A horse is a horse, is dinner – of course

I feel like I have travelled down this road before. US legislators making decisions based solely on lobbyists rather than fact makes me feel sorry for the American public. In a time when there are more pressing maters at hand; the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan; a budget deficit so large that it will be impossible to recover; a government with the lowest approval rating in the history of American politics; and on top of all that a country who wants desperately to feel safe, secure and protected at any cost – decides to tie up congress with a bill prohibiting horse meat. Over the weekend, an article appeared in the Globe and Mail by Brad Linn about this topic.

The bill passed by a slim margin to “prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption and for other purposes”.

I guess Mr. Ed is better loved than Mr. Bush – sounds logical.

All kidding aside, the argument is as stated by the main sponsor of the bill, John Sweeny (R) NY – “(horses) are American icons that deserve to be treated as such. Would we ever think of slaughtering and serving a Bald Eagle in this country? The same should be true of the horse.”

His argument is as sound as a sieve – full of holes. I think he is more mistaken than anything else. Emotion is seeming to be a more of a factor than the actual bill being tabled. Horses were not originally seen as pets. Emotional attachment has changed that. And as the article from the Globe and Mail states from a horse breeder, not every one has the means for humane dispatch and burial of large animals. That I feel is the crux of the debate.

The heart of the argument is the fear that the animals are going through wholesale slaughter in abattoirs – but here’s the thing – the real experts in the matter, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Association of equine Practitioners say “the slaughter is a closely related public service that humanely euthanizes unwanted animals. Under the law, the transportation and slaughter are done in the presence of a veterinarian and the meat – if being sold for market – inspected by the USDA” same as any other meat.

Anyway, this bill isn’t yet law, and the supporters of it are hopefull that it will come to fruition soon. Who knows. It is a strange bill to begin with – and I am searching for more information on it to fill in some of the reasoning behind the original inception of the bill – if only to see if there are any other presiding factors – other meat producing industries (beef and pork) are behind it or if it has real merit. I’ll keep you posted.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Foie Gras – Chicago on the turn around

Here is the reason why banning of foods is a not politically expedient. Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley is backing a proposal to repeal the ban on foie gras, which is only one month old.

Restaurant owners and foodies alike rallied together to appeal the fact that the city had gone too far in restricting what people should or should not eat.

France has it right – foie gras is protected as part of their culture. Food is as important to the cultural fabric as art, music or its people, and it should be celebrated – not legislated.

I live in Newfoundland an island whose main industry was fishing cod. We’ve been under a cod moratorium for over a decade but still a “food fishery” exists every summer, and why? Fishing for cod is a part of the cultural fabric, to remove the feel of the wind, the salt air and the relationship to nature would deny the people of this province a connection to their past.

Although foie is not an American national dish, the fact that they have national producers – some of the best in the world – proves that it is important to protect.

Instead of worrying about people who eat foie gras legislators should tackle any one of the other health related food concerns – ever growing portion sizes; childhood obesity; the proliferation of fast food establishments and their proximity to schools – any one of them effects more of the population than foie gras ever will.

for me, I am glad that Chicago has seen the light. Maybe foie will survive, maybe it won’t. But at least now it has a fighting chance.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Birthday Ritual

I don’t like birthdays – never have. I always felt that they were a bit of a sham. More importantly, growing up my birthday was a difficult time to arrange a party since I am a September child – school begins and everyone is busy. However that is a moot point – I can’t say I was ever “hard done by” (as my father likes to say).

This year is a bit better. It seems that everyone has some time of and time to have a bit of a good time.

My dad and I are fans of a strange Belgian dish called steak tartare which involves fresh, raw beef, raw egg and seasonings. This dish is then served traditionally with pommes frites which are double fried french fries..mmmmm. We are allowed to have this treat once, and only once, a year. So this time, we’re making a celebration of it.

This year is a little different as we have also decided to share this particular tradition with some family friends. To encourage them to attend, we have decided that we are going to have a tasting of French wines from Saint-Emelion they are:

Pierre Coste 2002; Chateau Franc Grace-Dieu St. Emelion Grand Cru 2001; Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot St. Emelion Grand Cru 2001, Chateau Haut Badon St. Emelion Grand Cru 2000. While they were my choices based solely on their complimentary qualities for the steak tartare they are mostly Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes – and my mom and dad both hate Merlot – this should be fun!

Since I am the family expert it is my chore to make the tasting notes and score cards for the tasting.   Chores for my birthday – oh well, at least it is for a good cause.

So off I go to find the notes and prepare myself for the gastronomical experience and have all the information to lead the tasting; good food, good wine and lots of fun – the way a birthday was meant to be celebrated. Hangover not included.

Cheers.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

How to wean children off sugary breakfasts

How to wean children off sugary breakfasts is an interesting piece in Canada’s Globe and Mail this past weekend.  What it showed graphically (which I am sad to say is not available on the expurgated on-line version) is that in a 50 gram bowl of “breakfast cereal” in some cases, over 50% of its weight is sugar.   By comparison, some chocolate bars have less sugar by weight.

The ironic part to this story is that the large food producers still tout the “healthy eating banner” by saying that their foods still contain fibre (trace) and 5 essential nutrients (also trace).

So instead of filling up your kids on sugary cereal, try sweetened Quaker Oatmeal, with only a dash of water to moisten them.  It tastes like oatmeal cookies (yum) and contains high amounts of fibre and all essential nutrients.   Enough said.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

S&M – the food critic way

Restaurant critic for the NY Times, Frank Bruni discusses the typical day for him on the job and the pain he goes through in order to stay on top of his game. Some say he is a glutton for punishment . Others, like me, covet his job perks and dedication to his profession. This is a good insiders look into the world of the most powerful food critic in America.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.