Hah, I just realised that title is a sort of pun. In that case, no pun intended?
I was pointed to this article in the Georgia Straight.
“[Tom Glass,] [t]he professor of forensic sciences, pathology, and dental medicine at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences has plenty to say about how toothbrushes are a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria, mould, and yeast, and consequently can easily transmit disease. The adjunct professor of microbiology advises healthy people to replace their toothbrush every two weeks and those with compromised immune systems to do so even more often. And no, he’s not funded by manufacturers of the hygienic devices.”
Continue reading Germ Culture, and meats or veggie-tables »
If you read that title and started to back away, don’t fret: animal welfare isn’t synonymous with PETA or extremism. It’s about the ethical treatment of animals — raising, feeding, caring and, in certain cases, killing them in ways that prevent (or minimize, if unavoidable) their suffering and maintain their natural needs and environment. That’s my extended definition/interpretation, anyway, via my readings and class discussions in my Environmental Ethics course.
Through this Plenty Magazine article about hens, eggs, nutrition and welfare, I got to this (A) Brief Guide to Egg Carton Labels and Their Relevance to Animal Welfare. The facts are striking. Mind that this is an American site so some labels we see in Canada aren’t listed, and others listed aren’t seen in Canada. I guess. I’ve seen “free run” and thought it to be different from “free range,” and perhaps it isn’t, but no answers are provided on that page.
Continue reading Eggs, hens, and animal welfare »
Yesterday, we had several good meals put together with some effort. It felt very good to have something hearty. Breakfast was toast with jam — mine included butter and a decadent soft-boiled (local) egg. At lunch, he made excellent fried eggs that we had with toast. Mine was an “egg McMuffin without the Mc or the muffin,” as in, with cheddar and salami. In the absence of tomatoes, I put lettuce in. Yum.
Continue reading Dish Delish »
Normally I don’t feel like I need to tighten the belt on my eating habits post-Christmas. This year, however, with various predicaments that I attribute to excess sugar and irregular eating and sleeping patterns, I’m taking control of my mind and my stomach — or, perhaps, my taste buds.
Continue reading A yummy, guilt-free snack »
I just turned on the TV, which was left on HGTV (the Canadian version), and an American show called “I Want That!” was on. I’m dismayed. Consumer culture and cheesy shopping network style aside, some of the “nifty” new products it was showcasing are troubling.
Continue reading HGTV gets a taste of the shopping network »
From Beyond Robson:
“Welcome to a new wrinkle in Beyond Robson. The New Wrinkle is a daily video podcast produced right here in Vancouver, now producing weekly episodes for Beyond Robson.
“Today’s episode: The sugar industry has kept the healthy herbal sweetener stevia off the market in many countries around the world.”
Watch the video
Stevia has a different taste than sugar, but it tastes oh-so-good in tea. I really like sugar in my tea. I’ll go without it for green tea, mint tea, and ginger-mint tea. I’ve reduced the amount of sugar I use by a small amount, but I feel guilty having black tea because it requires more sugar. Stevia would be a guilt-free answer! It comes in liquid and granule form, and is great with yogurt.
You know, it’s funny. When I go to the produce market and come back with two bags of goods instead of one (proudly knowing I spent less than $15, by the way), it’s usually because I’ve spotted several items that I’ve just got to have, whether they were on my list or not. When I’m there, I pick up an item because I know it tastes — or should taste — really good. Fresh corn on the cob, peaches, plums, strawberries, asparagus. Just gotta have ’em. It makes me salivate, and I run around that place doing my usual half-drool “hhhhh” and eagerly bagging things… unless I’m not sure. If I doubt at all the quality, especially if I’ve had bad experiences before (no more kiwis, nuh-uh), then I’ll take 2 or 3 and see how it goes. I got 3 mandarin oranges a week or two ago, and they turned out tasty, so I got some more. (Hand-chosen 69c/lb by the way. Don’t be fooled by inexpensive-looking boxes!) I’ve had bad peaches that tasted like nail polish remover, and terribly unripe plums whose delicious home-grown cousins came from my parents’ tree.
A dreary day for a dried corn stalk at the market
I gingerly bought two red plums today that were from California. Yes, imported. Shame on me!
I buy these fruits because I like how they taste and I enjoy them. So when I bite into a plum, or any fruit, and am greeted sourly with a hard, pithy, tasteless, dry fruit, I am not impressed, California.
And let me say that your grapes lasted 1/10th as long as my local ones, which started becoming raisins in my fridge eventually (after a month or more?), and still tasted as delicious as the first day, when yours would have been mouldy and doomed to the trash (or compost) long before.
Oh sure, your grapes tasted fine
But I think you’d better stick to wine.
I’m not paying another dime:
You’ve shipped your grapes too far this time.
That said, I think Cal-i-forn-i-a will be the first one to change!
I had some observations recently regarding tomato choices, prices, and quality. And trust me, the $1.00/lb+ tomatoes are hardly better than the $0.99/lb ones that used to be over $1. They pretty much all taste like… well… really old, unripe tomatoes. They look ripe, but don’t be fooled. That’s why my project was called Tomatoes don’t grow on trees. You might think they do, but when it comes to non-organic tomatoes, more likely than not, they’re picked green and then gassed to turn red — which is not the same as ripening. BC Hot House, however, says on their website:
All BC Hot House produce is hand picked when the timing is perfect-which means the fruit has been given the opportunity to vine-ripen naturally. Careful hand picking helps prevent bruising.
But why do some pictures such as the one on this page show unripe tomatoes?
Continue reading When it comes to tomatoes, beauty is only skin deep »
An article in today’s Province talks about the new giant Wal-Mart stores to open in Canada, up to 17 of them. I am positive that Vancouver City would strongly oppose opening one here.
I found this part interesting.
”Our goal is to become the one-stop shop for customers,” said Mario Pilozzi, chief executive of Wal-Mart Canada, gesturing at palettes of impeccable, unbruised produce.
”You see how fresh that is today? We are going to maintain that freshness in these stores.”
Continue reading Wal-Mart Supercentres to threaten Canadian retailers »
By the time I visited my doctor today, my symptoms had finished wreaking havoc on me for a couple of days, though I was still fatigued. An extremely stressful day started it: a horrible, often unbearable pain in my stomach that I thought might be a stomach flu or an ulcer, or feared that it might be allergies. I ruled out the allergies after the painful bouts had stopped, and figured it probably wasn’t a flu. Ulcers feel better when you eat, whereas after anything I ate, I would immediately be in pain. Two extra strength Tylenols were nearly defenseless against the pain, and only sitting back or lying down would ease it. Walking about, going up stairs (generally exercising), and sometimes even standing would make it worse. I could not do anything but lie on the couch in front of the TV, or sit at the kitchen table doing crossword puzzles and Sudokus. (I’ve now figured out the strategy behind the latter!)
Continue reading What stress can do to you »
