Another recipe and photo free post. Sorry, I've discovered that this is not only an opportunity to share cooking experiences, but a great place to vent. So read or don't read, these are my thoughts on fast food.
Entrepreneurship class is a waste of my time, at least 99.99% of the time. Today, even though the movie we watched had very little educational value (no matter how relevant Mr. Clayton insists it is) I was actually, for once, interested. When the video started I was less than surprised to see Ray Kroc was the focus, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of modern times, and certainly one of the most influential men in the history of the food industry.
I'm not a fan of McDonald's restaurants, really not a fan of fast food in general, and Ray Kroc gave me one more reason to dislike them. I don't enjoy eating at fast food places because I feel like I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I know it's not good for me, I generally perceive everything about them to be rather dirty, and the fact that the food is so cheaply made makes me wonder if it's really, well, even food at all. I'm not a complete heath nut, but I'm conscious enough that Hardy's, Wendy's, White Castle, Taco Bell, Burger King, and so on just don't make my nutritional cut. I can't complete dismiss these establishments on the basis of their actual food, however. I will admit, some of it does taste decently good and they certainly have their place in today's world. More than anything though I dislike the concept on which fast food restaurants were founded and now continue to flourish.
I wouldn't even consider the McDonald brothers, who actually opened the original McDonald's in California, any type of chefs. They first started a movie theater in an attempt to make their fortune in the business world, and only decided to start a restaurant after observing the success of a hotdog stand on a nearby corner. The two opened their own hotdog stand that eventually evolved into a drive-up restaurant complete with carhops. The motivation behind the establishment, revenue. And that's exactly what Ray Kroc, pure salesman, had in mind when he became involved with the McDonald brothers.
Ray Kroc was undeniably a business genius. The globalization of McDonald's was initiated by his nation wide franchising campaign. Without him, McDonald's would have remained a single self-service burger joint in California. So what's my issue? What do I have against a self-made billionaire, and even most other fast food corporations?
Their food isn't about anything more than expansion. Than industry advancement. Than revenue. The idea at the core of any fast food restaurant is increasing speed and efficiency, minimizing cost, and maximizing profit. There is no love in the billions of hamburgers sold by McDonald's, their is only the motivation to make money. McDonald's is the way it is because they've found a way to capitalize on the vulnerable appetites of the ever fatter American population, and have no problem doing so. In the case of McDonald's, and really all it's competitors, it is quantity over quality. Who cares what's in the food as long as people are guzzling them down fast enough to fill a paycheck?
For those of those who loves McDonald's I suppose this really is of no concern. If you like the food who cares what the people making it think? I guess, with a real love for good wholesome food, my viewpoint is a little different. I hate to think so many capitalize on food without really haven't any respect for it, or for the people eating it. As I've said, and continue to believe, food is about love. There is no love in a BigMac.
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Forty Days and Forty Nights
Lent starts Wednesday. And I like a challenge. A while after I decided to give up the dynamic peanut butter/chocolate duo it dawned on me, "oh dear, forty days of no chocolate or peanut butter on my blog!" And then I remembered that it's been quite some time since either showed up on anyway and decided it was a loss that could be afforded. (This does mean, however, that the weekend Lent ends there will be a fantastically rich peanut butter and chocolate recipe up here! Can't end a forty day fast without something epic.)
I suppose I'll have to come up with something equally delicious in meantime, more for my purposes than yours! I'm a dessert addict and if you have any recommendations as to how I can fill the gap between now and then without going insane, let me know! Not only will I make it and try it, but you'll see it up here :) Mrs. Browning gave me a magazine article on some fruit based cakes that look fantastic, and I think I'm going to try my hand a creme brulee! So don't give up on me just yet, more deliciousness is to come!
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Ok, so I wrote that this morning. The morning of Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, and before I went to school and saw Supersize Me. I don't really eat fast food, so it really wasn't a big eye opener or anything, but the cool thing about the movie I think is that even if you are a McAddict, you can still relate. The whole movie is about obesity issues in general and it talks about sources other than the fast food industry. I won't lie, even though the issues pointed out in the video are mostly ones I have learned to avoid, I still have my own messy habits that contribute to me not being the size of a rail (which I'm not necessarily docking, so don't go all haywire on me). So it got me thinking. I have given up peanut butter and chocolate before (so to those of you who think I can't do it, know I have already succeeded once!) and maybe I could raise the bar a little more this year.
So here's what I'm thinking... What if I take the whole Supersize Me experiment and reverse it? Morgan swore to eat only products sold at McDonald's for thirty days, what if I swear myself off processed food for forty? Including chocolate and peanut butter. Obviously a direct foil of his mission would be to give up fast food, but I don't eat fast food anyway so that doesn't seem like much of a challenge. I'm proposing that I not only swear myself off of peanut butter and chocolate but all processed, packaged, or ready to eat food. Meaning... anything straight from a package or carton is off limits. Basically no chips, no ice cream, no crackers, no candy bars, no cereal, nothing meant to go straight from the shelf to your mouth. To a certain degree at least. I could prepare packaged foods like oatmeal, or used canned tomatoes to make pasta sauce, or cook pasta or rice, things of that nature. But toasting a pop tart doesn't fall in that category, nor does baking a Tombstone pizza. See where I'm headed?
And by the way, eating food from a restaraunt would be limited to once a week. Fast food is obviously out of bounds, anything that is pretty much just reheated at the restaraunt is automatically off limits, but otherwise I can order food at MOST once a week from any establishment, discluding non-caloric beverages (what if I want to get some tea ;) ).
Unlike others, and this a sick little part of me, I think this sounds fun. I like a challenge. And I'm going to do it. Hopefully that means you'll be hearing from me more rather than less. After all, I'm going to have to prepare my own food more often and come up with some creative ways to indulge, of course sharing my experiments all along the way. I've been wanting to factor some heathier habits into my lifestyle, and I always seem to use Lent as an excuse to do so. Here goes nothing...
I suppose I'll have to come up with something equally delicious in meantime, more for my purposes than yours! I'm a dessert addict and if you have any recommendations as to how I can fill the gap between now and then without going insane, let me know! Not only will I make it and try it, but you'll see it up here :) Mrs. Browning gave me a magazine article on some fruit based cakes that look fantastic, and I think I'm going to try my hand a creme brulee! So don't give up on me just yet, more deliciousness is to come!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, so I wrote that this morning. The morning of Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, and before I went to school and saw Supersize Me. I don't really eat fast food, so it really wasn't a big eye opener or anything, but the cool thing about the movie I think is that even if you are a McAddict, you can still relate. The whole movie is about obesity issues in general and it talks about sources other than the fast food industry. I won't lie, even though the issues pointed out in the video are mostly ones I have learned to avoid, I still have my own messy habits that contribute to me not being the size of a rail (which I'm not necessarily docking, so don't go all haywire on me). So it got me thinking. I have given up peanut butter and chocolate before (so to those of you who think I can't do it, know I have already succeeded once!) and maybe I could raise the bar a little more this year.
So here's what I'm thinking... What if I take the whole Supersize Me experiment and reverse it? Morgan swore to eat only products sold at McDonald's for thirty days, what if I swear myself off processed food for forty? Including chocolate and peanut butter. Obviously a direct foil of his mission would be to give up fast food, but I don't eat fast food anyway so that doesn't seem like much of a challenge. I'm proposing that I not only swear myself off of peanut butter and chocolate but all processed, packaged, or ready to eat food. Meaning... anything straight from a package or carton is off limits. Basically no chips, no ice cream, no crackers, no candy bars, no cereal, nothing meant to go straight from the shelf to your mouth. To a certain degree at least. I could prepare packaged foods like oatmeal, or used canned tomatoes to make pasta sauce, or cook pasta or rice, things of that nature. But toasting a pop tart doesn't fall in that category, nor does baking a Tombstone pizza. See where I'm headed?
And by the way, eating food from a restaraunt would be limited to once a week. Fast food is obviously out of bounds, anything that is pretty much just reheated at the restaraunt is automatically off limits, but otherwise I can order food at MOST once a week from any establishment, discluding non-caloric beverages (what if I want to get some tea ;) ).
Unlike others, and this a sick little part of me, I think this sounds fun. I like a challenge. And I'm going to do it. Hopefully that means you'll be hearing from me more rather than less. After all, I'm going to have to prepare my own food more often and come up with some creative ways to indulge, of course sharing my experiments all along the way. I've been wanting to factor some heathier habits into my lifestyle, and I always seem to use Lent as an excuse to do so. Here goes nothing...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Move by Yourself
I realize that I have lied to you. I do believe in my first true post I claimed I would fill this page with chocolate and peanut butter flooded recipes, but I have not! The two birthday cakes and those molten brownies of killer (probably literally...) goodness had chocolate, but alas, not even one mention of peanut butter!!! What a travesty!!! Or maybe not...
As much as I love both of these fantastically divine substances, I've led myself to believe that it's within my best interest to shy away. At one, very brief, point, I had mastered the art of baking without excessive taste testing. I could make a dozen batches of cookies and be perfectly content without nibbling on even one. But I eventually came around and realized that it's almost as fun to eat my delectable creations as it is to bake them (though not quite!). In my ever-going, and sometimes ever-failing, effort to be more health conscious, I've tried to turn myself away from baking and focus more on cooking. I still bake, don't get me wrong! But I try to keep it to special occasions and gifts; if I give it away I can't eat it all!
Unfortunately I'm not a very great cook. Even less fortunately, I seem to have very unique taste buds. Moroccan stew and crazy artichoke tortillas don't appeal to everybody, neither does the roasted butternut squash soup that I recently conjured and failed to photograph. It used to bother me a little that if I made dinner at my house, I was often the only one eating it. My dad's a little adventurous, and sometimes half-heartedly embarks on my vegan/vegetarian/ethnic culinary experiments, but in the end nobody's anywhere near as enthusiastic as I am. The recipes I'm drawn to usually are full of spices like cumin and cinnamon, or fresh Italian herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil, and so on. But they hardly ever have meat. Probably have meat like .01% of the time. And so my family and my friends watch as I stir in chickpeas, squash, lentils, and any random vegetable I can get my hands on, wondering why in the world I could possibly want to eat the concoction I'm stirring.
I'm starting to learn not to care. I've stopped inviting others into my precious kitchen space to observe my prized work in progress, because I now know the reaction I'm about to get isn't the one I was hoping for. But does that really matter? Who cares if anybody else takes the slightest interest in my personal endeavors? To a certain degree I guess I do, otherwise I wouldn't ask so mainly fruitless times for an awe-struck smile I won't receive. I am, however, beginning to feed off my own thrill from cooking. I'm beginning to submerge myself in my own satisfaction with the warmth of my dishes. I suppose this blog may contribute to that, the fact that I can post pictures and write about the wrongs, rights, disappoinments, joys, and lessons learned of my efforts. Here I can pretend that somebody has the same reaction I do, pretend that somebody clicks on a picture of my latest interest and appreciates the outcome.
Ultimately, I think what's important is that I cook for myself. When I try to pick recipes that accomodate others and step outside of what really engages my interest my heart isn't in it. More than anything, food is about love. If you take the elements out of what you do that differentiate it as yours, you lose passion, you remove the love. Without that most critical element, our own secret ingredient, our pursuits are merely a recipe for disaster. In everything you do, make it your own and don't let anybody take it away from you. Those who cannot recognize the passion and zeal in your efforts are the ones missing out, and you shouldn't deprive yourself for their error.
As much as I love both of these fantastically divine substances, I've led myself to believe that it's within my best interest to shy away. At one, very brief, point, I had mastered the art of baking without excessive taste testing. I could make a dozen batches of cookies and be perfectly content without nibbling on even one. But I eventually came around and realized that it's almost as fun to eat my delectable creations as it is to bake them (though not quite!). In my ever-going, and sometimes ever-failing, effort to be more health conscious, I've tried to turn myself away from baking and focus more on cooking. I still bake, don't get me wrong! But I try to keep it to special occasions and gifts; if I give it away I can't eat it all!
Unfortunately I'm not a very great cook. Even less fortunately, I seem to have very unique taste buds. Moroccan stew and crazy artichoke tortillas don't appeal to everybody, neither does the roasted butternut squash soup that I recently conjured and failed to photograph. It used to bother me a little that if I made dinner at my house, I was often the only one eating it. My dad's a little adventurous, and sometimes half-heartedly embarks on my vegan/vegetarian/ethnic culinary experiments, but in the end nobody's anywhere near as enthusiastic as I am. The recipes I'm drawn to usually are full of spices like cumin and cinnamon, or fresh Italian herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil, and so on. But they hardly ever have meat. Probably have meat like .01% of the time. And so my family and my friends watch as I stir in chickpeas, squash, lentils, and any random vegetable I can get my hands on, wondering why in the world I could possibly want to eat the concoction I'm stirring.
I'm starting to learn not to care. I've stopped inviting others into my precious kitchen space to observe my prized work in progress, because I now know the reaction I'm about to get isn't the one I was hoping for. But does that really matter? Who cares if anybody else takes the slightest interest in my personal endeavors? To a certain degree I guess I do, otherwise I wouldn't ask so mainly fruitless times for an awe-struck smile I won't receive. I am, however, beginning to feed off my own thrill from cooking. I'm beginning to submerge myself in my own satisfaction with the warmth of my dishes. I suppose this blog may contribute to that, the fact that I can post pictures and write about the wrongs, rights, disappoinments, joys, and lessons learned of my efforts. Here I can pretend that somebody has the same reaction I do, pretend that somebody clicks on a picture of my latest interest and appreciates the outcome.
Ultimately, I think what's important is that I cook for myself. When I try to pick recipes that accomodate others and step outside of what really engages my interest my heart isn't in it. More than anything, food is about love. If you take the elements out of what you do that differentiate it as yours, you lose passion, you remove the love. Without that most critical element, our own secret ingredient, our pursuits are merely a recipe for disaster. In everything you do, make it your own and don't let anybody take it away from you. Those who cannot recognize the passion and zeal in your efforts are the ones missing out, and you shouldn't deprive yourself for their error.
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