Category Archives: Food

The Gospel of the FSM

Bobby Henderson reveals that he is gainfully employed now. Just don’t ask about his last supper.

Interview with Wired News:

WN: How were you inspired to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Henderson: The book is necessary so that people see how much hard evidence supports the existence of the FSM. You can make a pretty strong argument for His existence. Especially if you use the same sort of reasoning the ID people do: specious reasoning and circular logic. I suspect the mainstream religions will concede after reading it.

I know this might be a stretch for information security related topics, but the FSM brings to mind a need for clear standards to either accomodate a wide-base for interoperability or a narrow set of similarly defined values. If the core value is revealed to be nothing more than “specious reasoning”…well, that just opens the spec up for all sorts of crazy ideas. The Intelligent Design movement clearly had a supreme marketing department, but their engineering and IP controls leave a lot to be desired.

Or as Bobby put it:

I think it’s pretty amazing that these people without scientific backgrounds — or really any education at all — think they have the right to decide the science curriculum. And it blows my mind that they are getting away with it.

You have to admit the guy has balls, meat balls that is.

Bittersweet Security

All the way north on the Island of Madagascar is a city named Ambanja. The E. Guittard company claims to produce a 65% cacao bittersweet with flavors from the region. If you believe their website, the bars are a product of Criollo beans from the fertile Sambirano Valley.

Personally, all I can say is that I found the Ambanja Bittersweet very dry and light in taste, and a stark contrast to Guittard’s Chucuri Bittersweet. The latter is apparently a Columbian bean, which I think has a far more smooth and spicy flavor with a rich and familiar aftertaste.

This all makes me wonder if the “unknown” method of distributing food will come under pressure from newer and better distribution methods for old-world and boutique-type brands.

Take for example the unpleasant situation when a restaurant tells you that ground beef can not be prepared “rare” because of a law meant to protect you from disease — bad beef. Someone should alert the big beef that automation can be counter-productive when it becomes overly efficient at promoting one value in spite of all the others. In fact I usually say I would pay more if I could get a hamburger that came right from the “trusted” local butcher because I know my body is happier when I eat better food. I guess I should find out if you can even have a local butcher, baker…

So although I truly appreciate the security control model provided by the US government to reign in the mass-automation meal industry I would much rather know that the origins of my meal could be traced and therefore controlled right at the root-causes. Come to think of it, how do I find out whether the beef industry has the same or better tolerance for risk that I do? Is their idea of “safe” one in 1,000,000 deaths or is it the big fat 0?

Consider for a second the BSE website, which was prominently advertised on the front page of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. It provides the following assurance:

U.S. beef producers have worked with federal authorities for more than 15 years to set up the system of science- based firewalls that is working today to keep the food supply safe.

Hmmm, last time I checked firewalls are a single control and thus widely considered insufficient on their own to provide adequate security. Not such a great marketing campaign, if you ask me. Alas, nothing else is mentioned although I found it interesting that the Cattlemen’s website also links to some anti-vegetarian propaganda.

I suspect that if a proper set of consumer-based controls were in place, they might be able to preserve “single-origin” (e.g. quality) values on a large scale, such that we would still have excellent flavor and texture along with desireable price. But until that happens, wise consumers seek out the small-batch and single-origin brands that are a healthier choice and more in tune with their real needs (better cost-benefit ratio).

Back to chocolate, I have to wonder, are you safer trying to stay on top of the additives in the giant brand chocolate bars, or are controls more likely to be present and effective with small-batch real cacao, cane sugar, lecithin and vanilla? And does fair-trade mean less chance of sabotage? Mmmm, chocolate.

Balzana Olive Oil

I wasn’t going to say anything about the 2005 batches of Balzana California Extra Virgin Olive Oil (more for me, you know) but some friends convinced me that I should be generous and share the news. So in very rare fashion, here goes a recommendation…

It’s an oil derived from several varieties of olives chosen by Mr. Edmunds himself with an unbelievably smooth and rich hint of pepper. The “extra virgin” means the olives are grown very near the place that the final oil is produced. Seriously good stuff.

The last thing I can remember from Santa Cruz that tasted this good was a 2000 Bonnie Doon Big House Red. Give ol’ Merritt a call and get some for yourself:

Merritt Edmunds, Balzana
2655 Warren St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95062
831.475.7873 or 800.815.9775
info@balzana.com

Actually, is it single barrel oil or small batch…? I’m going to have to buy a case of the stuff just to be sure I don’t run out.

It seems to go well with anything, but I’ve been tasting it with the Explorateur triple creme, a super buttery and almost grotesquely moldy cheese from Ile de France.

Roaring Forties Australian Blue

The cheese of the day was the King Island Dairy Roaring Forties Blue. Another discovery at a local grocery store, the Blue had the appearance (and name) of a typical American blue cheese, but had far less bite and an awesomely smooth texture that is hard to find in domestic varities that tend to be dry and crumbly. After I polished off the last bit this evening I searched for the King Island website and found this helpful description:

A full flavoured blue with a sweet, slightly nutty character and good aftertaste. A rindless cheese matured in wax thus retaining its moisture and creating a smooth and creamy texture. A Roquefort style mould is used to create this unique and exciting cheese style.

Mmmm. A really great cheese. A bit of googling uncovered a recent newspaper review in the San Francisco Chronicle, which might be related somehow to the appearance of the cheese at a local grocery that boasts of a selection of over 3,000 wines:

My favorite among those I’ve tasted is the Roaring Forties Blue, a creamy, mild, blue-veined cheese from pasteurized cow’s milk. Local retailers tell me it is a customer favorite, too. […] Under the wax, you’ll find a moist, smooth and creamy blue with a mellow, almost sweet taste. It has neither the saltiness nor the pungency that characterizes many blues, which probably accounts for its popularity. Its lush, velvety texture calls for an equally luscious wine. Lustau’s Rare Cream Sherry, Solera Superior, accompanies it beautifully.

I couldn’t (and didn’t) say it any better myself, especially since I’ve never heard of those wines. I can just imagine that groceries in the future will have “hyper-linked” food. For example, when you pick up a cheese and put it in your cart, the cart’s interface will alert you to the appropriate selection of crackers and wine. Talk about a powerful and ubiquitous commerce model for information…

In the meantime, does anyone ever taste cheese with bourbon?