Anything Can Happen Wednesday

Tang

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

A billion dollar brand? Tang? I kid you not. While it may not sell much in the US, apparently this space age drink is taking the world by storm.

This week, a look at the legacy of Tang.

TTFN, Fred.

Tang

Santa and the FDA

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another reason never, and I do mean never, to run afoul of the FDA.

This week, I wish you all Happy Holidays in whatever form or fashion you choose to celebrate!

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is." - Eric Sevareid (a CBS news journalist for nearly 40 years , 1912 - 1992)

Santa and the FDA

Eating Chocolate May Help Eyesight

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Previous research suggests eating chocolate can make your brain sharper, that dark chocolate can lower your blood pressure and also appears to have a favorable effect on cholesterol levels, platelet function and insulin sensitivity.

Add improved eyesight to the list. A recent study found that dark chocolate might improve your ability to see in low-contrast situations, such as poor weather.

This week, a look at another benefit of chocolate, improved eyesight.

TTFN, Fred.

Eating Chocolate May Help Eyesight

For Soda, The Genie is Out of the Bottle

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Who killed the soda fountain? Was it Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed the 1933 repeal of Prohibition, allowing American adults to return to saloons and bars? Or one J. G. Kirby of Dallas, who opened the first drive-in restaurant in 1936, sparking a new national craze? Or was it William Painter who patented the crimped metal bottle cap, ultimately making fortunes for companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Royal Crown?

Dunno for sure, but perhaps like Mark Twain, the reports of its death were greatly exaggerated. As usual, looking for something new requires looking to the past.

This week, a look at a resurgence in soda fountains.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, 1929 - 1968)

For Soda, The Genie is Out of the Bottle

Is This Food Still Good?

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's a topic that, in many households, is worthy of calling in an expert in arbitration: expiration dates on food packaging. Put a person who considers them gospel in the same kitchen with someone who views them as a rule of thumb and you'll definitely find a conflict in need of resolution. So who's right? Well, you're not going to like this, but both are. Much depends on the specific food product in question and how it has been handled.

This week, a look at dates on foods.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars." - Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali poet, novelist, musician, painter and playwright, 1861 - 1941)

Is This Food Still Good

Annatto

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Consistency, it has been said, is the goal of any quality process. Such is the mantra of most cheddar cheese and butter manufacturers who desire the color of their product to be the same all year long, regardless of the changing weather and feed available to the cows who produce milk, the precursor of both butter and cheddar cheese.

Enter annatto, long used as a spice and a dye, to give both their characteristic shades. Honestly, would a little variation really matter? I prefer my cheddar to be white (or uncolored), but that's just me.

This week, a look at annatto.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." - Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name Molière (French playwright and actor, 1622-1673)

Annatto

A Cautionary Tale - 1931 Botulism Poisoning Tragedy in North Dakota

2011-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Canning is a great way to preserve vegetables and fruits for your own use or for gifts. The basic principal is simple: during the canning process, food is heated to a high enough temperature to stop the decaying action of enzymes and/or bacteria and other microorganisms in the food. The food is then stored in sterile, airtight containers to prevent contamination.

This isn't a process you should treat carelessly. In the United States, an average of 22 cases of botulism are reported each year. Outbreaks of foodborne botulism involving two or more persons occur are usually caused by eating contaminated home-canned foods.

This week, a cautionary tale on canning your own food.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." - Anthony J. D'Angelo (American author and motivational speaker, 1972- )

A Cautionary Tale - 1931 Botulism Poisoning Tragedy in North Dakota

Virtual Supermarket

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Quick Response codes are a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) designed to be read by smartphones. The smartphone train left the station without me, as I continue to use a cell phone with little intelligence (as I recently described it, an abandoned caboose on a spur line no longer in use). QR codes are everywhere, with a recent and explosive 1200% increase in their use in North America alone.

There is literally no end to how they can be used, including shopping for groceries in the subway. Since I found this article, China has also added this technology in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

Not quite shopping in your jammies, but still pretty convenient. This week, a look at Virtual Supermarkets.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932, 1841-1935)

Virtual Supermarket

Food Like a Drug?

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

A 2010 study with rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction, the study found.

Scientists have finally confirmed what the rest of us have suspected for years: Bacon, cheesecake, and other delicious yet fattening foods may be addictive.

This week, a look at how food may be like a drug to our brains.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." - Eden Phillpotts (British novelist, poet, and dramatist, 1862-1960)
Food Like a Drug

Beer for Post-workout Replenishment

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

We've talked about beer and it's mineral content, how beer was one of the six drinks that shaped the world and about studying really old beer. This time, proof positive that beer is better for you than sports drinks...but you already knew that, didn't you?

This week, a look at beer versus sports drink for re-hydration.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." - Isaac Asimov (US science fiction novelist & scholar, 1920 - 1992)

Beer for Post-Workout Replenishment

All Good Things...

2011-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

My friends -

Just over four years ago, "Anything Can Happen Wednesday" was introduced to my beloved staff during my tenure at Amy's Kitchen. The goal then and now has been to educate, to inform, to entertain. I sincerely hope that goal was met across just over 200 assorted, varied and wide-ranging posts. I have loved every minute of it and I can only hope you enjoyed it as well.

Twenty-seven years after completing college, I have decided to take on an MBA program. With that comes a need for more time than I have available on a weekly basis. ACHW will never really go away, as when I come across something interesting I will be sure to post it. I can't guarantee the frequency, but it is a part of me I will not "go gentle into that good night."

Until then, live brave.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week:

Could a Pill Take Away the Tempting Aroma of Food?

2011-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Of the three chemical senses, smell is the main determinant of a food item's flavor. While the taste of food is limited to sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory – the basic tastes – the smells of a food are potentially limitless. A food's flavor, therefore, can be easily altered by changing its smell while keeping its taste similar.

Smell does to discover and enjoy food as much as taste. The aroma reaches the nose before the food reaches the mouth and we can taste it. The sense of smell explores our food before we eat it. Block the aroma and you may not want to eat the food.

This week, a look at better living through chemistry part 149: a pill that takes away the tempting aroma of food.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week:

Could a Pill Take Away the Tempting Aroma of Food

Chicken feathers into biodegradable plastic

2011-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, waterproofing and coloration that helps in communication and protection.

At the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, a number of institutions presented their research into possible new sources of eco-friendly bioplastic, including everything from fruit fiber to bone meal. On the final day of the event, one other idea was put forward – bioplastic made from waste chicken feathers.

While this particular source material has been tried only semi-successfully in the past, the researchers claim that this time, the chicken plastic should take flight.

This week, a look at how chicken feathers may be turned into biodegradable plastic.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate." - Charles Dickens (the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, 1812 – 1870)

Chicken Feathers Into Biodegradable Plastic

A Short History of the Fork

2011-04-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Before the fork was introduced, Westerners were reliant on the spoon and knife as the only eating utensils. Thus, people would largely eat food with their hands, calling for a common spoon when required. Members of the aristocracy would sometimes be accustomed to manners considered more proper and hold two knives at meals and use them both to cut and transfer food to the mouth, using the spoon for soups and broth.

Whether you use it American style with the tines curving up or continental style with the tines curving down, it's a great addition to the spoon and knife.

This week, a short history of the fork.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." - H. G. Wells, (English author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre, 1866 - 1946)

A Short History of the Fork

See Something, Say Something

2011-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

After September 11, 2001, the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority coined the slogan, “If you see something, say something,” and put it on posters encouraging subway and bus riders to call a police counterterrorism hot line if they encountered anything suspicious.

To improve suspicious activity awareness and reporting within the Food and Agriculture Sector, a one-page document highlighting indicators of suspicious activities and recommended protective measures was developed.

This week, we're reminded to it can be a dangerous world. It is not always easy, but please speak up when you see something.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Experience is by far the best teacher. You know, ever since I was a little girl I knew that if you look both ways when you cross the street, you'll see a lot more than traffic." - Mae West (American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol, 1893 - 1980)

See Something Say Something

Young Generation of Farmers

2011-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

The average age of the American farmer is 57, and getting older. Farms used to be kept in the family and passed from generation to generation. In this age of large–scale industrialized farming do we need family farms anymore? What type of young person gets into farming these days?

This week, we look at an emerging young generation of farmers.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Castaneda (American author, 1925 - 1998)

Young Generation of Farmers

VTT to study one of world’s oldest beers

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

We've talked about beer and it's mineral content, as well as how beer was one of the six drinks that shaped the world. Feel free to insert your favorite quote on beer from Homer Simpson or Norm from Cheers here.

This week, a look at some really old beer and a geography lesson.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy." - Milton Erickson (American psychiatrist specializing in medical hypnosis and family therapy, 1901 - 1980)

VTT to study one of world’s oldest beers

The Bug That Poisoned the President

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

President Obama's busted lip from an errant elbow during a recent basketball game was just the latest scrape suffered by a commander in chief. President Gerald Ford was notorious for his slips and trips, once taking a tumble down the steps off Air Force One in 1975 in Salzburg, Austria. There was also President George H.W. Bush's embarrassing food sickness incident in 1992 in Japan, caught caught on camera vomiting on the Prime Minster of Japan's lap.

President Zachary Taylor was less fortunate, dying in office from what was likely Salmonella poisoning. This week, a look at the bug that poisoned a President.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust (French novelist, critic, and essayist, 1871 – 1922)

The Bug That Poisoned the President

The Six-Legged Meat of the Future

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

In the U.S., we're more accustomed to exterminating insects than to eating them, but in scores of countries around the world, including Thailand, where food markets are stocked with commercially-raised water beetles and bamboo worms, bugs have long been a part of a well-balanced meal.

This will take some getting used to. It may be a while before someone on a television cooking show ends with "Bug appétit!"

This week, a look at the six-legged meat of the future.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security." - John Allen Paulos (professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia, 1945 - )

The Six-Legged Meat of the Future

Researchers find the cause of food poisoning

2011-03-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've talked about salmonella before and, well, before again. Now we find out salmonella is like the Borg, assimilating individuals (cells) and turning them into mindless slaves.

Tying a Star Trek reference to salmonella...today is gonna be great!

This week, a look at the science behind food poisoning.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do." - C. S. Lewis (Irish-born British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist, 1898 - 1963)

Researchers find the cause of food poisoning

Sprouts and History's Worst E. coli Outbreak

2011-02-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

If it seems like you hear about sprouts being associated with bacterial pathogen outbreaks on a regular basis, you're not imagining things. The last two decades have seen thirty-seven separate cases in the United States and Canada that accounted for 2,273 illnesses.

These pale in comparison to an outbreak in Japan during 1996 which sickened at least 9,441 and claimed the lives of 12. This week, a look at sprouts and history's worst E. coli outbreak.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Live your life without pressure and in the utmost contentment." - from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Roman Emperor from 161 to 180, considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers, 121 - 180)

Sprouts and History's Worst E. Coli Outbreak

The Science Behind Why We Love Ice Cream

2011-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've talked about ice cream before, and before, and before. Why is it to popular? Why ask why?

This week, a look at the science behind why we love ice cream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A time will come when men will sit with history before them or with some old newspaper before them and ask incredulously,"Was there ever such a world?" - Herbert George Wells, aka H. G. Wells (prolific English author best known for his work in the science fiction genre, 1866 - 1946)

The Science Behind Why We Love Ice Cream

The Dicey Calculus of Cooking

2011-02-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Not all people are chefs, but we are all eaters. Most of us need to learn how to follow a recipe at some point. To create dishes with good flavor, consistency, and texture, the various ingredients must have a kind of relationship to one another. For instance, to make cookies that both look and taste like cookies, you need to make sure you use the right amount of each ingredient. Add too much flour and your cookies will be solid as rocks. Add too much salt and they'll taste terrible.

And then there are all those differing pan sizes...give me a break. This one is too big, this one is too small, where the heck is the one that is just right? One pan to rule them all, and in the oven bind them.

This week, a look at the calculus of cooking.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." - Gilda Radner (actress and comedian, 1946-1989)

The Dicey Calculus of Cooking

Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind

2011-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Daydreamers rejoice, for now, research shows how doing nothing but daydreaming improves our focus and generally, makes us smarter. At long last, I am, I mean the doodling daydreamer, is getting some respect.

This week, a look at discovering the virtues of a wandering mind.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Medicine, law, business, engineering. These are noble pursuits. And necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love. These are what we stay alive for." - Tom Schulman (American screenwriter most famous for his screenplay Dead Poets Society, 1950 - )

Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind

Future Fridge

2011-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

What can your refrigerator do for you? For most people these days the answer is simple, “it keeps things cold” and for some “it even dispenses ice and water.”

What does the future hold for your refrigerator? Interactive message boards, digital picture frames, satellite radio, CD/DVD players, recharging cell phones and other devices as well.

All that it and it still keeps things cold...will wonders never cease. This week, a look at future fridge.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright, 1856 - 1950)

Future Fridge

Repeatability and Reproducibility

2011-01-19T00:01:00.001-08:00

Repeatability measures the success rate in successive experiments. Reproducibility, on the other hand, is the ability of an experiment to be accurately replicated. Together, repeatability and reproducibility make up precision, which is altogether different from accuracy.

Confused? It's okay. This week, a look at repeatability and reproducibility.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got." - Art Buchwald (US author, columnist, dramatist, & journalist, 1925 - 2007)

Repeatability and Reproducibility

Tomato History, Part 2

2011-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

For some it is nirvana to bite into a garden-ripe tomato, fresh off a vine in the backyard sun. For me, it is the last thing I want to eat; I can't get past the texture.

Tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup...all good things I enjoy to consume. I even learned to like tomato soup, as long as it is devoid of identifiable pieces. Chunks of tomato...ugh. The soft, squishy center is the worst.

This week, part 2 of the history of tomatoes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." - Albert Einstein (US (German-born) theoretical physicist, 1879 - 1955)

Tomato History Part 2

Tomato History, Part 1

2011-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Tuh-MAY-toh or Tuh-MAH-to? Pronunciation doesn't matter when it comes to this fabulous nutritious fruit known as a vegetable. It's hard to believe that such a widely-used food source was once considered deadly poisonous.

Available year-round in fresh and preserved forms, there is no shortage of uses for this versatile "vegetable." This week, a part 1 of a history of the tomato.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody." - Mark Twain (American author and humorist, 1835-1910)

Tomato History Part 1

Historical Importance of Prohibition

2010-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Noble Experiment. The Volstead Act. The Eighteenth Amendment. Call it what you will, the amendment that would become the National Prohibition Act was passed by the House of Representatives on December 18, 1917. On December 5, 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified and repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, the first and only time in U.S. history that an Amendment has been repealed.

What happened in between? Innocent people suffered, organized crime grew into an empire; police and politicians became increasingly corrupt and disrespect for the law grew; and the per capita consumption of alcohol increased dramatically, year by year, while Prohibition was in place.

This week, a look at Prohibition.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Just beyond the next planet, just beyond the next star..." - Captain Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise, “These Are The Voyages..."

Historical Importance of Prohibition

Panettone

2010-12-22T00:01:00.001-08:00

It's not Christmas for me unless I have a panettone. A buttery mix of dried fruits, this labor intensive bread is best accompanied by coffee or liqueur. My grandmother used to make them when I was a child, mixing ingredients, allowing it to rise, resting, mixing and rising again and again.

This famous Italian bread has its beginnings in Milan, Italy. That much is certain. There are also a few legends which surround the history of this sweet holiday bread.

This week, a look at the origins, legend and history of panettone.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Like they say in the Temporal Mechanics Department, there is no time like the present." - Captain Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager, “Endgame”

Panettone

A Wrinkle in Timekeeping

2010-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

The trouble with time started a century ago, when Albert Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity demolished the idea of time as a universal constant. One consequence is that the past, present, and future are not absolutes.

Einstein’s theories also opened a rift in physics because the rules of general relativity (which describe gravity and the large-scale structure of the cosmos) seem incompatible with those of quantum physics (which govern the realm of the tiny). In short, the best way to think about quantum reality is to give up the notion of time -- that the fundamental description of the universe must be timeless.

The possibility that time may not exist is known among physicists as the “problem of time.” It may be the biggest, but it is far from the only temporal conundrum. Mankind has been adding "leap seconds" to coordinate time across the globe with atomic time, rather than rely on the variable rotation of the Earth. But are these leap seconds necessary?

This week, we look at a wrinkle in timekeeping.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Feelings aren't positive or negative Data, it's what you do with those feelings that becomes good or bad." - Counselor Deanna Troi , Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Descent Part 1"

Timekeeping

Chocolate Supply Threatened by Cocoa Crisis

2010-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Cocoa can only be grown close to the equator, mostly in West Africa, and farmers there lack incentives to replant the trees as they die, as cocoa trees take three years to mature. Combined with a drought in that area, crops being destroyed by two mysterious diseases that have scientists baffled and ever-more gluttonous choco-habits, and you've got a shortage. Indeed, the price of chocolate has doubled in the last six years.

Says John Mason, founder of the Ghana-based Nature Conservation Research Council: "In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar. It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it."

This week, a look at why a chocolate revolution may be at hand.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Spock, I've found that evil usually triumphs...unless good is very, very careful." - Doctor Leonard McCoy, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Omega Glory"

Chocolate Supply Threatened by Cocoa Crisis

Momentum

2010-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've all heard the expression, "When it rains, it pours." Conversely, when things are going well, they seem to get better. This is the Law of Momentum at work. The Law states: "When you are down, the universe works to keep you down. When you are up, the universe works to keep you up."

What exactly is this mysterious Law of Momentum? What makes up the mechanics of this force? How exactly does it work? The force of momentum simply exists as a result of our own mindset. We have it available to us at all times, but we must tap into it. The force of momentum is neutral; we make it positive or negative by our attitude. In other words, we make our own luck.

This week, a look at momentum.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Everyone's trying to...look out for us. Protect us from ourselves. But in the end, all that matters is how we feel...and what we do about it. Because either way, we're the ones who have to live with the consequences." - Jadzia Dax, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “Rejoined”

Momentum

5 biggest Thanksgiving food myths debunked

2010-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

The tradition of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving began at some unknown date between September 21 and November 9, most likely in very early October. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving the next year, or any year thereafter.

Regardless of when it may have been back then, we celebrate it now on the fourth Thursday in November by opening our mouths, inserting turkey and taking a nap. Life is good, isn't it?

This week, a look at the 5 biggest Thanksgiving food myths debunked.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Doctor, I am well aware of human characteristics. I am frequently inundated by them, but I've trained myself to put up with practically anything." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Trouble With Tribbles"

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

5 Biggest Thanksgiving Food Myths Debunked

Avoid Foodborne Illness during the Holidays

2010-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

The fall and winter holidays are opportunities to visit friends and family while enjoying homemade foods. Holidays present unique food safety challenges, so cooks should plan ahead to ensure that holiday foods are safe.

No one wants an unexpected guest at the dinner table, especially Sal Monella or any of his friends.

This week, ways to avoid foodborne illnesses during the holidays.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I’ll never understand this obsession with accumulating material wealth. You spend your entire life plotting and scheming to acquire more and more possessions until your living areas are bursting with useless junk. Then you die, your relatives sell everything and start the cycle all over again." - Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Q-Less"

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

foodsafetyinfosheet-nov19-09_0

Concrete

2010-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Concrete derives it's meaning from a Latin word that mean "to grow together". It was a logicians' term for centuries until the meaning began to expand in the 1600s.

We say something is concrete if it possesses physical existence, capable of being experienced by the senses; the opposite of abstract. Abstract words such as love, peace, and steadfastness are used to express ideas or emotions, while concrete diction is used to refer to particular persons, places, and objects.

Concrete is now best known as a construction material made of a mixture of cement, sand, stone, and water that hardens to a stone-like mass. The first usage of concrete for a building material made from cement did not occur until 1834.

This week, a look at concrete.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We were a great society not so long ago when honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed." - Kolos (a Klingon lawyer), Star Trek: Enterprise, "Judgement"

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)
Concrete

Fireplaces

2010-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves a roaring fire in the winter – the picture is immortalized on holiday cards, and the smell of wood smoke evokes the season for many people.

But can a wood-burning fireplace really heat the house? Will you save money by stoking the flames? What about that smoke filling the air? Get the facts before you pile on another log.

This week, a look at fireplaces.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!" - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek VIII: First Contact

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

Fireplaces

Washroom

2010-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

During a break while attending the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists in Dallas in 2000, I sat in a chair that turned out to have a view of the sinks in a men's bathroom. The details escape me now, but easily 50% of those who went in did not wash their hands before leaving.

These were men in the food industry, where we practically burn it into a person's memory to always wash your hands. Perhaps they all went in to straighten their ties or check their teeth, but we all know better.

Are the odds stacked against the average Joe or Josephina if professionals can't get it right? This week, a look at washing your hands...or not.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." - Q to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Q Who?"

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Washroom

The Darker Side of e-mail

2010-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Like the telephone or the TV, e-mail is a technology so embedded in our lives, we think nothing of it. Both help and hindrance, on one hand it is the original "killer application" of the Internet and on the other it's a spam-spewing slave-driver.

We are used to hearing about the negative side of the balance-sheet, about e-mail's addictive nature and the unnecessary stress it injects into the modern worker's life, but we downplay these problems because it is so incredibly useful.

This week, with e-mail well into middle age (the first emails were sent in 1965), we take a look at what we know about the darker side of e-mail.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Damn it, Bones, you're a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can't be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves! I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!!" - Captain James Kirk, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

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E-mail

The Surprisingly Cool History of Ice

2010-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

In 1805, two wealthy brothers from Boston were at a family picnic, enjoying the rare luxuries of cold beverages and ice cream. They joked about how their chilled refreshments would be the envy of all the colonists sweating in the West Indies. It was a passing remark, but it stuck with one of the brothers. His name was Frederic Tudor, and 30 years later, he would ship nearly 200 tons of ice halfway around the globe to become the “Ice King.”

This week, a look at the surprisingly cool history of ice.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are always alternatives." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Galileo Seven"

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The Surprisingly Cool History of Ice

Savory

2010-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. There are about 30 species called savories, of which Summer savory and Winter savory are the most important in cultivation.

This week, a look at savory.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you or would you like to break some more furniture?" - Counselor Deanna Troi, to Commander Worf, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Birthright"

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Savory

Food Fraud

2010-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Acting on an informant's tip, in June 1973, French tax inspectors barged into the offices of the 155-year-old Cruse et Fils Frères wine shippers. Eighteen men were eventually prosecuted by the French government, accused, among other things, of passing off humble wines from the Languedoc region as the noble and five-times-as-costly wine of Bordeaux. During the trial it came out that the Bordeaux wine merchants regularly defrauded foreigners. One vat of wine considered extremely inferior, for example, was labeled "Salable as Beaujolais to Americans."

It's not just that bottle of vino you need to wonder about. False origins/composition/etc. has been documented in fruit juice, olive oil, spices, cheese, vinegar, spirits and maple syrup, just to name a few.

Caveat emptor, indeed. This week, a look at food fraud.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Have you ever known me to do anything foolish?" - Captain Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise, "Rogue Planet"

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35869978-Food-Fraud

Buy Local, Act Evil?

2010-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

A University of Toronto study suggests people who buy green are more likely cut moral corners elsewhere, that buying green is tantamount to a free pass for commensurate bad behavior in other areas of their lives.

I beg to differ, as I don't feel the need to cut someone off in traffic on the way home from buying compact florescent light bulbs or mock the eco-celebrity crowd and their use of "carbon offsets" as a method to justify their eco-hypocrisy.

This week, can buying local may you act evil?

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: Kirk: "My God, Bones, what have I done?" McCoy: "What you had to do; what you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live." - Doctor Leonard McCoy to Admiral James T. Kirk while witnessing the destruction of the Enterprise, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

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Buy Local, Act Evil

Stomach versus Brain

2010-09-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Scholars have understood the different motives for eating as far back as Socrates, who counseled, "Thou shouldst eat to live, not live to eat."

Nowadays, scientists are using sophisticated brain-imaging technology to understand how the lure of delicious food can overwhelm the body's built-in mechanism to regulate hunger and fullness, what's called "hedonic" versus "homeostatic" eating.

This week, it's stomach versus brain. May the best organ win.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "When every logical course of action is exhausted, the only logical course that remains is inaction." - Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Star Trek: Voyager, "Twisted"

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Stomach vs Brain

Coffee's trained tasters know their beans and brews

2010-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

We've looked how the smell of freshly brewed coffee can help relieve stress, why coffee is a bitter brew, how diesel can be made from from coffee grounds, and how coffee was one of the six drinks that changed history.

The world of coffee has as much complexity and diversity as the world of wine. Many different steps and processes go into creating the perfect coffee bean and the perfect cup of coffee.

This week, a look at coffee's trained tasters, their beans and brews.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings, no emotions – no pain. And yet, you covet those qualities of humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you...you're a better human than I." - Q to Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Deja Q"

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Coffee's Trained Tasters Know Their Beans and Brews

5 Things That Will Make You Happier

2010-09-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

In the last few years, psychologists and researchers have been digging up hard data on a question previously left to philosophers: What makes us happy? Researchers have studied people all over the world to find out how things like money, attitude, culture, memory, health, altruism, and our day-to-day habits affect our well-being.

The emerging field of positive psychology is bursting with new findings that suggest your actions can have a significant effect on your happiness and satisfaction with life.

This week, a look at five things that will make you happier.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "...the things love can drive a man to – the ecstasies, the miseries, the broken rules, the desperate chances, the glorious failures and the glorious victories." - Doctor Leonard McCoy, Star Trek: The Original Series, "Requiem for Methuselah"

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5 Things That Will Make You Happier

A Lesson in Food Product Dating

2010-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

How many of us have cleaned a cupboard, refrigerator or freezer and tried to remember when we bought a food buried in the back? On closer inspection of the food's product dating information, you may have had even more questions.

Understanding how food-product dating works might not be a subject you've lost any sleep over. But it has probably been a source of confusion that's resulted in some perfectly good food being thrown in the garbage or poured down the drain.

This week, a lesson in food product dating.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "One can begin to reshape the landscape with a single flower, Captain." - Spock to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Unification, Part II"

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A Lesson in Food Product Dating

Why A Calorie Isn't Just A Calorie

2010-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

The calorie is a unit of energy, first defined by Professor Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule. However, in many countries it remains in common use as a unit of food energy.

Some countries use the food calorie, which is equal to 1 kilocalorie (kcal), or 1,000 calories. In the context of nutrition, and especially food labeling, the calories are large calories approximately equal to 4.1868 kilojoules (kJ). The kilojoule is the unit officially recommended by the World Health Organization and other international organizations.

No matter how you count them, they are important. This week, a look at calories.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Judging by the pollution content of the atmosphere, I believe we have arrived at the latter half of the 20th century." - Captian Spock, when the HMS Bounty arrives in 1986, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

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Calories

Don't Forget To Eat Your Greens

2010-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Greens can be eaten a number of ways, including raw, steamed, stir fried, or even baked. Doesn't matter how you eat them, just make sure you do.

This week, how eating your greens can save your life.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard to Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Peak Performance"

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Don't Forget to Eat Your Greens

Eye Glasses

2010-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've worn glasses to correct my far vision since I was 12, and recently finally gave in on bifocals to also correct my near vision. Very few people have perfect eyesight. More than half of us need glasses to correct a vision problem some of the time, if not all of the time. At least I'm in good company.

This week, a look at a brief history of corrective lenses.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Change is the essential process of all existence." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"

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Glasses

Sorting Out The Cold, Sweet Treats

2010-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Is gelato the same as ice cream? Not exactly – it’s all about the air, or lack of it. Is sorbet the same as sorbetto? Yes, one word is French and one is Italian; but sherbet is slightly different – it adds milk.

This week, we close out our salute to ice cream with a look at ice cream and its close relations.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Your Honor, a courtroom is a crucible. In it, we burn away irrelevancies until we're left with a pure product - the truth, for all time." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Measure of a Man"

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Glossary of Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts

The History of Ice Cream Part 3

2010-07-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

This week, part 3 of the history of ice cream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Maybe it's not the destination that matters. Maybe it's the journey." - Ensign Harry Kim, Star Trek: Voyager, "Endgame"

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History of Ice Cream Part 3

The History of Ice Cream Part 2

2010-07-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week, part 2 of the history of ice cream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Regret is one of the strongest emotions and one of the saddest." – Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker, Star Trek: Enterprise, "Fusion"

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History of Ice Cream Part 2

The History of Ice Cream Part 1

2010-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

One the heels of Dairy Month, it's...National Ice Cream Month. Like I needed a reason to have ice cream.

This week, part 1 of 3 on the history of ice cream.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "In any case, were I to invoke logic, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." – Captain Spock
"Or the one." – Admiral James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Fun Dairy Facts

2010-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

We wrap up our look at Dairy Month with some Fun Facts about Dairy Products.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "You either live life fully, face to the wind, with skinned knees, bruises and all or you turn your back to it all, wither away and die." - Captain Christopher Pike, Star Trek: The Original Series, “The Cage” (unaired pilot)

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Dairy Facts

A Brief History of Yogurt

2010-06-23T00:01:00.001-07:00

My first job in the food industry was in product development working with dairy applications. The largest amount of my time was spent developing fruit bases for use in yogurt, so that dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk holds a special place in my heart.

This week, a look at a brief history of yogurt.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "They say time is a fire in which we burn; right now I'm running out of time." - Dr. Tolian Soran, Star Trek VII: Generations

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Yogurt

Cattle Throughout History

2010-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Where do dairy products come from? Cows, of course. Cattle have come on a long journey with us, from pastoral times to settled agriculture, from the New World to post-industrialism.

Cattle have shaped human societies for millennia, figuring prominently in the lives and imaginations of the cave dwellers of Paleolithic Europe, the farmers of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and 19th-century Australia, South America, and the American West, to name but a few.

This week, we continue celebrating Dairy Month with a look at cattle throughout history.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Laws change depending on who's making them, but justice is justice." - Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “A Man Alone”

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Cattle Throughout History

A Brief History of Milk, Part 2

2010-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm old enough to remember milk in glass bottles delivered to the door of our house. Now many dairies are putting milk in glass bottles instead of wax paper or plastic. It has been estimated that one glass bottle can save 40 plastic jugs from ending up in a landfill.

Everything old is new again, I guess.

This week, part 2 of a brief history of milk..

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential, my young friend." - Dr. Paul Stubbs to Wesley Crusher, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Evolution"

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A Brief History of Milk Part 2

A Brief History of Milk, Part 1

2010-06-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

Can you imagine a world of cookies without milk, biscuits without butter or burgers without cheese? I know I can't; and if you feel the same way, this is your month to celebrate. June is National Dairy Month, a time to be thankful for the delicious and nutritious dairy products and the people responsible for providing us with them.

In the past we've looked at butter, unpasteurized milk, cheese and more cheese. What's left, you ask? Plenty.

This week, part 1 of a brief history of milk.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, “Errand Of Mercy"

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A Brief History of Milk Part 1

Handling Food Safely on the Road

2010-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Not meant to spend it sick from poor handling of food

Okay, so the hit song by the Go-Go's really didn't use those exact words. But who wants to be sick from food you packed for a trip that was mishandled?

This week, a look at handling food safely while on the road.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is as important as how we’ve lived." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek VII: Generations

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Food Safely Road

Flip-flops

2010-05-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Flip-flops are also known as jandals in New Zealand; chappal, Hawaii chappel, Qainchi (scissor-like) chappals in India and Pakistan; thongs in Australia; slip-slops in South Africa; go-aheads in the South Pacific; ojotas or chancletas in Spain; chancletas o sandalias in Mexico, Central America and South America; and japanke (literally, Japanese) in Croatia.

Flip-flops are a very basic type of footwear. I could never get used to the feel of the strap between my toes, so I don't wear them. And know I have an even better reason not to.

This week, Flip-flops: best thing you could ever have or bane to man's existence?

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." - Admiral James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Flip Flops

Culinary Uses of the Potato

2010-05-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to break down the starch. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.

This week, the culinary uses of the potato.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It can be argued that a human is ultimately the sum of his experiences." - Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Emissary"

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Culinary Uses of the Potato

Five Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them

2010-05-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Given how digital the world has become, we are hardly bothered by having to deal with one string of numbers after the next: credit card numbers, social security numbers, IP addresses and so on. Do these numbers hold any meaning, or are they just random sequences in a database?

This week, a look Five Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "No man should understand where his dreams come from, Data." - Doctor Noonien Soong to Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Birthright, Part 1"

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5 Familiar Numbers and the Logic Behind Them

Refrigerators

2010-04-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

At the start of the 20th Century, about half of households in the United States relied on melting ice (in an icebox) to keep food cold, while the remaining half had no cooled storage at all possibly excepting a "root cellar." The ice used for household storage was expensive because ice had to be cut from winter ponds (or mechanically produced), stored centrally until needed, and delivered regularly.

Then along came the refrigerator, one of many devices that changed the way we live. I wonder how many people have been told to close the door on the refrigerator since they were invented?

This week, a look refrigerators.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Another dream that failed. There's nothing sadder." - Captain James Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series, “This Side of Paradise”

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Refrigerators

Jelly Beans

2010-04-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

In case you haven’t worked it out on your own yet, National Jelly Bean Day is a day set aside to enjoy jelly beans in all their gummy deliciousness. While not a federally recognized national holiday, April 22nd is now known as “National Jelly Bean Day”, a time to sit back with a bowl of jelly beans and enjoy their wide variety of flavors.

This week, a look at...what else...jelly beans.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I am superior, sir, in many ways. But I would gladly give it up, to be human." - Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Encounter at Farpoint”

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National Jelly Bean Day

Cooking Oils

2010-04-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature (saturated oils such as coconut and palm are more solid at room temperature than other oils).

Many types vegetable oils are also used for cooking. The generic term "vegetable oil" when used to label a cooking oil product refers to a blend of a variety of oils often based on palm, corn, soybean or sunflower oils.

This week, a look at various cooking oils.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." - Admiral James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Glossary of Cooking Oils

The Fake-Food Detectives

2010-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

A fashion fake may be easy to spot: the label says BURBERRY, but the pattern is slightly off-color, the price is too good to be true, and the vendor is operating out of a corner market.

But fake food? Not that easy, partly because most of us don't even think to look for it. We assume that if the label says EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL or WILD SALMON, that's what's we're getting. According to a whole host of experts, we shouldn't be so sure.

This week, a look at the fake food detectives.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I've found that when you don't think about a problem, sometimes the solution comes to you." - Commander Chakotay, Star Trek: Voyager, "Flashback"

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The Fake-Food Detectives

Honey

2010-03-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Honey has been around a long time. A line drawing on a Mesolithic rock painting on a wall in a cave in Valencia, Spain, shows two honey-hunters collecting honey and honeycomb from a wild nest, which indicates honey collecting has been going on for the better part of 10,000 years.

In the Roman Empire, honey was possibly used instead of gold to pay taxes. In some parts of Greece, it was formerly the custom for a bride to dip her fingers in honey and make the sign of the cross before entering her new home, ensuring sweetness in her married life.

Here's one more: after his death in battle, the head of Count Vladimir III (aka Vlad the Impaler, Vladimir Tepes and best known as the model for the fictional (?) character of Dracula) was cut off and presented to the Ottoman Sultan, preserved in a jar of honey.

Enough said about that. This week, a look at honey.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Human bonding rituals often involve a great deal of talking, and dancing, and crying." - Commander Worf to Commander Data, on weddings, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Data’s Day”

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Honey

Nitrogen-use efficiency, the next green revolution

2010-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Imagine you could wave a magic wand and boost the yield of the world’s crops, cut their cost, use fewer-fossil fuels to grow them and reduce the pollution that results from farming. Imagine, too, that you could both eliminate some hunger and return some land to rain forest.

This is the scale of the prize that many in the biotechnology industry now suddenly believe is within their grasp in 2010 and the years that follow. They are in effect hoping to boost the miles-per-gallon of agriculture, except that the fuel in question is nitrogen.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is an old Vulcan proverb, 'Only Nixon could go to China.' " - Captain Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

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Nitrogen-Use Efficiency, The Next Green Revolution

5S

2010-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

5S is the name of a workplace organization methodology that uses a list of five Japanese words which, transliterated and translated into English, start with the letter S.

5S can be many things. It can be a powerful technique for developing an organization and deploying a new lifestyle. It can help improve communication between the shop floor and support departments. It can help develop the characteristics employees require to be part of a world class organization. It can reduce injuries, downtime, defects, lead times, inventories and associated production costs.

This week, a look at 5S.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Madness has no purpose. Or reason. But it may have a goal." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Alternative Factor"

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5S

Five Rules of Thumb and Their Inventors

2010-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

It is a popular custom among learned society to toss around the names of theories without explanation or elaboration – Murphy’s Law, Occam’s Razor, and so on. But who were Murphy and Occam, and who are they to come up with these life-governing rules?

This week, a look at five well-known rules and laws, and the stories behind their namesakes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Humor. It is a difficult concept." - Lieutenant JG Saavik, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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5 Rules of Thumb and Their Inventors

Defeating the Demotivator

2010-03-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

It was about this time a year ago I found myself unemployed, wondering how I was going to make the mortgage payment, and pretty darn depressed. I wasn't getting much response to the gazillion resumes and feelers I had send out, and I could feel the blackness surrounding me. I'd been there before (depressed, not unemployed) and could tell when it was getting close to overwhelming me.

What did I do? Well, I laughed. A lot. And cried. Not as much as I laughed, but enough. Then I said enough of this, and kicked myself in the behind and started sending out more resumes.

Will my actions work for everyone? Of course not. The point is I confronted what was demotivating me and moved it aside so I could get on with my life. It's what each of us has to do in, some form or fashion, when life hands us lemons (or potentially any other citrus we weren't expecting).

This week, a look at defeating the demotivators.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Drumhead"

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Defeating the Demotivator

The science of salmonella

2010-02-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Which came first...the chicken, the egg or the Salmonella bacteria? Salmonella wasn’t discovered until 1885, but it's been around for...well, practically forever, as far as this planet is considered.

Scientists reported in 2008 that Salmonella bacteria might be turned into tiny terminator robots that venture deep into cancerous tumors where conventional chemotherapy can't reach. It's all about using your powers for good versus evil, isn't it?

This week, a look at the science of salmonella.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "After a time, you may find that 'having' is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as 'wanting.' This is not logical, but it is often true." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "Amok Time"

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The Science of Salmonella

The History of Butter, Part 2

2010-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Butter was the only food ever defined by an Act of the U.S. Congress prior to the enactment of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. Hey, if Congress thought it was important, it must have been.

This week, part 2 of 2 of the history of butter.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination." - Elim Garak, Deep Space Nine, “Improbable Cause"

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Butter Through the Ages Part 2

National Pancake Week

2010-02-10T00:01:00.001-08:00

Whatever you may call them – battercakes, blini, blintzes, crepes, flapjacks, griddlecakes, hotcakes, johnnycakes or pancakes – they stack up to a plateful of good eating. Grab your griddles and whip out your whisks, because National Pancake Week runs from February 14th to February 20th, 2010.

This week, a look a National Pancake Week.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Believing oneself to be perfect is often the sign of a delusional mind." - Lieutenant Commander Data to the Borg Queen, Star Trek VIII: First Contact

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National Pancake Week

The History of Butter, Part 1

2010-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

We have records of the use of butter as early as 2,000 years before Christ. The Bible is interspersed with references to butter, the product of milk from the cow. Not only has it been regarded from time immemorial as a food fit for the gods, but its use appears to have been divinely recommended and its users promised certain immunities against evil.

This week, part 1 of 2 of the history of butter.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Too much of anything, even love, isn't necessarily a good thing." - Captain James Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Trouble with Tribbles

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Butter Through the Ages Part 1

Learn Your Limes Part 2

2010-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

The lime is famous for the role it played with 18th century English sailors. Scurvy was the plague of sailors until it was discovered that when they received a ration of one lime a day it stopped. Eating a lime a day earned them the nickname "limeys." While they knew it worked, it wasn't known why until scientists discovered vitamin C in 1923 and figured out that it was the vitamin, not the fruit itself that gave the protection.

This week, part two of a look at limes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Logic, logic, logic. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end."- Captain Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountryLearn Your Limes 2

Learn Your Limes Part 1

2010-01-20T00:01:00.001-08:00

A squeeze of lime has virtually no calories, and brings a delicious accent to foods and vegetables. Whether in soft drinks, cocktails (where would the caipirinha, gin and tonic, margarita, mojito, and tequila shot be without lime?) or desserts (Key lime pie, made from the juice of the Key lime, is one of America’s favorite pies), limes are a popular ingredient in many foods.

There are numerous varieties, but in the US, we typically see only two, the Persian or Tahitian lime and the Key or Mexican lime.

This week, part one of a look at limes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Fear exists for one purpose: to be conquered." - Captain Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager, "The Thaw"

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Learn Your Limes 1

Fire Hydrant

2010-01-13T00:01:00.001-08:00

Red, yellow, gold, orange, green, silver, white or some other color of the rainbow; with a valve, without a valve; one plug, two plugs, more plugs; wet barrel, dry barrel; fire plug, johnny pump. Whatever color it is, whatever shape it takes, whatever the internal design is, whatever it is called, a fire hydrant is still a fire hydrant.

This week, a look at fire hydrants.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Things are only impossible until they're not." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "When The Bough Breaks"

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Fire Hydrant

Onions and Influenza

2010-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've talked about onions before. It is thought that bulbs from the onion family have been used as a food source for millennia. In Bronze Age settlements, traces of onion remains were found alongside fig and date stones dating back to 5000 BC.

In addition to being a food source, wide-ranging claims have been made for the effectiveness of onions against conditions ranging from the common cold to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain chemical compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties such as quercetin. However, it has not been conclusively demonstrated that increased consumption of onions is directly linked to health benefits.

And nor do onions keep you from getting the flu. This week, a look at the myth of onions absorbing the influenza virus.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "In this galaxy there’s a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all that, and perhaps more...only one of each of us." - Doctor Leonard McCoy, Star Trek: The Original Series, "Balance of Terror"

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Onion Fielded

Champagne Bubbles Burst with Flavor

2009-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Dom Pérignon was a Benedictine monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of Champagne wine in an era when the region's wines were predominantly still and red. Popular myths frequently, but erroneously, credit him with the invention of sparkling Champagne, which didn't become the dominant style of Champagne until mid-19th century.

What is true about Dom is he was originally charged by his superiors at the Abbey of Hautvillers to get rid of the bubbles since the pressure in the bottles caused many of them to burst in the cellar. The disturbance caused by one bottle's disintegration could cause a chain reaction, with it being routine for cellars to lose 20-90% of their bottles to instability. The mysterious circumstance surrounding the then unknown process of fermentation and carbonic gas caused some critics to call the sparkling creations "The Devil's Wine".

He couldn't get rid of the bubbles, which is fortunate for us, as the bubbles help release the aroma of the Champagne.

This week, a look at how Champagne bubbles burst with flavor.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy." - Robert Louis Stevenson, (Scottish author, 1850 - 1894)

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Champagne

Winter Solstice

2009-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've just passed winter solstice, the longest night of the year, here in the northern hemisphere. After the winter solstice the light returns and the days grow longer.

The longest night of the year is a precious time. Night is a time of dream, vision and journey into the depths of oneself, the darkness of unknown possibility. From that journey into the dark new life as well as new light emerges.

This week, a look at Winter Solstice.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up -- they have no holidays." - Henry "Henny" Youngman (a British-born comedian and violinist famous for "one-liners," short, simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire, 1906 – 1998)

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Winter Solstice

A Brief History of Chestnuts

2009-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Lately, I keeping stumbling across chestnuts. Of course, during the holidays Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett sing about them roasting on an open fire. According to The British Journal of Nutrition, chestnuts, along with pecans and walnuts, have the highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts. So in addition to being festive, they are good for you.

This week, a look at chestnuts.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world." - Calvin Coolidge's Presidential message on December 25, 1927; American president, 1872-1933)

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A Brief History of Chestnuts

C'mon, get happy!

2009-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happiness is not an inborn disposition bestowed upon the lucky, nor is it the province of naive Pollyannas too dopey to understand the dark twists of the human condition.

British Medical Journal researchers reported in 2008 that happiness is a contagious bug. Based on data collected from nearly 5,000 people over 20 years, the journal found that living within a mile of a happy friend boosts a person’s happiness odds by 25 percent. Near a spirited sibling? Add 14 percent.

This week, a look at how being happy pays off.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." - Garrison Keillor (from Leaving Home, American author, 1942 - )

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Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

2009-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

We've talked about butter before. Differences among European and American butters can be pronounced. Professionals can taste many flavor undertones in butter, including grass, flowers, whey, old cream, malt, must and weed. Some flavor differences come from cows’ feed, while others are acquired during processing.

Overall, the European-style butters have more of a golden, warm, toasty flavor. This is from a compound called diacetyl that develops during fermentation. Standard American butter has a fresher flavor of milk and cream.

In baking, the flavor differences mostly disappear. Especially in cookies. Cookies….mmmm….

This week why it's all about the butter when you make cookies.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." - George Carlin (US comedian and actor, 1937 - 2008)

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Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

Compass

2009-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is the peak travel weekend in the United States, with nearly 40 million Americans leaving home to visit relatives, heading home from college or simply going on vacation to relax. And how to they know they are traveling in the right direction? The compass, of course.

Other, more accurate, devices have been invented for determining north that do not depend on the Earth's magnetic field for operation. A gyrocompass or astrocompass can be used to find true north, while being unaffected by stray magnetic fields, nearby electrical power circuits or nearby masses of ferrous metals. A recent development is the electronic compass, or Fibre optic gyrocompass, which detects the magnetic directions without potentially fallible moving parts. This device frequently appears as an optional subsystem built into GPS receivers. However, magnetic compasses remain popular, especially in remote areas, as they are cheap, durable, and require no electrical power supply.

This week, a look at the compass.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." - Edith Wharton (US novelist, 1862 - 1937)

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Compass

Talking Turkey

2009-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

There are literally hundreds of ways to cook a turkey and each year new recipes and techniques are created based on trendy regional ingredients and creative cooking methods. Some are good, some are bad, and some are downright unsafe. All are designed to tantalize the senses and produce the perfect turkey - moist breast meat, tender legs and thighs, golden brown skin and memorable flavor. Believe it or not, cooking a turkey is not that difficult. Which turkey cooking method chosen is up to the cook, just make sure it is a safe method.

Pete Snyder runs the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management and is a frequent contributor to FOODSAFE, a food safety listserv. By beginning with the science of the recipe, Dr. Snyder strives to have one set of science-based food safety rules for everyone, from retail food operations to the home. He took on turkeys a few years ago and showed how you can cook a bird right from the freezer and skip the messy thawing part.

This week, how to cook a turkey from the frozen state.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx (US comedian with and without the Marx Brothers, 1890 - 1977)

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Talking Turkey

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The Zing Starts Here

2009-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Pilgrims learned all about cranberries from the Native Americans, who recognized the natural preservative power (benzoic acid) in the berries and often mixed them into pemmican (dried meat mixture) to extend its shelf life.

Cranberry sauce came into the picture via General Ulysses S. Grant who ordered it served to the troops during the seige of Petersburg in 1864. Cranberry sauce was first commercially canned in 1912 by the Cape Cod Cranberry Company which marketed the product as "Ocean Spray Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce." A merger with other growers evolved into the well-known Ocean Spray corporation now famous for their cranberry products.

Cranberries...love 'em or hate 'em, they are part of the holiday tradition. This week, a look at options for cranberries.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." - Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr (professional tennis player, 1943 - 1993)

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The Zing Starts Here

Oil that grows on trees

2009-11-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

They say money doesn’t grow on trees. Not directly, anyway. But what if a substitute for oil, which we all know is expensive, grew on trees? Scientists are literally going to produce plastic that grows on trees, starting from a one-stop process that derives raw material for fuels and plastic from plants rather than crude oil.

This week, a look at oil that grows on trees.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub." - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. (Swiss-born psychiatrist and the author of the groundbreaking book On Death and Dying, 1926 - 2004)

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Oil That Grows on Trees

Addicted to Sweets

2009-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hard-wired from birth to seek out sweet tastes, the human body evolved a survival instinct 2 million years ago that steered Homo sapiens to sweet foods dense with energy, like ripe mangoes hanging from the tree, berries clustered on the vine and honey seeping from the comb.

Thousands of generations later, that primitive impulse, in a land of overabundant processed foods and sedentary lifestyles, works against easy weight control and a healthy energy balance. Scientists are now asking if our natural inclination to eat sweets can go too far. Can we lose control of our hunger for sugar, the very taste that aided our ancestors’ survival?

This week, a look at addiction to sweets.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible." - Frank Zappa (composer, musician, film director, 1940-1993)

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Addicted to Sweets

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The Onion throughout the Ages

2009-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Historically, the onion is nothing to cry about. Over many centuries it occupied an exalted position as a work of art as well as a food. Not many people today would burst into tears if they were asked to consider the onion as a work of art, but they might do so if they had to eat one raw.

This week, a look at onions.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Not a day passes over the earth but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers, and martyrs the greater part will never be known." - Charles Reade (English novelist and dramatist, 1814 - 1884)

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Onions

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The History of Ketchup

2009-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Call it ketchup, catsup, catchup, tomato ketchup, or various other names, but it's a condiment consisting of a thick, smooth-textured, spicy sauce usually made from tomatoes. The primary ingredients in a typical modern ketchup are tomato concentrate, corn syrup (or other sugar), salt, and various spice and herb extracts.

But where did it come from? And how can something that is mostly tomatoes (which are botanically classified as a fruit) be a vegetable?

This week a look at the history of ketchup.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." - Dr. Seuss (Theodore Giesel, author and illustrator, 1904-1991)

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Ketchup
Ketchup fredwine

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Columbus' historic voyages changed the world's menu

2009-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

What would Italian cooking be without the tomato? How would Irish history have been different without the potato? What would the Swiss have done without chocolate? These and such products as tobacco, corn, cassava, and most species of bean were unknown in Europe before the voyages of Columbus.

He led four expeditions to the New World, but never accomplished his original goal: to find a western ocean route to Asia. Instead, Christopher Columbus ushered in a new era in world history by opening up the Americas to exploration, and brought these exotic items from the Americas to Europe and Africa, where they eventually revolutionized eating habits.

This week a look at how Columbus' historic voyages changed the world's menu.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." - Carl Gustav Jung (a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology known as Jungian psychology, 1875 - 1961)

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Columbus Day
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How Dry Cleaning Works

2009-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Doing laundry has been a common household activity for years. Whether the technology was beating the garments on rocks by the river or pushing buttons on programmed washing machines, this process depends on water and a mechanical action usually assisted by soap or an alkali, followed by the drying process of either hanging clothes on a clothesline or tumbling them in a gas- or electric-heated dryer.

Dry cleaning, on the other hand, is different. It's a process that cleans clothes without water. The cleaning fluid that is used is a liquid, and all garments are immersed and cleaned in a liquid solvent – the fact that there is no water is why the process is called "dry."

This week, a look at how dry cleaning works.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Road, n. A strip of land along which one may pass from where it is too tiresome to be to where it is futile to go."- Ambrose Bierce, from The Devil's Dictionary (American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist, best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical dictionary, The Devil's Dictionary, 1881 - 1906)

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Dry Cleaning
Dry Cleaning fredwine

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Start At The Store

2009-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

The consumer's role in keeping food safe is a crucial one because it is the last safety check on the road from farm to table. Practicing safe food preparation practices begins as early as shopping in the market, and extends all the way to placing food on the plate. You can help keep your family's food safe by using the following precautions.

This week, we look at how food safety at home begins at the store.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor." - D. H. Lawrence (English author, poet, playwright, essayist and literary critic, 1885 - 1930)

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Mushrooms

2009-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Mushrooms are any of the fleshy fruiting bodies of various types of fungi. Mushrooms can be classified as nonpoisonous and poisonous, and can be found in many different places, such as damp woods, open pastures, and lawns in the city. They seem to appear suddenly, as they grow very rapidly during a moist warm night and quickly become full grown. They decay as quickly; some last a few hours, others a few days.

Mushrooms have a great many shapes and colors. The most familiar ones are shaped like umbrellas. Other shapes resemble funnels, stars, balls, honeycomb, pieces of coral, or bells. My favorite are sautéed with butter and onions...yum!

This week, a look at mushrooms.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit." - Julia Child (US cook, cookbook author and host of cooking shows that are the basis for every cooking show today, 1912 - 2004)

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Mushrooms

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Macaroons

2009-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

“Macaroon” means different things to different people. To some, it’s a big ball of coconut, to others, a delicate, airy meringue, and sometimes made into a sandwich cookie filled with wondrous tastes. I prefer the straight coconut, but these others are darn good as well.

Where did they come from? And why are they all consider macaroons? This week, we look at the history and development of macaroons.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." - Mary Chase, Harvey (US author & educator, 1887 - 1973)

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Macaroons

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Dishing Up Food Safety Fact From Fiction

2009-09-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

September is National Food Safety Month. What better way to start it than with separating Food Safety Fact From Fiction.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." - Lillian Hellman, letter to Committee on Un-American Activities of the House of Representatives, May 19, 1952 (US dramatist, 1905 - 1984)

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Dishing Up Food Safety Fact From Fiction