Raw Rag™

Joel Salatin on the Food Safety Modernization Act: What's it really about?

Excerpt from "Joel Salatin teaches philosophy of farming: PolyFace Farms blends Eastern, Western cultures" (The Santa Clara):

"We have to understand that food safety, primarily in this country, is not about food safety. It's about who has access to the market...I know this is not about food safety, it's about regulating market access...consumer advocates believe bureaucrats can protect them and that a paper 1,000 miles away can protect them...[as a society] we love being victims; that's why we call them ‘stoplights' and not ‘go-lights.' Ultimately, the question is, ‘Who owns me?'"

...

"Eventually, we all walk by faith — at the end of the day, we put our faith in something, whether it be God, family, friends...all of these opportunities and decisions come down to who you're going to trust. Life is full of risks. It's so risky you could die from it!"

Salatin concluded with one final benediction, "May all your carrots grow long and straight. May we all leave the planet in a better place than it was found."

Do raw food teachers need to be certified? What do YOU think?

Last week, at the goneraw.com forum, someone asked if certification is necessary in order to teach about raw foods. Excerpt:

I am starting a raw foods business. Currently I have been teaching classes and am also working on my recipe book. My question is: HOW MUCH CAN I TEACH PEOPLE WITHOUT BEING A NUTRITIONIST OR DOCTOR?? Can I only show them how to prepare food or can I teach what to eat and what it does to the body? Do I need to be a nutritionist to recommend foods to eat? Who certified the original "raw food teachers"? Can i start my own raw food certification program/school?

So far there has only been one response. Excerpt:

People don't like hearing this, but in my view the very best thing to do for anyone who is really serious about becoming a professional nutritionist is getting a 'real' college degree in nutrition, becoming a registered dietician, and coupling that with a holistic nutrition course (which is a walk in the park compared to a B.S. in nutrition, where you take biochemistry and anatomy and physiology and so on). That way, you can *legally* dispense nutritional advice without worrying about lawsuits, since R.D.'s are licensed by the state. I'm not saying that I would only go to a person with the credentials I have described, but I would know that the person really knew his or her stuff.

What are your thoughts on certification?

Great reading! Quotes about food and eating from Jane Goodall, Francis Coppola, Jack LaLanne, many more

The Foreword of What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets is entertaining and informative. Click to read what 25 people (most of whom you will recognize) have to say about diet, nutrition, and eating habits [pdf]. The range of topics is wide, and includes yoga, temptation, taste, pornographic food, hunger, health, and cooking.

With many eye-catching photos, the book is beautiful. I'm not surprised it is ranked #1 in the category of "Photojournalism" at Amazon. Most of the photos can be viewed at the book's Web site.

Note: Review of the book (includes some good photos) from Brain Pickings. Excerpt:

Part Food, Inc., part FridgeWatcher, the project is a potent antidote to Neil Burgess’s recent rant about the death of photojournalism — What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets is a bundle of storytelling and humanity that unravels itself before your eyes, leaving you hungry to better understand the correlation between food, environment and quality of life.

Denver establishments with healthy food

Unable to locate a list of local restaurants and stores that sell food that's good for you, I have decided to create my own list.

Please contact me with any suggestions for additions.

Establishments below profess a commitment to selling meats, poultry, and eggs that are free of chemicals, such as antibiotics and hormones; and/or other offerings, including produce, that are of the highest quality (e.g., organic).

If you have any questions or doubt about something you are purchasing at any of these places, be sure to ask and verify. They should be happy to address your concern and interest.

I will be adding to this list as I learn of more healthy food in Denver.

• Chipotle
• Whole Foods Markets-They all have places to sit and eat, so are more than grocery stores. Locations such as Belmar are like several restaurants under one roof.
• Eco-Burger
• Tony's Markets
• Govinda's Buffet
• Modmarket-In an e-mail, Anthony Pigliacampo wrote to me (and I quote with permission): "We are SUPER picky with our meats.  The people we buy our steak from told us that we are the only non 5 star restaurant they sell it to. Our chicken is very high quality too. Why anyone buys the saline, antibiotic filled stuff is a mystery to me."
• Watercourse Foods
• Marczyk Fine Foods (recommended in Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms)
• Oliver's Meat Market-Unfortunately no Web site but at least a Facebook page
• Here's what Cheeburger Cheeburger says about its beef on their Website: "100% all-natural Angus guaranteed to have no additives, no antibiotics and no added hormones according to a verified 120 day affidavit." (They don't explain the details of the affidavit process.)
• City O' City
• A representative from Steuben's wrote via e-mail that their meat and poultry are "antibiotic or hormone free."

Note: When I initially contact a non-vegetarian restaurant or market, the first question I ask is something like this:

I have a question, please. I wanted to check to see if your meat and poultry are raised without antibiotics and hormones? Thank you.

After that response, I typically will then ask about other ingredients. Sometimes I ask several questions in the initial contact.

When I ask a server or clerk, I follow up to verify the response.

For example, the very kind and skillful waitperson at Racines told me their meat is all chemical-free. I have e-mailed them to verify. If appropriate, I will add them to the list after hearing back. [Added later: As of the evening of January 14, I have not yet heard back from Racines.] [Added February 16, 2011: I have still not received a response to my inquiries to Racines; the last one was sent this week via their Web site.]

Despite several e-mails, I have not yet been able to get Smashburger to confirm that their meat is chemical-free.

Who among you has not cooked dinner on your car's engine? If not, here's how

When I tell people they can easily cook meals on their car engine as they drive along, I am frequently not believed. So I simply recommend the cookbook Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine. The book is entertaining and it contains all the instructions you need to cook using your engine's heat while driving. (This fun yet wholly practical cookbook also comes in a Kindle edition.) If you try this method of cooking, please let me know how your car cuisine tasted.

NOTE: For those among you who are high-raw, this technique can make those small segments of your menus that are non-raw both convenient and delicious. Enjoy!

Note (added September 16, 2011): On a related topic: "Cook Breakfast in a Hotel Room with an Iron and Coffeemaker" (lifehacker).

That's the (meal) ticket for a busy person: Choose three easy recipes and be creative in varying them

Perhaps you will be inspired as I was by this simple yet creativity-raising idea of chef Mark Bittman. From his year-end article in The New York Times "Chop, Fry, Boil: Eating for One, or 6 Billion":

[A]lthough there certainly are urban and rural pockets where people have little access to fresh food, about 90 percent of American households own cars, and anyone who can drive to McDonald’s can drive to a supermarket.

[A] cooking repertoire of three basic recipes can get anyone into the kitchen and beyond the realm of takeout food, microwaved popcorn and bologna sandwiches in a few days.

One could set off a heated argument with a question like, “What are the three best basic recipes?” but I stand behind these: a stir-fry, a chopped salad, and the basic combination of rice and lentils, all of which are easy enough to learn in one lesson. ...  Each can be varied in countless ways. Each is produced from basic building blocks that contain no additives, preservatives, trans fats, artificial flavorings or ingredients of any kind, or outrageous calorie counts; they are, in other words, made from actual food. The salad requires no cooking; the stir-fry is lightning fast; the rice-and-lentils, though cooked more slowly, requires minimal attention. ...

These recipes offer other benefits ... .

Click to read the rest and access three of his recipes. Do you have a basic repertoire of simple recipes? If so, what are they? When I am eating raw, mine consists of smoothies, salads, and snacks of nuts and fruit (both dried and fresh). For my high-raw, high-qual days, I am going to try Bittman's suggestions for a month and see how we like the cuisine. I'll let you know.

I wish all of you a very good 2011!