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Nobody tells Americans what to do. Nobody controls us. We are free. We are Individualists. We are responsible for our actions. And what do we free-thinking, uncontrolled, All-American Individualists want? We want low fat fried chicken. Which is why, processed food is a $550 billion dollar industry, according to the New York Times. Apparently, Americans are not content to accept certain basic facts about frying; i.e., the fact that frying adds calories to a dish. We want to have our cake and eat it too. Thankfully, science is here to save the day. Listen to this description of a magical new chicken concoction from the wizards at Proteus Industries of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Mmmm. I don’t know about you but my mouth is watering. I mean what an incredible idea. Fried chicken without the fat. Sure, you could just, you know, bake the chicken, but then it wouldn’t be fried, would it? Now I’m no Luddite. I love science. I love chemistry. Just don’t ask me to eat it. We humans—even Americans—are biological creatures outfitted with biological digestive systems. Why we think it makes sense to pour chemistry into our gullets instead of the flora and fauna the good earth provides, is beyond me. Yes, I know. All food is processed to some extent. If you stick something in an oven, you are processing it. But there is a gargantuan difference between combining and cooking organic ingredients and eating Twinkies. But it can’t be the power of advertising that compels us to consume large quantities of chemofood. It can’t be the memetic assault of television commercials and roadside billboards advertising MSG-laden, hormone injected, frankenfood that persuades us. After all, we’re individuals. We’re free. Nobody tells us what to eat. By the way, you know what scientists feed rats when they want to make them obese for research purposes? MSG. And lest you think you’re safe from this neurologically active excitotoxin, here is a list of alternate names for MSG. Try to find a box of processed anything—low fat or otherwise—that doesn’t have one of those words in the ingredients list. Bon Appetit! 71 Responses to “Mmm, Slurry!”Leave a Reply |
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American individualism is a powerful thing. It is the defining element of our national character. It is the reason Daniel Boone left the small comforts of village life to spend months alone in the wild. It is what sent settlers further and further west to grab their private little piece of the earth.
It’s pretty obvious to me when I eat processed foods as opposed to fresh, healthful foods. My body reacts accordingly. With the healthful foods my mood immediately improves, I have more energy, and my body feels better too. With processed, fatty foods the opposite is true. Then why do I crave the fried, fatty, body-destroying foods? My cousin, who’s a vegetarian, says I am merely craving protein and salt. I’ve tested his hypothesis and found it to be true. It’s probably why fast food is loaded with both of them. Most people, especially in America, don’t realize how fast food is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. Not only does the animals’ excrement flow into our rivers and create dead zones around our coasts, but the animals are often pumped full of antibiotics even though they are not sick, and then we ingest them. Mmm. Love the taste of this meat!
Another reason people crave fast food and processed food is the presence of free glutamates (commonly known as MSG as well as by many other names) which are addictive. You know the old saw about how Chinese food fills you up then makes you hungry again half an hour later. That’s MSG. That’s why you crave McDonald’s, KFC, and all of it. It’s like nicotine.
I think another reason we crave those foods is that they provide a short-term high(which may be linked to the addictive properties you mentioned, Lauren)–they temporarily improve our mood. But as Matt mentioned, such gains are indeed short term. Quickly enough, I feel like crap after I eat such foods.
As for American “individualism”, heh. I think that concept was packaged and sold to us. Now everyone is an “individual”, because he drives a massive SUV that guzzles up fuel–he NEEDS that SUV to be an INDIVIDUAL. Forget public transportation–that’s for wusses.
America may have had truly individualistic tendencies in its youth, and it may even still cling to some of those tendencies today, but most of it is gone in my opinion. Now we’re just told how to be “individualistic”.
“Entrepreneur” is the word most often used, which is a synonym for “be a capitalist.” There is nothing wrong with money as long as you see it as a means and not and end. Whereas “struggling artist” may be at the opposite end of that spectrum. God, sometimes we are so stuck inside our own words it prevents us from perceiving new options. As you can tell, I’m thinking out loud.
I moved to Japan a year ago this month and within six months I had lost twenty pounds. That’s just from the change of diet really. Almost everything you eat here is fresh and without preservatives, etc., and they go light on things like msg, or not at all in many cases. It was amazing to see how in a few months my body was relinquishing all of the extra fat that had built up over years in America and how my mood improved and my energy levels increased. I’m actually afraid to come home now for fear that it’ll all return simply by stepping on American soil and consuming a meal.
That 500 billion a year processed food industry is currently killing almost as many americans as nicotene companys and they know it. Theresearch is well known by the people who produce this food. They know that the chemicals in it basically make people fat. Not directly, you don’t have to eat the stuff, you can have it just a few times a year, you’d be fine. Almost like say cigarettes.
Now imagine if cigarettes were directly marketed to kids with a cigarette dispenser in most scools, maybe even sponsoring a few. Sell them in nice kid friendly packaging, start them young. Supersized happy smokes.
Pretty evil right? Well there you have your processed food industry and at 500 billion a year, no ones messing with it.
Very good point, Ajit, about individualism being packaged to us. My favorite example of this is the ad for SUV’s which features a kid in a go-kart race who refuses to stick to the road. Instead he goes “off-roading” with his rugged SUV style go-kart and kicks the other kids’ asses. What an individual.
Matt, as for being “stuck inside our own words,” I would argue that this is, in fact, the inescapable condition of being verbal. Words define us. But we do have the power to turn the tables and control the words we use.
Christopher, I’m envious of your all-Japanese diet. Japanese is my favorite cuisine. It’s amazing to me that we, Americans, eat so much food that not only wrecks our health but wrecks our moods. Then again, how do you market the concept of “less?”
Andrew, consider the fact that Mayor Bloomberg recently sold rights to Snapple to sell drinks in NYC public schools. Many schools permit fast food chains like McDonald’s into their schools. In England, thanks to the efforts of Jamie Oliver, school kids will now be fed healthy food. The same could be done across the Atlantic if enough people cared.
Yep, that advertisement is just one of a million that tell us how to be individuals.
As for Japanese food/losing weight, the same happens to me when I’m in India. Six weeks of eating normal meals in India and I’ve dropped at least ten pounds…with no effort whatsoever. No dieting. No extra exercise. Just eating what everyone else does.
It takes an extra effort to eat well in the U.S. I wish it weren’t so. I also wish fried chicken didn’t taste so good–I have to admit, I do get tempted by it from time to time.
I love fried chicken. In fact, I own a deep fat fryer. My husband and I eat a mostly French/Italian style diet which includes cream, butter, oil, and all kinds of “bad” things. But we eat French/Italian sized portions too so we don’t get fat. The only way to be healthy and thin in America is to make the extra effort to buy organic produce and meat, avoid processed packaged foods, and cook for yourself (or marry someone who cooks).
I’ll have to find someone who cooks.
The thing with frying is the oil eh, not necessarily for the calories alone…
Best not to use polyunsatured fats as at high temps they generate free radicals- bad for skin, immune system, cancer, arthritis….
Far better to use saturated fats, e.g coconut butter or monounsaturated fats, e.g. olive oil.
Grab a copy of Patrick Holfords – Optimum nutrition. Explains it all far better than me.
And if you’re worried about what science is doing to frying chicken check out what they’re doing about growing it….
Yummy. “Cultured fungus!” And I thought slurry sounded delish. Boy I can’t wait to get my hands on some petri dish cuisine. Bring on the Vat-feast!
people still repeat the stereotype of “fat germans” to me when i tell them that i lived in germany for six years. but the fact is, middle-aged germans were and are fat according to a sixty year old american definition of “fat”, i.e. stout and healthy. young germans tend to stretch across the healthy range; you rarely see either anorexic or obese children, teens or young adults.
in the meantime, our own population has become obese. germans don’t eat low-fat or fake anything. it’s all butter, whole milk, full fat cheeses, etc. BUT THEY ONLY EAT A LITTLE OF IT. and it’s all fresh and combined with EXTREMELY rough, whole grain, high fiber breads (every day, at every meal) and green vegetables like asparagus and brussels sprouts (in season, of course.)
without trying or really noticing, i lost ten pounds when i went to germany and, six years later, when i came back, i gained 35. i still can’t eat american bread, it’s so soft and disgusting and processed.
Quite old info, but anyway thx.
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While I cant say I agree 100% I pretty much like how you say it.
I couldnt agree more!
I am jealous of this blog. I couldn’t agree more with the posts. I just might share this site with a few friends.Keep the posts coming.
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i like these kinda of articles…good site..keep it up
I am in sync with that. Just be open to other ideas
Again I tend to agree. When you think about it from that point of view it makes complete sense to me. Of course this is just my humble opinion. Great thing about blogs is the fact I can express myself. Nice content here
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Great one !! Keep it up
That is valuable insight. I would agree with you based on what was stated a few comments back. Great to have someone else’s input. This site is so valuable. Please keep up the great work
Great site! I love the last comment
If I could add my own two cents just thing about it methodically. Thanks -Timmy
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Great web site! I read the last post and completely agree. I came across your page when searching on information about cancer and smoking. I need to start a web blog yours! I am jealous
I would have to say if that were my situation I would also agree, but it is not my current situation. The last post leading up to this one would be the same answer in my humble opinion. Great site and keep the nice content coming
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Interesting… I’m going to have to come back for more reading later. Off to work!
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