In an old comedy routine, Mel Brooks plays a therapist who advises his patient, "Listen to your broccoli, and your broccoli will tell you how to eat it."
I prefer my broccoli to keep its own council. Other people, however, seem to find talking food desirable, enough so that much food on the market is talking us. All the time. It says things like, "World famous!" "All-natural!" "Low carb!" "Contains antioxidants!" "New, improved!"
We want and deserve food that's natural, wonderful and healthful, so if it says it is, frequently we go for it. We're optimists. We listen to -- or read-- our food and believe. And buy. Alas, when it comes to what much of our food is saying, in the immortal words of Representative Joe Nelson, "You lie!"
Michael Pollan has said if food has to tell you how nutritious it is, it's been processed to the point where it probably isn't. The same goes for food that says it's delicious, fabulous, and my favorite, garden fresh. Fresh from the garden it might have been once, but then it was preserved, processed, packaged, plastered with a label boasting how fresh it is then finally sent to wait for you in your supermarket. That's a serious detour.
We get seduced by packaging, high production values and slick marketing. Our willingness to believe is part of our charm. And it's what manufacturers bank on. Literally. But unless there's quality, substance or passion behind a product, it won't last. Worse, manufacturers burn up a lot of good will in the process, because no one likes being conned. Outraged consumers filed a class action suit against Dannon over Activia, which isn't quite the probiotic panacea it promised. Lies and misinformation cost the company $35 million, a small victory for our side but a small enough price to pay for Dannon.
Meanwhile, food keeps on talking and with so many products competing for our money, it has to talk even louder. More ads, more eye-catching packaging, more empty promises. Soon our food will Twitter.
It could turn ugly. In fact, it already has. New York's Board of Health has launched an ad campaign saying don't listen to your food, listen to us. This rather pisses off New Yorkers, who dislike being told what to do. One group, Center for Consumer Freedom, has launched a counter campaign, with an ad that says, "When did the Big Apple Become Big Brother?"
We can't police what America eats, or legislate it, but we can learn a lot from an old comedy routine. Mel Brooks, it turns out, was right -- listen to your broccoli. The food that's really fresh, healthy and all-natural is broccoli. And beans, barley, Brazil nuts and blackberries -- whole food. Whole food bears no fancy labels, makes no false claims. It's not new and never needed packaging or marketing to tell us how nutritious, vitamin-packed and antioxidant-rich it is. The truth is, whole food has been talking to us all this time. We just need to start listening.
Quick Curried BroccoliLovely over whole grain couscous or quinoa. Also very nice stuffed in a pita.
1 large head of fresh broccoli
1/2 cup low-fat or vegan mayonnaise
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
sprinkle of sea saltPreheat oven to 350.
Chop broccoli, both florets and stems, into bite-sized pieces. Steam broccoli for 7 minutes (alternately, microwave for 3 minutes) or until bright green and crisp-tender.
In a small bowl, mix together mayo, lemon juice, soy sauce and turmeric.
Place broccoli in a lightly oiled baking dish. Spoon curry mix on top. You may have more sauce than you need. Curry sauce overage can be stored chilled in the refrigerator for days and enjoyed as a vegetable dip.
Pour sunflower seeds into a small separate ovenproof dish.
Bake broccoli and sunflower seeds for 15 minutes, until broccoli is just heated through, topping is bubbly and sunflower seeds are crunchy. Pour sunflower seeds over broccoli, sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy.
Serves 4.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Happy World Pasta Day -- Guess What's for Dinner?
Today, World Pasta Day, we celebrate spaghetti. And spaetzle. And lapsha. And lo mein. Composed of flour, water and pressure via hand or machine, pasta...
Here's a tip: Make it with yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Better texture, lower fat. I'm sure there's some soft silken tofu product that would also work for those of you who are afflicted with veganism.
Also, two teaspoons of madras curry powder and one teaspoon of cumin instead of the turmeric, which has more color than flavor. I do think the sunflower seeds on top is an excellent idea.
I would suggest pearled wheat berries (sometimes called grano) as a minimally-processed whole grain alternative to couscous or orzo with a fantastic texture and reasonable cooking time.
Finally, studies show that microwaves destroy more nutrients than other wet cooking methods. As expected, stove-top steaming is best, but using a steamer basket in the microwave helps quite a bit.
On another note, I do have to agree with you. I rarely buy packaged food anymore for the reasons that is bad in either one way or another for my health. I just buy fruits, vegetables, and meats where I can cook it myself and know exactly what I am putting into my body. Bread, cereal, dairy I usually buy out of convienience. However I hate when they say "all natural" and its really not. The labels are too confusing. No wonder we are so fat.
You refer to Michael Pollan but did you read his book? You say "We can't police what America eats, or legislate it." Pollan specifically argues that the farm bill does exactly that. It legislates what America eats and has been doing so for over a generation.
Although I think it is great what you are doing, you do damage by presenting the argument as a spat between equally legitimate sides.