eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine, MarketStEl & mizducky - The Shrinking

[CaliPoutine]

I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed this, and how I wish it could go on and on.  Is that a possibility, just for this super-triad to open a thread and contribute from time to time?  I hope so---you three are a marvel, and I've loved every minute of this.

rachel

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Thanks Rachel, thats really sweet.

[MarketStEl]

Robin was hungry when she finished her time on the treadmill so I gave her a banana with a bit of peanut butter.  Our favorite pb is Jif.

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Regular Jif, or Simply Jif?

It wasn't until I tried the latter that I realized just how much sugar the manufacturer (formerly Procter & Gamble, now J.M. Smucker Co.) adds to Jif. Peter Pan, the first mass-marketed brand of peanut butter, is even sweeter; Skippy used to be not as sweet until the folks at Bestfoods (now Unilever) noticed that Jif outsold Skippy.

Simply Jif has about half the sugar of and less sodium than regular Jif. Its taste is a lot closer to that of all-natural peanut butters.

Given your dietary needs, if you're not already buying it, you might want to try it.

[CaliPoutine]

Robin was hungry when she finished her time on the treadmill so I gave her a banana with a bit of peanut butter.  Our favorite pb is Jif.

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Regular Jif, or Simply Jif?

It wasn't until I tried the latter that I realized just how much sugar the manufacturer (formerly Procter & Gamble, now J.M. Smucker Co.) adds to Jif. Peter Pan, the first mass-marketed brand of peanut butter, is even sweeter; Skippy used to be not as sweet until the folks at Bestfoods (now Unilever) noticed that Jif outsold Skippy.

Simply Jif has about half the sugar of and less sodium than regular Jif. Its taste is a lot closer to that of all-natural peanut butters.

Given your dietary needs, if you're not already buying it, you might want to try it.

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Its actually regular Jif. But, I think the Canadian Jif has less sugar the the US Jif. There is 1 gram of sugar per 1Tbls. We're ok with that because we really like the taste. I probably used 1-2tsp on her banana.

[CaliPoutine]

I ran out to the store to get some mushrooms for our dinner tonight.

Of course, I can't go to the store for just 1 thing. I saw this in the chip aisle and I was pretty shocked. I know 365 Everyday is from Whole Foods. I examined the package and there is NO French writing on it. It does say Whole Foods on the back and Product of Canada. There wasnt a shelf tag either. Obviously, my small town grocery store got it by accident.

When I brought it to the cash register, it wasnt on file either. The cashier charged me 1.50 for the bag.

I picked up these because I plan on making them next week for the Seniors. I thought I'd cook up a few and put them on our pizza. I hope they're good because for that price, it will make a great meal for the Seniors. For them, I'll make a sweet and sour sauce and serve it over rice.

[MarketStEl]

This page 9 has been a three-cup affair, slowly savored first thing.  I cannot say that I have ever been so mesmerized by a single page of eGullet---the pictures, the markets and restaurants and the outings, the SELVES portrayed and displayed, and most of all---the WRITING.

I wish this blog could go on for another week---there's still so much to see and do, and even if these three stayed home, just cooking and chatting, it would be splendidly interesting and informative and memorable.

The personalities have shone through, the words have touched on so many subjects so profoundly and wittily, the pictures and the lives have jumped off the page.   From Garcia to Gay Rights, from Health to Happy Hour---gamut, indeed.

I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed this, and how I wish it could go on and on.  Is that a possibility, just for this super-triad to open a thread and contribute from time to time?   I hope so---you three are a marvel, and I've loved every minute of this.

rachel

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Thank you for the kind words and praise.

I do recall another epic tag-team foodblog: "Cold Turkey Three Ways," which remains IMO the pacesetter for a foodblog that deals with a serious health issue in an interesting manner. That blog, in fact, was the inspiration for suggesting this one -- and that one ran two weeks.

I'm sure all three of us could come up with enough interesting material to fill another week of blogging, but it is a time-consuming task -- in no small part due to the requirement to use ImageGullet.

I wouldn't presume to speak for my co-bloggers, but if they're up to it and the Foodblog Czarina agrees, then so am I.

Edited to add: But since I see that another blog IS starting tomorrow, we don't need to worry. There are still a few loose ends I'd like to tie up, and I do need to put today up on the blog; I'll do those later tonight--I am entertaining a friend shortly and have a press release to write.

Edited January 14, 2008 by MarketStEl (log)

[mizducky]

From these pictures, some of you might quibble with my description upthread of Mil-Lee's as "what Alice's Restaurant would probably look like today."  But let us not forget that Arlo Guthrie sang about that place back in 1970.  Alice would be a good bit older now, and quite likely have handed the place off to her daughter.  Her customers, having aged with her, would probably have also gone from tie-dye to needlepoint and moved their decorating tastes closer to those of their parents.  I think Alice would probably have wanted to run a cheery, homey place in her later years. Oh -- and she definitely would recycle that trash rather than dump it and get nailed by the local fuzz.

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Yeah, well ... I would have envisioned Alice's Restaurant aging into something a little more along the lines of the Big Kitchen ... but hey, that's just my vision, what can I say?

Actually, with a little creative Googling I have determined that Judy "The Beauty" Forman took ownership of the Big Kitchen in 1980, whereas Arlo Guthrie's friend Alice Brock did her adventure in restaurant ownership sometime in the mid 1960s (the Wikipedia article on the song is kind of vague on that point ... though it, as well as Allmusic Guide, agree that Guthrie first issued the "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" on his debut album in 1967, rather than 1970). So the BK hasn't had quite as much time to age as the restaurant formerly owned by Alice Brock--but I hope BK never gets too old to remember Jerry.

Ellen:  So how did Mr. E like Tillamook Cheddar?  Personally, I think it's a notch or two above Cabot -- which is still one of the best cheeses you can find in the supermarket dairy case.

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I don't think Mr. E has even noticed the Tillamook yet. I'll see if I can get him to do a taste test before the end of the blog. But even if he does like it, I severely doubt I'll be able to persuade him that it's superior to his beloved Cabot--after all, he's a son of Vermont, and there are certain loyalties to be observed. Plus, even though I've assured him numerous times that orange cheddar gets its color from annatto seed and not a testtube, I can tell he remains skeptical--he's convinced that the Cabot cheddar, because it is not annatto-colored, is purer somehow. Oh well...

[CaliPoutine]

We just finished dinner and I'm still hungry

I made a quick pizza sauce using canned cherryn tomatoes imported from Italy. They're on sale( or clearance) at the my local grocery store for .79cents. I've really enjoyed them so I think I'll go up tomorrow and get a few more cans.

I just sauted some garlic in evoo, added a pinch of oregano, salt and sugar. I added the tomatoes that I pureed in the food processor. I added a tbls of paste, abd a splash of balsamic vinegar. I let it reduce a bit.

The pizza dough came together really quickly. I used the plastic dough blade in the processor and the proof feature on my new stove.

I rolled it out really thin because we prefer thin crust. I did have a hard time transferring it to the stone. It wouldnt move even though I used cornmeal on the peel. Robin had to hold the stone in her gloved hands while I tried to move the pizza onto it. I found out that I rolled the dough out wider than the actual stone. Oops!!

I used canned mushrooms because I actually prefer them to fresh on pizza. I used some shredded part-skim mozzarella and some light Mexican blend.

When the pizza came out, I cut it into 8 slices. We had 3 each and some salad. I figured 4 points per slice.

I think I'm going to make some of Robin's favorite granola and then call it a night!!

Edited January 14, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Plus, even though I've assured him numerous times that orange cheddar gets its color from annatto seed and not a testtube, I can tell he remains skeptical--he's convinced that the Cabot cheddar, because it is not annatto-colored, is purer somehow. Oh well...

Have either of you( or anyone else) tried the 75% reduced fat cheddar by Cabot ( Its orange). I bought some the last time I was in MI and have yet to try it.

[tamiam]

Of course, I can't go to the store for just 1 thing. I saw this in the chip aisle and I was pretty shocked. I know 365 Everyday is from Whole Foods. I examined the package and there is NO French writing on it. It does say Whole Foods on the back and Product of Canada. There wasnt a shelf tag either. Obviously, my small town grocery store got it by accident.

When I brought it to the cash register, it wasnt on file either. The cashier charged me 1.50 for the bag.

Not sure how the 365 product found its way to your store, but my friend, who runs a variety store that is similar to a dollar store, was getting 365 and the other Whole Foods store brand (can't remember the name) for about 8 months last year. We saw canned goods, juices, teas, pantry staples, cereal, etc.

There are a number of distributors that specialize in close-code (nearly out-dated) and ding 'n dent, but this was all first quality stuff. I think there are shelf pulls and some shipping errors that end up in distributor warehouses so top quality goods still make it to the discounters. It was a shame when the vendor was no longer able to procure those goods as we enjoyed it very much.

On another note, I've never heard of putting PB into oatmeal, and now I need to try it. I'm big on dried fruit and maybe some nuts, with a bit of brown sugar.

Thanks to each of you for blogging and sharing so very much of yourselves. Its been a treat.

[prasantrin]

Randi--is the dough hook for your processor just the plastic blade? Or do you have a specialized dough hook?

Your pizza crust looks really good. Did you use the recipe from Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry? I've never seen that show, btw, but my mother only gets the basic channels, so I never get to watch anything good when I'm visiting!

[christine007]

Sandy.

How the holy HELL do you diet being invited to such events?

I would have face planted myself into the cheese alone?

do you workout? if so, what do you do?

If you ever come to Cleveland and need a food buddy, let me know!

[CaliPoutine]

Randi--is the dough hook for your processor just the plastic blade?  Or do you have a specialized dough hook? 

Your pizza crust looks really good.  Did you use the recipe from Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry?  I've never seen that show, btw, but my mother only gets the basic channels, so I never get to watch anything good when I'm visiting!

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Yes, I used the plastic blade and it is the recipe from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry. The crust was good, although it had a very healthy taste to it!!! The recipe calls for 2tbls of flax meal.

[prasantrin]

Yes, I used the plastic blade and it is the recipe from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.  The crust was good, although it had a very healthy taste to it!!! The recipe calls for 2tbls of flax meal.

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I looked the recipe up. Looks easy, I just need to get some flax (I think I have some, but it's about 4 years old...).

I punched in the ingredients for just the crust into Now You're Cooking, and it's 2.4 points per slice (based on 8 slices). Not bad, I think. As long as I don't use too much cheese, it shouldn't be too bad.

Edited January 14, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[mizducky]

I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed this, and how I wish it could go on and on.  Is that a possibility, just for this super-triad to open a thread and contribute from time to time?  I hope so---you three are a marvel, and I've loved every minute of this.

rachel

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Thanks Rachel, thats really sweet.

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Ditto!

Y'know, if I were to do one of those "What Color Is Your Parachute" exercises, in which you ask yourself, if time and money and previous commitments were no object, what would you like to spend your life doing, these days I'd answer without hesitation that I'd love to be a professional full-time blogger. I dunno if there's anywhere one can be a fulltime blogger and get paid enough for it to live on, but if there was, I'd be burying them in resumes.

Sometime in the latter part of this week I was really getting in touch with two feelings: that I really really really love doing this blogging thang; and man, is fitting in blogging around all the rest of my life and work commitments ever tiring!!! No wonder I was pounding the caffeine so hard by the end of the week ... but I digress.

The important points are: yep, I love it; yep, in the best of all possible worlds I'd be doing this a whole lot more; and finally and most importantly, thank you to you, Rachel, and to my fellow bloggers, and to everyone who has said such beautiful and wonderful things, and otherwise participated in making this blog thang happen.

But I'm not done quite yet. I've got today's food to post about...

[maggiethecat]

But I'm not done quite yet. I've got today's food to post about...

Oh goody! MizD you are always an inspiration.

[CaliPoutine]

Yes, I used the plastic blade and it is the recipe from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.  The crust was good, although it had a very healthy taste to it!!! The recipe calls for 2tbls of flax meal.

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I looked the recipe up. Looks easy, I just need to get some flax (I think I have some, but it's about 4 years old...).

I punched in the ingredients for just the crust into Now You're Cooking, and it's 2.4 points per slice (based on 8 slices). Not bad, I think. As long as I don't use too much cheese, it shouldn't be too bad.

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Just an FYI, I didnt use any of the meat( sausage and turkey pepperetts) that the recipe called for.

[Smithy]

The important points are: yep, I love it; yep, in the best of all possible worlds I'd be doing this a whole lot more; and finally and most importantly, thank you to you, Rachel, and to my fellow bloggers, and to everyone who has said such beautiful and wonderful things, and otherwise participated in making this blog thang happen.

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I think it shows that all three of you love doing it. In case I don't get back tomorrow before the blog closes, I'll thank you - all three of you - for taking the time and providing the photos and words to make this such an interesting blog. It's been very entertaining!

[mizducky]

So today, like most Sundays, I went to go hang out with all my lovely granola-crunchy Unitarian Universalist friends.

I grabbed myself a semi-hasty breakfast (note I'm eating the yogurt straight out of the measuring cup rather than flipping it into a bowl first):

It's my experience that most religious groups tend, like armies, to run on their stomachs. When I got to church, I discovered there was even more of a three ring food circus than usual. Out on the patio, the religious education department was having a bake sale:

Edited to add: every time I look at this photo, I break out in a huge grin. I love the young folks in our church. They've got tons of personality and spunk.

Meanwhile, inside the social hall, there was a reception going on in honor of those celebrating their 50th anniversary of becoming members of our congregation. 50 years of membership in the same church! That is indeed pretty awesome! But of course, that meant even more food temptations:

Maybe not as high-class as the reception Sandy attended, which may have been a good thing in that I wasn't so heavily tempted. But still, I was glad I could retreat to the relative safety of the patio, and have the healthier snack I'd thought to bring along:

The rainbow flag on which this bar is lying is covering the info table for our church's Rainbow Action Group, our social action committee for LGBT folks and allies, of which I happen to be co-chair. I usually hang out at this table between services to be a visible presence to interested newcomers.

Usually members of our group, plus anyone else who'd like to come along, head out for lunch after services, and today was no different. Alas for me, however, I was outvoted in terms of where we'd lunch today, and so we wound up here:

Daphne's is one of those "fast casual" franchise chains; there are dozens of 'em, mainly in Southern California and Arizona. As these places go, they're ... ehhh ... inoffensive, I guess ... it's just that I'm so totally allergic to soulless chain restaurant concepts, especially when there are so many IMO much better places to go for the same price (or cheaper):

But the important thing (I reminded myself strenuously) was hanging with my friends, so I sucked up my foodgeek courage and ordered the following:

This is known as the Fire Feta Zesta Lunch. You're not any wiser for that knowledge, huh? Me neither. I had to ask the counterman what the hell it was before ordering. It's a pita folded around a filling of spiced-up feta cheese with the meat of your choice--I chose the gyros meat. The amount of meat was near microscopic--I probably wouldn't have been able to taste it even if there was more, because the spiciness of the cheese pretty much blotted out everything else. The salad and pilaf were forgettable. At least the six-buck price included a beverage. But especially when I consider that, for the same amount of money, I could have had a huge bowl of bun bo Hue at my beloved Saigon, I was to say the least underwhelmed. And still hungry after I ate this lot.

Yeah yeah yeah. Whine snivel bitch moan.

Like I said, I enjoyed hanging with my friends. However, I could tell that this unsatisfying lunch had irritated my inner Lizard, and there might well be hell to pay by the end of the day if I didn't get that scaly bastard mollified.

(to be continued, once I upload a few more photos)

Edited January 14, 2008 by mizducky (log)

[nakji]

I've really enjoyed reading this blog, and hearing all of your ideas about healthy eating. Miz Ducky, I especially enjoy your love of asian dishes. I was hoping to see some bun bo hue in your blog, but the Vietnamese feast was an acceptable substitute

One thing I've really been struck by, coming home to Canada for the first time in three years, is how much North American cooking these days seems to rely on pre-packaged foods. Having lived in Vietnam and Korea, where a lot of the convenience foods I grew up on were unavailable, I started making things from scratch, and incorporating more fresh vegetables into my diet. Now I can't even look at the frozen veg here! While I've always struggled with my weight, this year, I've vowed to focus on cooking real food using mostly vegetables. Since I live in Tokyo, I walk everywhere, so that takes care of exercise - and learning to make traditional Japanese bentos for lunch means I can eat healthy, portion-controlled lunches while saving money. I hope I'm as successful with my lifestyle changes as you have been. Keep up the good work, and keep that lizard brain down! I look forward to following your progress, especially if you continue with a full-time blog.

[CaliPoutine]

You posted:

At least it got an A

[mizducky]

At least it got an A 

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Oh yeah. It would have really sucked to get food poisoning on top of everything else.

[MarketStEl]

Okay. I'm about to upload today to ImageGullet, but before I do, a few replies and an extended comment.

Sandy.

How the holy HELL  do you diet being invited to such events?

I would have face planted myself into the cheese alone?

do you workout? if so, what do you do?

If you ever come to Cleveland and need a food buddy, let me know!

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1) I do tend to park myself in front of the cheese whenever I'm at an affair where it is served. And trust me on this, my reputation precedes me -- I'll even scarf down the grade-C cheese cubes Pure sets out on "Party Girl" night! (This is their monthly lesbian bash, held on the first Saturday; the straight kids also get one night a month, the second Friday. The rest of the month, it's pretty much all gay guys, all the time.)

I'm guessing that the exercise I did do at Widener got to the point where it boosted my metabolism a little bit -- my routine consisted of 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical cross-trainer and about 15 minutes of weights on the exercise stations, always including an ab exercise. However, it's been two-and-a-half months now since I got in one of these, which means my exercise these days has been reduced to the walks every day between my apartment and Market East and between Yardley and my office, plus the walking I do during my weekly grocery trip -- the Acme is a 20-minute walk from my home at my pace.

I'm aware it's not enough, and I've read up on some exercises one can do at one's desk. Maybe I should try them. When the weather improves, walks on the Delaware Canal towpath will probably become a lunchtime staple.

2) I've actually eaten in Cleveland. Once. On the way from Kansas City to Cambridge freshman year, with a Harvard-bound Southwest High grad for a traveling companion. I don't know how we managed this, but we found ourselves on East 9th Street downtown in front of a Forum Cafeteria (there was one of those in downtown Kansas City too) and went in for lunch. Given that Cleveland has a bunch of ethnic groups, I figure there must be better and more interesting fare there.

One thing I've really been struck by, coming home to Canada for the first time in three years, is how much North American cooking these days seems to rely on pre-packaged foods. Having lived in Vietnam and Korea, where a lot of the convenience foods I grew up on were unavailable, I started making things from scratch, and incorporating more fresh vegetables into my diet. Now I can't even look at the frozen veg here! While I've always struggled with my weight, this year, I've vowed to focus on cooking real food using mostly vegetables. Since I live in Tokyo, I walk everywhere, so that takes care of exercise - and learning to make traditional Japanese bentos for lunch means I can eat healthy, portion-controlled lunches while saving money. I hope I'm as successful with my lifestyle changes as you have been. Keep up the good work, and keep that lizard brain down! I look forward to following your progress, especially if you continue with a full-time blog.

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I grew up in a part of the country where a driver's license is a rite of passage, and I still have a valid one. My mother did well enough to buy me a car -- a new one -- for my 16th birthday. I have not owned a car since I wrecked that one in a 1978 accident on I-80 in this state that I and my fellow occupants were lucky to survive, or so the State Police officer who arrived moments after my car finished its 2 1/2 somersault into the median of I-80 said. [specifically, he said, "It's a good thing you were all asleep. Your bodies rolled with the car instead of tensing up."] As I have also lived ever since then in areas where a car is not necessary, I've also been fortunate to have at least light exercise built into my everyday routine.

And except for Hamburger Helper, which my partner really likes (and so do I, truth be told), my cooking utilizes very few processed or convenience foods. That, BTW, was the message I meant to convey with the opening photo. (Besides, both partner and roommate must watch their sodium intake, and most processed and convenience foods are loaded with sodium.)

I'm sure that most of you reading this have read articles, or heard people talking, about whether Americans' increasing reliance on processed foods, or the widespread use of things like high fructose corn syrup, have brought about the current obesity epidemic. Then there are the articles that have circulated among urban planners that wonder, "Do the Suburbs Make You Fat?" (This would have to do with having few opportunities to walk or work other exercise into the residents' ordinary routines.) My take on it is that neither of these factors is THE cause of the epidemic, but both -- and more -- have all contributed. And once again, we must take conscious steps to counter those influences.

[mizducky]

Mr. E sometimes ... erm ... forgets to tell me about changes in his plans, including his meal plans, which I'm slowly but surely learning to be more laid-back about. So when he told me, while we were at church, that he'd forgotten he was going off to a potluck with friends this evening instead of dining with me, I simply thought to myself "No worries, I'll do something else with the chicken legs that I'd planned to make for our dinner--they're safely defrosting in the fridge anyway."

By the time I got home, though, I realized I didn't want chicken for dinner. Or rather, my inner Lizard didn't want just a nice small healthy portion of chicken. You see, back in the bad old days, I was a bit of a binge eater; when my Lizard Brain would go into full effect, it wanted to consume mass quantities. Of course, these days I don't want to do that kind of damage to myself anymore. But instead of just trying to stonewall the Lizard Brain when it goes into a consume-mass-quantities rage, I have figured out some go-to meals I can do that are low enough in nutritional density that they can satisfy my Lizard's craving for mass quantities without blowing my regimen out of the water.

(Just as well, since the chicken hadn't finshed defrosting. When it finally does defrost--probably by tomorrow morning, given the temperature of our fridge--I'll probably stick it in the slow cooker with some veggies and make a nice chicken stew ... )

Anyway, for dinner I decided to do a quick-and-dirty meatless mapo tofu. Then, while foraging in the fridge, I discovered the languishing bag of soybean sprouts, and an Asian eggplant I'd totally forgotten was in there, and decided to do something with those as well.

Starting to assemble all my ingredients:

Using my suribachi to grind up some Szechuan peppercorns (didn't bother to toast them first):

Parboiling the sprouts, with the intent of making some kind of kong-namul concoction:

The sprouts, drained, shocked, and dressed with Chinese dark soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a little crushed dried red chile:

Getting the rest of the mapo tofu mise en place together--in the bowl are chopped salted black beans, minced garlic and ginger root, and slivered green onions (the white parts); in the measuring cup is a mixture of dark soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, toban jian, and enough water to bring it up to a scant 1/2 cup total.

The aromatics went into the pan first, then the liquids; when the sauce was reasonably together, almost everything else went in:

Put the lid on awhile to simmer until the eggplant was cooked through, then added the green parts of the green onion, the szechuan peppercorns, and some cornstarch slurry, and very shortly I was done:

A bowlful of this got my Lizard Brain pretty well mollified. And if it wakes up again a little later, I've got the kong-namul to munch out on as well.

(Edited to clarify that I'm not doing a biohazard with the defrosting chicken. )

Edited January 14, 2008 by mizducky (log)

[mizducky]

I grew up in a part of the country where a driver's license is a rite of passage, and I still have a valid one.  My mother did well enough to buy me a car -- a new one -- for my 16th birthday.  I have not owned a car since I wrecked that one in a 1978 accident on I-80 in this state that I and my fellow occupants were lucky to survive, or so the State Police officer who arrived moments after my car finished its 2 1/2 somersault into the median of I-80 said.  [specifically, he said, "It's a good thing you were all asleep.  Your bodies rolled with the car instead of tensing up."]  As I have also lived ever since then in areas where a car is not necessary, I've also been fortunate to have at least light exercise built into my everyday routine.

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Oh. My. God. I almost forgot about that accident. You guys were on your way to or from school during winter break, right? Geez Louise. And I had my own share of near-misses with my first car, learning how (not) to drive on black ice on winter days, though maybe not quite as death-defying as that one--fortunately, my first heap was a Sherman tank of a car. Man, it's a miracle any of us manages to survive our youth.

By the way, Mr. E has tried the Tillamook, and reports that, though it pains his Vermonter pride to admit it, it is in fact a notch above the Cabot in quality.

[MarketStEl]

I haven't gotten around yet to addressing the subject of alcohol and weight management, as I said I would. Here goes:

You've probably seen that Far Side cartoon with the caption "Impolite though they were, the other bears couldn't help staring at Larry's enormous deer gut."

Well, it may be venison for bears, but for people, nothing gives you a paunch quite like beer.

But why is this?

A therapist I was seeing once explained to me that the body processes alcohol as though it were fat rather than carbohydrate. If this is so, then that might explain why heavy drinkers get those big bellies.

OTOH, it may be the alcohol itself, which is a sugar, and thus full of carbohydrates. But if it were just that, people who down lots of mixed drinks should have them too, and I can't say I've noticed any big bellies among the hard-drinking regulars at Pure.

This leads me to conclude that it must be the fermentation process in beer that contributes to the phenomena. Perhaps we could use carbonated soft drinks as a test case?

Edited January 14, 2008 by MarketStEl (log)