The F$$d P$lice are C$ming

[coolian2]

Bit off-topic, but one thing that really surprised me when living in China was the speed with which East Asians have taken to dairy products

shush, that's keeping the new zealand economy afloat!

 

[financeguy]

Not at all surprising. Anybody who has done any research at all into the dairy lobby knows this. iron horse is still plugging his ears away, having apparently done zero research about the impact that dairy has had on human health.

Harvard Declares Dairy NOT Part of a Healthy Diet | Care2 Healthy Living

Unfortunately American cheese is mostly mass-produced bland stuff, maybe this is partially why anti-dairy propaganda is gaining so much traction in the US these days.

American Cheese, What Does It Really Say About America? - Broowaha

I like a nibble of Stilton or Cashel Blue after a meal in a good restaurant.

English Cheese

Irish Cheese

I admit to a weakness for Brie and even 45%+ fat Camembert. Of course, like all luxuries, fine cheeses should not be consumed to great excess.

If God expected us to live on lettuce leaves and soya, he would not have given us cows to milk now would he!

 

[Irvine511]

Unfortunately American cheese is mostly mass-produced bland stuff, maybe this is partially why anti-dairy propaganda is gaining so much traction in the US these days.

actually, there are wonderful artisan cheeses available produced all over the US. it's kind of like with beer -- sure, Budweiser is basically water, but every city is awash in microbreweries.

i am all about the Stilton as well.

 

[financeguy]

actually, there are wonderful artisan cheeses available produced all over the US.

Oh sure. I read an article about a woman that runs a small business producing artisan cheese in the US on (I think) the Bloomberg site recently.

it's kind of like with beer -- sure, Budweiser is basically water, but every city is awash in microbreweries.

i am all about the Stilton as well.

I tend to prefer US beers to European, whether artisan or mass market varieties. Budweiser is the Elixir of the Gods compared to European mass market beers like Heineken or Carlsberg.

 

[yolland]

There are several nationally renowned artisanal cheesemakers (mostly goat's) within maybe an hour's drive or so of where we live. But virtually all their product is immediately exported to the East Coast and Chicago, primarily because not enough locals can afford it. Kind of like what's happened with catfish aquaculture where I grew up--as recently as when my parents arrived there in the 60s, it was still the local poor man's staple (and looked down on as such by others); nowadays virtually all the domestic supply is still produced there, but virtually all of it gets exported to the East Coast, where it doubtless goes into some chic Vietnamese fusion dish or something, as it's become too pricey for locals.

It's fair to say though that an awful lot of Americans remain very squeamish about any cheese that looks or smells like it might actually taste like cheese, as opposed to a comfortingly flavorless blanket of melty goop coating your entree (or here in the Midwest, perfectly uniform waxy shreds heaped over your "salad" ).

shush, that's keeping the new zealand economy afloat!

lol, really? Never occurred to me that milk might be being imported from that far away. Really shouldn't surprise me though, since most of the chicken I bought there came from the US.

 

[financeguy]

Well, the thing about good cheese is that it should actually smell, in some cases quite pungently. Which takes some getting used to, granted.

In typical US convenience stores, can you buy half-decent pre-packaged cheeses at all? Do any of the large supermarkets have cheese counters (where there are both pre-packaged and artisan cheeses on display, and an attendant in a white coat cuts up the latter for customers, much like in a butcher shop), or are they only available in specialised outlets?

 

[yolland]

Definitely only in specialized outlets (cheese shops, ethnic markets, gourmet delis, a few farmer's markets) to be found in big cities, wealthier towns, some college towns. (And probably some high-end supermarkets, too--we don't have any stores by that description where I live though, so I couldn't say for sure.)

 

[financeguy]

Ok. In Ireland I can remember when even mid-market chains typically had cheese counters in larger stores, but they seem to have become less common over time. Superquinn, a high-end supermarket chain, still has them in most stores.

 

[coolian2]

lol, really? Never occurred to me that milk might be being imported from that far away. Really shouldn't surprise me though, since most of the chicken I bought there came from the US.

really really. even including the travel costs, i pay more for locally produced dairy products than i would pay in china or the middle east for nz made dairy products.

if it wasn't for china and such subsiding our milk my morning coffee would cost the earth.

 

[corianderstem]

I heard we were talking about cheese in here. I love cheese.

Can we keep talking about cheese?

FUCK YEAH, CHEESE!

 

[Canadiens1131]

I tend to prefer US beers to European, whether artisan or mass market varieties. Budweiser is the Elixir of the Gods compared to European mass market beers like Heineken or Carlsberg.

 

[Irvine511]

I tend to prefer US beers to European, whether artisan or mass market varieties. Budweiser is the Elixir of the Gods compared to European mass market beers like Heineken or Carlsberg.

really? i love Carlsberg, Stella, etc. i'd only drink Bud Light if it were cheap, likely at a concert or sporting event, and the point of the drink wasn't the taste. don't particularly like Heineken, though. Belgian trappist beers are my favorites. trying to avoid beer in general, though, these days. would rather wine or vodka.

you can find somewhat interesting cheeses at mid-market chains like Safeway and Giant, but if you want the good stuff, you need to go to higher-end stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. luckily, since i live in a highly urban area, i can walk to both stores both from home and from work. the cheese is great. it's virtually the only dairy i eat since i never liked milk (though do put half-and-half in my coffee).

i do think that European grocery stores have better cheese selection on average, but cheese in the US, much like coffee or beer, has developed an uppity niche that didn't exist 20 years ago, and we're all the better for it.

i'm also shocked at how, in the midwest, everything is covered in cheese. it actually took an Australian to point that out to me -- cheese is dumped on *everything* in some mid-level restaurants serving standard fare.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

i'm also shocked at how, in the midwest, everything is covered in cheese. it actually took an Australian to point that out to me -- cheese is dumped on *everything* in some mid-level restaurants serving standard fare.

We do love our cheese out here, yes.

I've never had any of the fancier kinds of cheese. Mainly just the American cheddar cheese. We don't have a Whole Foods or anything of that sort here in my town, so my options for that sort of thing aren't very big.

 

[Irvine511]

i remember being floored while in Western PA and being served french fries in my salad. and that, too, was drowned in shredded cheese.

not that it wasn't good.

 

[the iron horse]

NYC Mayor Bloomberg, one of the Food Police's most active crusaders is, after his successful campaign against tobacco and trans-fats, is on the move again fighting to make the city "The Nanny Capital of the World".

His new target is alcoholic beverages.

Mayor Bloomberg Plans To Limit Alcohol Sales And Advertising In New Health Initiative [UPDATE]

 

[PhilsFan]

i remember being floored while in Western PA and being served french fries in my salad. and that, too, was drowned in shredded cheese.

not that it wasn't good.

they put fries in everything in pittsburgh.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

NYC Mayor Bloomberg, one of the Food Police's most active crusaders is, after his successful campaign against tobacco and trans-fats, is on the move again fighting to make the city "The Nanny Capital of the World".

His new target is alcoholic beverages.

Mayor Bloomberg Plans To Limit Alcohol Sales And Advertising In New Health Initiative [UPDATE]

and this is bad...how? i guess we all have the right to drink and drive, kill innocent people in the process, and eventually die of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 50?

i'm glad someone wants to limit this stuff. tbh this almost makes me want to move to new york in support. alcohol's often seen as this awesome drink that makes people fun and inhibited. you get funny movies like the hangover where lol you won't believe the wacky shenanigans we did last night! there's a dark side to alcohol. see, when you drink, i'm talking when you get drunk, you don't stay fun or flirty forever. you become the sad drunk or the angry drunk. at the very least, you've suddenly made yourself the least popular person. but it shows the effects of alcohol as a depressant.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I agree, I don't see how it's bad either. No one is outlawing alcohol-not yet. But that's probably next on Bloomberg's (and Michelle Obama's) agenda. I bet she had the President bankrupt Hostess too.

 

[BVS]

Alcohol is cool and everyone regardless of age should be able to drink as much as they want wherever they want.

No more rules. No more food police.

I am enjoying a filterless smoke and a bottle of jack in the back of iron horse's classroom right now.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

CHEESE!

I'm half man, half cheese.

And I love cheddar, but the standard branded supermarket stuff isn't even remotely good. It's Spam cheese, really. Tastes nothing like 'real' cheddar.

This is the shop in my neighbourhood that I can hear calling out for me, continually...

http://www.lafromagerie.co.uk/

 

[corianderstem]

I'm half man, half cheese.

Marry me.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

If you're half wine, we're good to go.

 

[anitram]

i remember being floored while in Western PA and being served french fries in my salad. and that, too, was drowned in shredded cheese.

And we wonder why people are fat.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I'm half man, half cheese.

 

[corianderstem]

I'M A MOOOOOOOOOOOOONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!l!!!!!!!!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

So she takes a drug and gets a big money deal with Novartis-assuming she's not promoting it for free. Butter really pays, I guess.



She has been criticised for promoting fat-laden, unhealthy recipes.

Now it seems that Paula Deen - the Southern TV cook who once said she couldn't live without butter and a deep-fat fryer - may be set to reveal she has Type 2 diabetes.

For nearly a year the plus-size mother-of-two has been the target of rumours that she has encouraged her fans to eat her high-fat, sugary meals, while secretly hiding her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

On Friday the rumours resurfaced after the iPad publication The Daily claimed that Paula is set to reveal she has the deadly disease.

The online paper also alleged that the cook has signed a deal with a pharmaceutical company and will soon be promoting diabetes medication.

Hours later NBC released a statement that Paula will be exclusively addressing the issue on the Today show on Tuesday morning.

The interview with presenter Al Roker will come just days before the Georgia native turns 65.

Ironically, last year she told the Today show that she couldn't live without butter or her deep-fryer.

When asked by a reporter which food item she couldn't live without, Paula said: 'Butter.'

The silver-haired TV personality said: 'Some people say they couldn't do without olive oil.

'I could do without olive oil a lot quicker than I could do without butter.'

Asked what was her must-have gadget she said: 'It's my deep-fryer.'

The Southerner went on to encourage people who are renovating their kitchens to look into buying a 'commercial' deep-fryer.

Last year, fellow TV cook, Anthony Bourdain lambasted her, saying in an interview with TV Guide that she was 'the worst, most dangerous person to America' who 'revels in her unholy connections with evil corporations' and is 'proud of the fact that her food is f***ing bad for you.'

His comments came a few months after the National Enquirer ran a story alleging she had been hiding her diabetes diagnosis for years, while encouraging her fans to eat unhealthily.

According to the magazine, Paula is said to be under doctor's orders to steer clear of the foods.

Leading endocrinologist Dr Daniel Lorber said: 'Diabetes can be deadly because it increases your risk of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.

'And Type 2 diabetes can be directly related to obesity, which is reaching epidemic proportions in this country.'

A family friend supposedly told the Enquirer: 'When Paula was diagnosed with diabetes I think she was worried that if her secret got out, it would make her look like a hypocrite.

'Ironically, the very thing that made her rich and famous turned her into a poster child for what could happen if you follow in her footsteps.'

One of the cook's most famous dishes is the Lady's Brunch Burger, which is a hamburger topped with bacon and a fried egg and served on a glazed doughnut.

Her devastation at allegedly being diagnosed with diabetes went further than her career - the friend told the Enquirer that she simply loves to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods.

The source said: 'At first she resisted doctor's orders to drastically change her diet, but eventually she realised that if she didn't it would put her into an early grave.'

Her health conscious husband Michael Groover is said to have helped to persuade Paula to change her ways, added the source.

'Paula wasn't happy about it, but she eventually modified her eating habits by cutting the large portions of high-fat, high calorie foods from her diet,' the family friend said.

'She even dropped quite a bit of weight.

'Hopefully she'll come clean to her fans. Paula is so popular that her honesty could help people change their lives."

 

[yolland]

Novartis has denied having any relationship with Deen.

I read a couple Southern food forums and unsurprisingly, this is big buzz there. I'm not myself fond of either Deen's cooking style or her TV persona, but I have nothing against her personally and found the tone of some of the comments I read pretty appalling. We'll find out Tuesday I guess...

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

it wouldn't surprise me. there's no product she won't slap her name on. the woman even has her own line of mattresses and furniture. she's a tv cook, what the hell does this have to do with a bed? why not add medicine to that list too. at least that has to do somewhat with food. had too much of paula deen's fattening recipes? you'll need some medicine for diabeetus.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Vera Wang has mattresses too, so I guess anyone can slap their name on a mattress. My mattress is old and uncomfortable and nameless.

I don't blame Paula Deen one bit for how anyone else eats-that's an individual choice and responsibility. But if she did hide diabetes in order to protect her empire, if that's true I think that's wrong and as a result I also think it's wrong to reap big sums now off of a drug if that's true. I have nothing against her personally either and I feel badly for anyone who lives with diabetes. Type 1 runs in my family-my brother has it, my grandmother did, and some other relatives.

 

[Irvine511]

Novartis has denied having any relationship with Deen.

I read a couple Southern food forums and unsurprisingly, this is big buzz there. I'm not myself fond of either Deen's cooking style or her TV persona, but I have nothing against her personally and found the tone of some of the comments I read pretty appalling. We'll find out Tuesday I guess...

neither Memphis nor i were remotely surprised by this, nor the fact that she's (possibly?) endorsing a drug. girlfriend will endorse anything. what's also funny is that if you flip through, say, Southern Living magazine, half the ads are for high blood pressure medications.

her can-you-top-this!?! schtick has worn thin, and while we both thoroughly enjoyed our brunch at Lady and Sons a few years ago when visiting Savannah, she really is much more of a personality than a chef.

a delightful interview, though, as i've heard her talking quite charmingly on NPR about southern food and, perhaps ironically, about the wide variety of vegetables in the southern diet that are often overlooked. that and she still seems like the long-lost cast member of "Steel Magnolias." and she and her sort-of-hot sons are good TV.

i'm curious, yolland -- as a southerner, what do you think Paula gets wrong with her food?

as a northerner who has essentially married a southerner, what i find so interesting is how simple but delicious southern food is, and the amount of pride that women (usually) take in "their" dishes, in their grandmother's coconut cake, etc. it's a food culture that i don't think is as present in the north and reminds me much more of Europe where food is indispensable from any understanding of culture and heritage.