. Unlike many other restaurants in the area, it is a bit smaller, and tends to be quieter and nicer for talking around the table. It's dimly lit, smartly styled interior would also make it a great place for taking a date. Another plus is that is has many vegetarian, and I believe even some vegan, friendly options, and the meat is "free range," for those of us meat-friendly eaters. The wine list is also quite extensive, which the parents and those of us over 21 enjoy...