F the F Train

Firstly, I would like to publicly say, F the F train! What should have been a 10-15 minute train ride yesterday had me stuck between the tracks for almost 45 minutes. Raise my fares and then trap me stories below street level in a crammed car - and I think of my grandfather when I say this - bunch of crooks! Anyway, if you are interested in learning more about my train ride from hell I will refer you to the linked Seinfeld video for an accurate reenactment of what went down.

So yesterday we started chopping! Large dice, medium dice, small dice, batonette, julienne, fine julienne, brunoise - you name it, I made it. All afternoon. Slicing and dicing up "mirepoix" for soup (aka aromatics, aka the trinity) - a 2:1:1 ratio of onions, celery, and carrots, respectively, which is considered the base for many stocks, soups, and sauces.  Not exciting enough to take pictures (they'll come soon enough), but obviously a necessary step in the process.

Today, though, we covered nutrition. And we actually had a few pretty interesting conversations, specifically on different types of fats. Now, many people know what Omega 3 fatty acids are (an essential fatty acid that should be incorporated into your diet to promote better health), but have you heard of Omega 6 and 9? Perhaps you have and I have been completely oblivious, but if you have not then, in short, Omega 6s are bad for you and Omega 9s are good for you. Americans pre-1970s had 1:5 ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s in their bodies. 1970s roll around, Nixon is elected, and Earl Butz is appointed his Secretary of Agriculture (you can look him up if you're interested in his background). Now there are a lot of politics in this, but basically this is the time frame when corn and soy based products began being promoted in the country as healthy (i.e. corn and soybean oil) primarily because they were extremely cheap to make. Throughout the 70s-90s America's consumption of corn oil, high fructose corn syrup, and the like (including animals being fed a corn diet), skyrocketed ... and the ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s in people's diets changed to a 1:25 ratio. In the last decade, the American ratio has since become 1:250 (enter the numerous brands of Omega 3 pills you can find at any grocery store or pharmacy). So the overall lesson? Read your labels (Splenda's closest chemical cousin is DDT - a pesticide), and eat olive oil (an Omega 9) and grass fed animals (because you are what you eat!). And to satisfy your sweet cravings, Mars actually has some of the better candies on the market. Why do you think islands in Italy and Greece are blue zones?

Lastly, before I sign off I would like to address some feedback I received about adulterated food, specifically from my Grandma Marisa (who was flattered to be featured in my first post). Below is the question she e-mailed:

"I understand that the restaurants don't hold the food more than 3 days, and I cook Monday for the whole week, that means 5 days, That I understand. I don't know why I am not poisoned already. So long."

What I was trying to say is that many restaurants buy their produce already fully ripened so they are able to use it immediately (also making it spoil more quickly). In addition to that, there is arguably a difference between food suitable to serve at a restaurant and in your own home. Using the word "adulterated" was just to make a point. Mushy bananas won't kill you, but they're also not the most appealing items to place atop a sundae.

Just some food for thought.