Spread the news: butter’s back

[Gifted Gourmet]

But what we do learrn indicates that excessive amounts of even beneficial foods may be harmful.

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which reminds me of the line some comedian uttered, only partially in jest:

"How much Healthy Choice Ice Cream must you eat before it is no longer a healthy choice?"

[jess mebane]

Growing up, we always had butter and margarine both, but my dad was the only one who ate the margarine for his high cholesterol. He's one of those healthy-as-a-horse types who just happens to have high cholesterol, and since he's 74 and still going strong, I'm not too worried about it.

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Same here, and my dad's like, 145 lbs. dripping wet.

I dated a guy once who claimed there was but one proton's difference between margarine and plastic. We've never had the stuff in our house, nor packets pink and blue. I can sense when there's only one lb. of unsalted left in the freezer--makes me nervous. And at today's prices, mind you, peace of mind comes at a premium.

[ghostrider]

So tell me.

How could 'Last Tango in Paris' have been made without butter?

I ask you.

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Duck fat.

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Which has the additional advantage of being an interestingly appropriate phrase if you're dyslexic.

Forgive me, I've gone off topic again.

[Smithy]

So tell me.

How could 'Last Tango in Paris' have been made without butter?

I ask you.

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Duck fat.

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Which has the additional advantage of being an interestingly appropriate phrase if you're dyslexic.

Forgive me, I've gone off topic again.

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Actually, that wouldn't be from dyslexia; you're thinking of a spoonerism...which isn't so far off-topic after all. Forking, anyone?

[Smithy]

Our family grew up with margarine for economic reasons, and only bought butter when my grandfather came to visit. As a child I thought butter was too rich and inconvenient for spreading - darned stuff was always hard. I discovered half-and-half in my coffee just after college, but stuck with the margarine. When my health-nut-freak boyfriend and I finally split up, I cut loose: half-and-half...even heavy cream sometimes in my coffee!...and butter, real butter. Since then the whole trans-fatty-acids scare has come up and bolstered my suspicions of unnecessarily processed foods. I'm sticking with butter. And chicken with the skin on. And the fatty groozly bits (thanks, Lisa) of the turkey. As others have noted, moderation is the key.

I have some mistrust of unnecessarily processed foods, and the trans-fat scare recently goes more or less with my basic philosophy. However, in general I'm skeptical about food studies for reasons noted by other posters: you can find a study to prove just about any food preference. I can't remember whether it was the coffee scare (it's bad for you/no, it boosts your sex life and helps you live longer) or the wine scare (it's bad for you/no, it helps your HDL cholesterol) or the chocolate study (dark chocolate helps your sex life AND your HDL cholesterol) that tipped me over the edge, but by now I usually say "feh" when I read a new study. Before I'll give much credence to a study, I want to know who's grinding the axe.

Nancy

[bleachboy]

I have to say that I grew up with margarine. My family being basically "Southern" cooks, that is curious.

Fifi, you're not Southern. You're Texan! Don't forget that!

But seriously, I think it is a Texas thing. My parents use margarine, my grandparents used margarine, all the relatives I can think of use margarine. I am at a loss to explain it, and I'm like the "butter evangelist" of the family.

Kind of like when I ask my mom if she has some mayo in the fridge. "Of course!" she responds cheerily, and hands me a bottle of Lite Miracle Whip. 'Gah!'

[Toliver]

...But seriously, I think it is a Texas thing.  My parents use margarine, my grandparents used margarine, all the relatives I can think of use margarine.  I am at a loss to explain it, and I'm like the "butter evangelist" of the family.

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You have to understand that these older generations were innundated with margerine/oleo marketing and believed every word of it. "It can stay outside of the fridge, it doesn't spoil and it costs far less than butter." Forget all health issues, forget all the flavor issues. It was convenience and low cost that they were selling and the public bought it hook, line and sinker.

To this day, my mom, who is 74 (shhh...don't tell her I made this public knowledge ), still bakes and cooks with the stuff. She also uses Biquick all the time which was another mass marketing success and is a whole other discussion. Heck, oleo is so pervasive, it's often found as an answer in the newspaper crossword puzzles that my mom tackles every night!

Let them have their margerine. The oleo-butter pendulum is swinging the other way these days with every article on the evils of trans fats & hydrogenation.

I am the "butter evangelist" in my family. With every batch of holiday cookies I make, with every pot of mashed potatoes I whip up for a holiday dinner, I am spreading the gospel of Butter. My mom even asked me once why my Christmas cookies tasted so good (made from her recipe) and I had to explain to her that it was because I used real honest-to-goodness butter. I may convert her yet!

[ghostrider]

Actually, that wouldn't be from dyslexia; you're thinking of a spoonerism...which isn't so far off-topic after all.  Forking, anyone?

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Spoonerism! Thank you! I knew that "dyslexic" was the wrong term & have spent the last 3 days wracking my brains, to no avail. (Yes, way too late to edit the post, but still I obsessed.)

It's a sad thing when the memory starts to go.....