Thursday evening roundup

Alright, before we get to the food stuff and fun stuff, here's something that should infuriate you whether or not you give a rat's ass about the nation's food system.

How parenting fosters righteous indignation in just about everyone.

The potemkin slaughterhouse that Cargill showed Oprah and her viewers.

The government has come out with aquaculture guidelines.

I'd previously seen the Colbert video on Wyngz (maybe I even posted it?) but I also love Grist's framing here.

Lord Gaga is coming out with a cookbook (I told Jay it was perfect for him).

I also told Jay he was ahead of the trend on talking in Twitter speak. The Express actually spells out some of the acronyms on pg.11. I hope Jay knows to be worried now that I've learned "IWBAPTAKYAIYSTA!"

BTW, when Jay was here I learned all this gay terminology, and when we went to look up some terms in a gay glossary, even he learned something new--disco related injury (DRI). We both found that one very amusing.

I am such a child, because--with all due respect to Fort Wayne, Indiana's former mayor, as I do hope the city he served finds a way to honor him--I think this is hilarious.

Thursday morning roundup

WTF? Someone with a history of violent crime managed to get a job where he had keys to people's apartments (and used them to bludgeon a resident to death)? How does this $hit happen?

I suppose I should read the book (Bill Bryson's book) before making comments, but I can tell you know there's some very selective information here. Please, please, please don't try the paleo diet. See my previous (response to comment) post. That much meat--even grass fed meat--is just gross.

Wow--I've never before heard nursing in public places described as "narcissistic exhibitionism". Wow.

Gail Collins reminds us of what we don't need to worry about.

Response to comments

Well, if we want to talk about "yuck" factor, many foods out there would beat out fake meat (starting with factory-farmed real meat, and ending with, say, cheese puffs or even veggie puffs for that matter). I think fake meat can have the same range of processing, additives, etc.

Remember how, over the holidays, mom harped on how she never should have driven me to "that conference"? What I might have told her was, had I not decided to become a vegetarian then, I'd have come across plenty of other other inspiration along the way. Check out Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," which is as much about the food supply in general as it is about fast food, or Michael Pollan's "Power Steer" and tell me that real meat is less gross than fake. A friend/coworker of mine who was recently staffed to an animal antibiotics job said she didn't want to do it because she was afraid of what she'd learn; she liked meat and wanted to keep eating it. Which is her call. But if we're going to talk about food being 'yuck,' you've got to consider what's in your meat.

See also (and again) the Grist column on how factory farmed salmon really is gross.

***
Back to the topic of binders: I think tofu has its place. It's not something I want to eat every day, but I quite like it (and I'm not afraid of soy--of which, by the way, you get much more through eating soy-fed meat than you do by consuming actual soy products). I'm serving edemame as a snack, and the ice cream is soy based (but really, how much ice cream are people going to have). I'm just going to put maybe a tablespoon of tofu/olive oil/herb in each endive to hold everything together.

Oh and response to comment

Can't really use banana or applesauce for a savory dish (I mean, I want it to taste like roasted vegetables, not like banana). In fact, the brownies I'm making call for banana, but I'm substituting frozen raspberries, because when I first made them according to the recipe, the banana flavor was overwhelming. The silken tofu is a gamble--I'm aiming to simulate the texture and, to some extent, flavor of goat cheese--but it should be pretty cohesive once blended with olive oil.

On that note, I am *in love* with Olave. I really liked Colavita organic, but I switched to Spectrum to try it (a Grist review of organic olive oils recommended it)--it's not awful, but it's not great. Just switched to Olave, and it is amazingly flavorful. So I think I'll blend that with some silken tofu, rosemary, and basil. I don't need the veggies drowning in the mixture--just a little something to anchor them in the endive leaf.

Here's another substitution question: my falafel recipe calls for a couple tablespoons of flour. I don't want to use white flour--maybe I can use chickpea flour?

For the ube pie, I decide to make ube truffles instead. I'll mix the ube with coconut milk and soy milk, maybe with some arrowroot, and then roll in dry coconut and crushed hazelnut. The nice thing about non-bake desserts is that you can experiment as you go--if the first one comes out gross, I can adjust the recipe.

Wednesday evening roundup and ramble

A rambling but interesting look at Egypt's military.

I hope I'm not addicted to anxiety.

Mark Bittman's post on real food is very timely--not just in response to the new nutritional guidelines--but also in terms of my own food journey. I haven't been following Oprah's vegan week, but I was disappointed to read about the role of fake meat in her vegan exploration. I don't have a problem with fake meat as a sometimes food or as a gateway food, but it's not something I want to or can eat regularly, and--unless you're getting organic soy, etc.--it's not especially sustainable. I bring this up now because I've decided to reintroduce small amounts of seafood into my diet. I really, really wanted to give up animal products entirely, at least as part of my regular, at-home diet, but it just didn't work. I realized this because I felt like crap right before leaving for California a few weeks ago, and I'd gained weight (I don't weigh myself, but I could tell). In California, seafood was the best non-meat, non-dairy option, so I ended up ordering it for dinner... and I immediately felt better. Yes, I'm taking B12 supplements, but something was missing, and it might have been extra protein. Which I might have gotten from a boca burger... but I'd rather get it from some wild-caught Gulf shrimp.

This may also explain why my past attempts at going vegan went nowhere (they preceded my pescetarianism, so I was already a vegetarian). I'm committed to a plant-based diet, but I'm also committed to real, unprocessed, and unrefined food. Some vegans make it work by consuming TVP (and/or crap). Even in PCRM's Kickstart, it was hard to find recipes without processed soy or refined grains.

There may be other unprocessed, plant-based foods I'm not thinking of that could help me get that extra protein, but for the time being, eating a little bit of seafood makes me feel a lot better, so I'm going to keep doing it.

All that said, check out Mark Bittman's vegetarian sushi guide. He says brown rice won't work, but I think black rice just might.

Wednesday morning roundup

Y'all know how I feel (well, think) about Tom Friedman (more often than not recycles the same handful of ideas, but occasionally really hits the spot)... but do pay attention when he writes about the Middle East, because his understanding is deep. "Beirut and Jerusalem" was his "Omnivore's Dilemma," i.e. an actually researched, profound, informative book. The analogy being that both he and Michael Pollan have gone on to right fluff that an eighth grader could put together (I mean, food rules? really?). But I digress. I take no issues with what Tom Friedman says here about Egypt, but I'm wary of the qualified analogy to China, i.e. China restricts political freedom but at least offers young people an economic future. Yes and no. China has more educated young people that it can employ outside of factories and farms, and they don't want to work at factories or farms like their parents did (or still do). I keep reading these one-sentence references to the China contrast, and I ask you to take it with a grain of salt, because it's not really substantiated.

Michael Gerson explores the potential politics of Catholicism. On more personal aspects of Catholicism: an iPhone app for your sins.

Don't mess with nursing mothers. I see this as a win-win: maybe people will stay and check out the Hirshhorn's collections, which are awesome. And, as suggested at the end of the article, let's hope we get some inspired art out of the situation.

You're not imagining things: metro escalators are malfunctioning in record proportions.

***
I watched the extraordinary and thought-provoking docudrama, "Endgame," yesterday (it was shown at work). A young(er) Thabo Mbeke was a central figure in the theme (as he was a central figure in the negotiations to end Apartheid), and I'm not sure whether it was sad or inspiring to revisit that heroic side of him, after his shot at governing. I mean, nobody's perfect, and revolutionary leaders often do not make good political leaders, but what's striking about Mbeke's case--let's move this closer to home, away from potential Egypt parallels--is how his denial of basic science was disastrous for his country. Would it have made a difference in South Africa if he'd embraced the link between HIV and AIDS? How can a leader deny that, all while watching a disease devastate his country? And yet, check out the climate denialism in our country. The consequences could be even more tragic, irreversible. Doesn't it infuriate you?

Notes on vegan party planning (suggestions welcome)

Have you noticed--and I'm not sure how this is possible--that Evite has gotten a lot less user-friendly?

***
Food planning for the first vegan/quasi-macrobiotic AVD party is coming along, albeit a few decisions remain:

-I've always done endive boats--they make a fantastic appetizer--but they almost inevitably involve cheese or mayo to hold the contents together. I don't do vegannaise, and that flavor doesn't go with the taste I'm trying to crate. The filling will be roasted vegetables (red peppers, artichokes, kalamata olives, mushrooms)... and now I need a binder and a topping. In the past, I've topped with hazelnuts, but I don't know that those will work with this. I'm already using pecans for the eggplant involtini. Anyway, don't want to use anything too starchy or fishy (i.e. ground flax) for the binder. Any suggestions? Might just do some silken tofu blended with olive oil and herbs.
-seasonings for the kabocha dumplings? maybe a drop of miso, but not a lot.
-ube tarts with coconut frosting, or ube-coconut tarts?
-what to use in the pea dumplings in lieu of parmesan. can't use nutritional yeast--it'll turn people's stomachs upside down if they're not used to it (and I imagine they're not).
-are the pie and brownies going to clash with rather than complement the already strongly flavored ice "cream"?

I don't usually do this (it hasn't occurred to me, and I'm often scrambling come party time) but I'll take pictures of what will be the awesome vegan party food. I'll take some pictures of the food in progress--spring rolls look cooler before they're wrapped, after all.

Tuesday evening roundup

Egypt analysis: economic roots; relevant indicators and indexes; and the search for parallels.

Every day I learn of another vegan celebrity (today: Russell Simmons).

Processed food makes kids dumb.

The Onion on the commemorating Reagan.

Oh, Economist: stop teasing me with the prospect of kid-free planes.

Tuesday morning roundup

How the individual mandate is unequivocally constitutional.

Making government smarter is a very worthwhile investment. Reagan, too, was all over effective government (and raising taxes to fund it).

Residents of DC's wealthiest neighborhoods are taking up arms, literally.

Monday morning roundup

Masha Lipman's column on Russia's seeking an identity and coming to terms with history--here's an excerpt:

The latest initiative to remove Lenin's body may be an attempt by Kremlin loyalists to actually appear to do something progressive while not shifting the fundamental state order nor greatly stirring public passions. Most Russians favor removing Lenin, but the anti-communist ardor of the late '80s and early '90s is gone. Increasingly, the mausoleum, housing a mummy in the heart of a bustling commercial metropolis, looks like a curiosity. Indeed, if the government were interested in stripping Lenin of his last vestiges of sainthood, it might capitalize on the mausoleum as a tourist attraction.

--made me think of the Mercedes commercial during the Superbowl (which, in turn, made me think of Che Guevara t-shirts). How horrified do you think Janis Joplin is at Mercedes Benz using her song to sell cars?

Ross Douthat's column on the Obama administration's foreign policy so oversimplifies things and is so misguided in so many ways that it just makes me angry.

Do see Fareed Zakaria's column on what's going on in Egypt.

There are most definitely things in this country that make for a struggle for working class people. Definitely. That said, it's infuriating when people wield the "it's not fair to poor/working people" argument broadly, on completely unrelated issues, like reusable grocery bags and cleaning the snow off one's car so as not to endanger other drivers. That kind of thing does nothing for "working people."

Sunday morning roundup

It's time to let go of Southern Sudan. That means everyone.

Frank Rich very passionately points out that the revolution in Egypt is about human dignity, not social media. Here are some less articulate thoughts on said revolution. David Broder is not nearly as inarticulate here, but his point is a good one, so I wish he'd made it more clearly.

You know something's up when Saudis are protesting.

Colombia is returning land seized during the conflict.

Here, some returning veterans are turning to organic farming as a productive form of therapy.

DC residents, sick of Pepco's $hit, are investing in home generators.

Saturday morning roundup

Is Kerala's pluralistic society under threat?

Charles Blow looks at the Middle East through data--food prices, income inequality, etc.--and social and governance factors. The trends are eye-opening.

Variations on this theme never get old.

The war on Planned Parenthood.

Virginia, bucking a trend, has managed to get whiter.

E-books have young people reading. And that cat in the picture looks a bit like Gracie.

Wait, you expect me to drive down to Richmond and pay $20 to see a Picasso exhibit? No offense to Richmond, but there'd be more value added by just going to Paris (or Barcelona).

Friday evening roundup

That's f*ed up.

I've actually seen this on both sides, right and left: discredit an idea or initiative by pointing to the worst-case scenario or a problem with the implementation.

I find this article on why most Americans don't travel abroad somewhat condescending. That said--since they specifically mention Nicaragua as a place people are wary of based on misconceptions--when I was about to leave for Nicaragua, numerous people--people who themselves traveled abroad--said things like, "isn't there a war there??" [no, hadn't been for over a decade] and other such things. I traveled there largely alone (mind you, I got stalked by a crack dealer at one point, but even that wasn't that scary), and it was fine. I found it even more amusing that Nicaraguans had similar reactions to DC ("You shouldn't leave your hotel after 6pm!"), so there are interesting ideas everywhere.

Friday morning roundup

Why the lack of burning flags and effigies may not entirely be a good thing. Although I'm not convinced that's a bad thing.

Experts--and I use that word very carefully--are thinking the Indonesia model is the most likely.

Cuba's nascent private sector is showing signs of life.

Paying for health care in the aftermath of the Tuscon shooting.

It's everyone's Constitution.

Chef Rene Verdon has passed away. A note from his obituary:

...Mr. Verdon championed seasonal, local food long before it became fashionable. He grew vegetables on the White House roof and herbs in the East Garden.

"I cooked everything fresh," he told the New York Times in 2009. "If the ingredients are superb, then the cooking can be, and must be, simple."

Stuff from the Express that I'd forgotten to blog about

Some very unusual in-air requests to flight attendants.

How cool-looking are these monkeys?

The RM in "the Roommate" makes my RM look good (i.e., normal, with a grasp of boundaries).

Phone call

I just had one of those mildly infuriating conversations with my parents, throughout the course of which I actively made a point to, and succeeded in, keeping a level tone, even when mom started to raise her voice.

Dad: We're still digging out, but it's nice to have had a couple of days without snowfall. How is it where you are?
A.: Not bad at all. It hasn't snowed since last Friday.
Dad: Still snow on the ground?
A.: Yeah, but it's manageable.
Dad: When did we last talk?
A.: Saturday.
Dad: Oh, yeah--the fence guy was outside. Did he come in with an estimate?
A.: Yup: $2,200.
Dad: What was the first one again?
A.: $1,670.
Dad: What are you going to do?
A.: Take a couple of weeks to think about whether I live without a fence in my front yard and go from there. I really, really don't want to spend the money.
Dad: And yet, it's gotten to the point where you're clearly thinking about it.
A.: It's a functional thing: if I have a fence, people feel less free to walk into my yard. When I got back from Boston, I found wrapping paper in my recycling bin, which is to the side of my house. I'm just not thrilled with people walking through the yard.
Dad: Makes sense. You don't want to just by the panels?
A.: No, we've been over this: I can't use pre-fab panels because they don't fit my yard, which is 14'+3'+12.5'. There's no way to make panels that come in 5' or 6' segments work with that. I mean, there is on the 12.5' side, but not on the 14' side, even with an asymmetrical gate.
Mom: You should get more than one estimate.
A.: I've gotten two. I'm ready to either get this done or let it go.
Mom: And then it will just fall down like the back fence.
A.: Totally different situation, mom. It's aluminum, and it's short.
Mom: That doesn't mean it won't fall down! You'll pay all that and it can still fall down!
A.: It's guaranteed. It's just still expensive.
Mom: How much are the panels?
A.: The panels are not the point. Did you hear what I just told dad?
Mom: I picked up in the middle of that.
A.: [repeats the symmetry issue].
Dad: So the $1600 includes labor?
A.: Yeah.
Mom: It may still fall down.
A.: [Shrug]
Mom: Don't you have people you can ask about this stuff?
A.: No. Whom am I supposed to ask about this stuff? That would be the subset of people in this area who have houses that didn't already come with fences, who have had them installed. Actually, I was talking to one of my colleagues about this, and he said he was surprised the first estimate, which was the only one I'd had at the time, hadn't come in for more. The second guy told me they charge an additional $650 if you require less than 75' of fencing.
Mom: Well, can't you find someone handy to help?
A.: Help with what?? Welding the metal? Because that's the alternative to buying it and getting it installed.
Mom: Well, consider all your options.
A.: I will.

***
I don't know why people feel the need to repeat platitudes when you're in the process of making a complicated decision. It's just not helpful. At least they're kind of supportive.

All-over-the-place roundup

I find Richard Cohen's suggestion overly simplistic and short-sighted. See here for a more nuanced perspective.

***
This review of Stanley Fish's new book is awesome and timely. I was just having this conversation with Mirella either before 'Alvin Ailey' or during one of the intermissions.

Mirella: Alexa [her daughter], upon seeing an amazing dance performance, criticized me for not putting her in dance lessons. I told her 'you either have it or you don't.'
A.: I couldn't disagree with you more.
M.: Really?
A.: Absolutely.
M.: It's natural talent.
A.: And a lot of practice.
M.: Practice will get you nowhere if you don't have talent.
A.: You can discover talent if you practice.
M.: I've seen amazing technical dancers who lack soul.
A.: That's true... soul matters. But technical skill helps you find your soul when you have something to say.
M.: If you were to seek artistic expression, what medium would you use?
A.: Writing.
M.: Can't be taught. [Her father was a renowned writer and poet].
A.: Of course it can!
M.: Maybe prose, but not poetry.
A.: Perhaps; but prose can also be art.

***
Mirella also took a good five minutes telling me how good my skin looked. She said I looked years younger. To be honest, I can't really tell the difference anymore, but hearing it doesn't get old. I don't know if it's an absence of animal products or a surge in winter vegetables, or a combination of both, but I guess it's working. But here's how I really know my ship has come in: undone hair is in.

Thursday morning roundup

Diaspora Egyptians are as worried as they are excited. There are a lot of unknowns, and a lot to lose. Things have turned violent and journalists are getting attacked. On a more positive note, the Muslim Brotherhood is not the threat some people think it is. And I'm not confounding the MB with AQ, but keep this very important reality in mind:

“There’s part of this that’s dangerous to Al Qaeda,” said Juan Zarate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who was a top counterterrorism official during George W. Bush’s administration. “If the street protests lead to a peaceful, pluralistic transition, that does huge damage to the Al Qaeda narrative,” he said. That narrative holds that authoritarian pro-American governments should be deposed by violent jihad.

Oh, and does anyone else think that the level of complexity of what's happening in Egypt is best addressed in forums other than Twitter?

Lobbying may no longer be a growth industry.

Actually, I thought "the Anointed" was quite memorable, but I agree: the Alvin Ailey performance I saw this week was very good, but not the best.

I don't think anyone should have to defend their food choices, and I'm certainly sick of defending mine. Which is why I think this woman's response to her mother-in-law's inane comment was spot on. As for the mother-in-law: don't dish it out if you can't take it. The take-away is on the second page: let's make food a comment-free zone (well, when people are eating; obviously I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss food in the abstract).

What's remarkable about Mark Bittman's first official food column (i.e., first one officially on food politics, rather than food preparation) is that none of those points are the least bit revolutionary in theory, which only serves to emphasize how revolutionary they are in reality, because none of that is happening.

Wednesday evening roundup

First of all, bless the groundhog.

Alright, let's talk about Egypt: On secular governments; a revolution absent of ideology; why there's little room or role for jihadists; and why repression never means stability (some excellent points in that one).

Stromberg defends himself--well, his analysis of SP's SOTU response--against slams from what he calls the conspirosphere.

You're not imagining things; lots of medical research is wrong.

The Post finds itself jumping on the vegetarian bandwagon, even when writing about Superbowl party snack ideas. You know the times are changing when a mainstream paper pushes plant-based food for Superbowl parties. Just don't tell some people.

By now you know what's in your taco, but are you also aware of the antibiotics in your milk?

You do know that I'm the first to roll my eyes at the idea that healthy food is elitist, but I also roll my eyes at these people and their plastic-free month. Do any of them bring a lunch to work? Glass, you say? Do you take public transportation to work?

Science tells women not to settle.

I'm more with Dowd than Halevi here. More on Israeli concerns here. Meanwhile, in DC, lobbyists are gearing up.

It's a good week to not be in the Midwest.

What does the President's emphasis on science mean for the humanities? And by humanities, we also mean critical thinking skills. Which brings me to another review--Elizabeth Kolbert's--of "Tiger Mother". This excerpt begins with an excerpt from the book:

I didn’t care about the rights of criminals the way others did, and I froze whenever a professor called on me. I also wasn’t naturally skeptical and questioning; I just wanted to write down everything the professor said and memorize it.

“Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” exhibits much the same lack of interest in critical thinking. It’s breezily written, at times entertaining, and devoid of anything approaching introspection.

Yeah, no offense to Barbara Bush or anything, but I was wondering who the f* cared about her endorsement. Then again, maybe it matters more than one might have thought.

On the topic of other celebrity endorsements that hopefully matter more than I think they will: it's vegan week on Oprah.