Of Pink Slime and Pollen

Mm-mm good photo, courtesy of Uptown Magazine

I first heard of the pink slime controversy over a turkey sandwich lunch with a friend. When she described all the beef trimmings and by-products being ground up to--well--pink slime, my first reaction was, "how economical!" How almost Native American of us, using every last bit of the beef. Besides, despite the 85% grass-fed organic beef my family eats, there's still the 5% of God-knows-what-kind-of-beef-and-meat-products we consume in our beloved hot dogs and the 10% of close-your-eyes-and-hope-for-the-best beef we eat out in restaurants.

"But they soak it in ammonia or something, to clean off the e. Coli!" my friend added, since I didn't look properly grossed-out enough.

"They've been dipping chicken parts in chlorine baths forever, and we all keep eating chicken," I pointed out.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm a fan of pink slime in kids' school cafeteria meals, but I figure anytime I let my kids buy lunch, they're eating Downed-Cow Stroganoff or Chlorine-Bathed-Overbred-Chicken Nuggets. I know it's crap, but I still let them buy once a week. And pink slime is edible, as much as hot dogs are, so I'm not gonna get too bent out of shape. Once in a while is fine. Not ideal, but fine. Check out this Food Safety News article for more information on pink slime's general okayness.

For those in the pink slime biz, however, I would recommend they hire a good PR agency. Look what wonders it did orange roughy, after it changed its name from Slimehead. "Slimeheads" didn't exactly fly off the menu, but we're all happy to eat orange roughy nearly to the collapse of its fishing industry. Would we be more willing to stomach pink slime, if we knew it as "Dairy Delight" or "Strawberry Soft Serve"?

If you're of the mind that pink slime by any name would still reek, it might be time to switch to organic, pastured beef. At our Bellevue Farmers Market, several of our farmers sell top-quality beef, chicken and pork. No slime, no where. When the Market opens May 10, get the farmers' opinions on the slime controversy. Ask about their processing practices. What happens to their by-products? I'm curious myself.

Speaking of the Market, another friend came for tea, and I offered her some local honey I'd bought at the Market last fall to sweeten it. Turns out she'd been at Pike Place Market recently, where one of the honey vendors advertised honey's effectiveness in combating hay fever(!). I hadn't heard this tidbit, but being a hay fever sufferer, I'm perfectly willing to dose myself, even just for a placebo effect. There are no published studies yet--just anecdotal evidence--but the recommendation is for local honey (i.e., local pollens), two teaspoons per day. Easy peasy. Can't hurt, might help.

Have a great week!

Back to the Future Food

Stole this pic from ifood.tv

I was at a potluck brunch this morning and was amazed to find, among the offerings, Tater Tot Casserole and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dog Chunks. When I marveled at these comfort-food throwbacks, one woman said, "Now, why didn't I think of that? Tater Tots, hamburger, and a can of cream of mushroom." Another added, "Retro food is in. I saw a recipe for that green, layered Jell-O salad."

Retro food is indeed in. My own twelve-year-old daughter told me the next dessert she wants to learn to make is Knox Blox! Having grown up on '70s food like meatloaf and mac & cheese and fish sticks (varied by Chinese specialties which my mom made from scratch--she made her own pot sticker wrappers!!--because there was not yet any such thing as processed Chinese food), I understand the appeal. Sometimes you just crave something churned out in your childhood by Big Ag. To paraphrase Michael Pollan's urgings to eat "Real Food," sometimes you just want to eat something fake.

I wonder if the renewed yearnings for convenience food concoctions come as a backlash to the naggings of the organic/sustainable/local/"real"/holier-than-thou movement, of which I am a part. Now we not only have to eat to live, but we have to eat to salve our consciences and save the world. And what we eat to accomplish these lofty goals changes. One week it's raw, the next it's pastured, the next it's vegan, the next it's hydroponic. Meat kills us. No--it's sugar. No--it's carbs in general. Scratch that--it's pasteurization and antibiotics!

At least everyone agrees those delightful convenience dishes masquerading as food are awful for you and going to kill you. The reasons they're going to kill you may vary, food study by food study, but no one is going to argue that Tater Tot Casserole increases longevity or is in any way traceable to actual plants and animals grown on sweet little farms. It's fake, it'll kill you eventually, and it tastes awesome. Sometimes we just want that simplicity.

The challenge to the good food movement will be going beyond the reasons why we "should" choose certain foods over others, to creating a culture of comfort and joy around good foods. We reach for that fruit or vegetable, that sausage or cheese or salmon filet, those dried beans or foraged mushrooms, not because we oughtta but because we want to. Because we know the farmers and swap recipes and questions and tips with them. Because those foods remind us of the farmers market, where we hear music and run into friends and sometimes treat ourselves to a fresh, luscious meal at a picnic table. Because those foods remind us of our mom, or when the family came together at the end of the day to talk about our lives.

I just know when my kids hit their teenage years, they'll make some lousy food choices just to bug me (processed foods as adolescent rebellion!). But I'm hoping, when they hit middle age, the comfort food they reach for will be the good stuff--not just because it tastes good, but also because it reminds them of those good, simple times.