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[figment]

Inspired by Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, I stopped at the grocery store last night and then cooked up a variety of things as soon as I got home. I was probably also influenced by the fact that I just came back from Germany where I was, of course, not cooking, and was eating in unusual-for-me ways; it's nice to get back to the kitchen after something like that.

In the grocery store, I followed some of Pollan's advice, and looked for foods that were local, organic, and genuinely whole - I came out with organic green onions, beets, parsley, and apples from Pennsylvania (it was the closest I could find), an orange, tofu, and tempeh (the most suspect item I purchased). When I got home I hauled out the eggplant and green beans that needed using up too. I made 4.5 dishes: beet salad, oven fried/baked eggplant, baked BBQ tofu, a concoction of fried onions, green beans, garlic, and beet greens, and (the .5) most of tabouleh, without the tomatoes for now. We had all of the completed items for dinner: yum.

The book isn't much of a surprise to anyone who pays attention to food or who's read The Omnivore's Dilemma, but it's a good quick read and has some interesting support in it. I especially like this piece of advice: Avoid food products containing ingredients that are (a) unfamiliar, (b) unpronounceable, (c) more than five in number, or that include (d) high-fructose corn syrup. I won't necessarily never eat those things, mind you, but it was an interesting exercise to really think about that as I went to the store. Not much of a change from how I already shop, mind you, but an interesting exercise none the less.

Comments

Pollan

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I've tried internalizing his advice, although most of it I've been doing already. His most interesting -- and hardest to follow -- advice is to eat meals and not snack. We're very much a snack culture; I never realized how much I do until I started paying attention.

In any case, I was very happy with my dinner last night (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/magazine/17food-t.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=magazine):

Lamb Ragù

1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
3 pounds ground lamb leg or shoulder
1 cup tomato paste
3 cups hearty red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
Freshly ground black pepper
Pici, bucatini or pappardelle, cooked al dente
Grated Parmesan.

1. Using a food processor, purée the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to a coarse paste.

2. Coat a large pan generously with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the puréed vegetables, season with salt and cook until all the water has evaporated and the vegetables begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently and be patient. (This is where the big flavors develop.)

3. Add the lamb, season generously with salt and cook until it is browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Brown food tastes good; don’t rush this step.)

4. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the red wine, rosemary and bay leaves. Cook at a lively simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the thyme bundle and enough water to cover the lamb by about 1 inch. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring and tasting frequently and adding more water as it evaporates. Skim the fat off the surface. Remove the bay leaves and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with al dente pasta and serve with grated Parmesan. Serves 6 to 8. Adapted from Centro Vinoteca in Manhattan.

All simple ingredients, and delicious when combined.

B

Re: Pollan

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

Aw, man, I *love* snacks. And snacking. The advice I always heard was "several small meals", and snacking doesn't seem too dissimilar, really. I guess it depends on definition, and what the foods are; I think the term is often synonymous with junk food, which isn't always accurate (at least for me).

Re: Pollan

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

What Pollan says is not to snack, but to eat meals. If your snacks are really just small meals, you're probably fine. But as you say, most people snack on junk food, which (I hope) no one would call a "meal" if they ate enough of it...

As jgs says, the heart of Pollan's advice is summed up in the 7 words that are on the cover: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. You're probably doing most of that already, although sometimes I look at vegetarian meat substitutes and wonder whether it's really healthy to eat something with all that bizarro stuff in it.

Re: Pollan

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

That does sound good. I don't have too much trouble with not snacking on munchies... but I look at the coffee cup on my desk and know that I'm still consuming calories throughout the day whenever I fill that thing up.

The thing I have trouble with is eating at a table. I lunch at my desk frequently. Azure and I commonly eat dinner (together) on the couch, while watching a movie or something. But I think as long as you can avoid eating mindlessly, and alone, you'll be okay.

Re: Pollan

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about eating at the table. It's code for "don't eat mindlessly."

B

[gunn.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmmm. I love cooking, and whole ingredients are the way to go. Hive five, lady!

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Yeah!

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

[jgs42.livejournal.com]

I haven't read IDoF yet, but of course I've heard about it from many sources and it's on my list. I do like the pithy summary: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." It rings very true, and is one of those deceptively simple slogans -- the kind that makes you say, I knew that... but I doubt I could actually have distilled it to seven words.

I'm currently reading The Secret History of the War on Cancer (http://www.devradavis.com/) which has more than you would think in common with this subject and is another good quick (but scary) read.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

That pithy little slogan is a good one, and you're right about it. It's also one of those things that gets more complicated (in some ways) as you look at it - like coming to terms with the idea that not everything edible is really "food".

The book you're reading sounds interesting - I just ordered that from the AU library.

[ethel.livejournal.com]

Eric just got this book from Amazon yesterday!

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Enjoy reading it! It's a quick read but definitely a good one.

Pollan

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Yes. It's a really fast read.

B

Re: Pollan

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I finished it in a little over a day.

[whitefox77.livejournal.com]

And what do you do if you've found that you don't like the taste of most plants? Aside from the apple and orange on your list, there wasn't anything there I would consider buying...

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

And what do you do if you've found that you don't like the taste of most plants?
Try more varieties of plants; prepare them in different ways. Figure out which ones you do like and eat them. Do you like spinach or other dark leafy greens? Those are really good for you.