Real Food Versus Swill

You may have read about the horse meat scandal in Europe.  Years ago, also in Europe, I felt certain that I had been served horse meat.  By the way, it wasn't very good with a sort of sweetish taste.  Yuck!

A restaurant in suburban Chicago used to substitute shark for swordfish.   Double-yuck.  

This European horse meat ended up in processed foods.  Why was I not surprised?  Have  you ever read the labels on frozen dinners?  "Meat product."  What the hell is meat product, I mean, is it Meat?   You will read a list of chemicals as long as your arm.  Beware of processed foods and learn to read labels.

Yesterday, we were at Walmart buying cat food and picking up a few grocery items.  Our Walmart has a huge new food section with good prices.  Not only do they have the usual grocery products, but they have beautiful organic salad greens and Polish ham.  It's become a nice place to shop.  The cheese dept. if scanty, but hey,  you can't have everything.  They even have chopped up kale with the stems removed.  This is a chore I don't mind doing (see below) but if you need it in quantity, it would be a real boon.

We are in the checkout line behind a mother and son.  Son still sits in the cart and looks to be five or six.  Mother is fairly nondescript but pleasant-looking.  I can barely cast my eyes on these two, because they are glommed onto a package of dollar-sized pancakes.   50 to a package.  Precooked.  Never seen anything like it.  The rest of the order was one over-processed item after another, and the only "fresh" food was a clamshell of strawberries.  And she spent over $100.00.  On junk food.  That poor kid.  Child abuse comes in many forms.

Now I have to confess that we don't always make pancakes from scratch, but rather haul out the Bisquick and add milk and egg. Sometimes I substitute orange or cranberry juice for part of the liquid.  Add frozen blueberries and such.  Takes maybe two minutes to prepare the batter.  After that all you need is a skillet or  grill and a spatula.  Pre-made pancakes?  And I thought waffles were silly. 

Read the label on a margarine container or (horrors) reduced fat cream.  Even Egg Beaters.  Explore the wonders of chemistry.  You will never find "all natural" on any of these products.  Maybe some good honest horse meat would be better.  If you knew what it was.  Does your lasagne taste different lately?  

People, for heaven's sake, learn to cook and get rid of your lipophobia.  Eat real food.  Eat real good.  Your body will thank you.

OMG!  What are your kids eating at school?

"Ovenable" pancakes. Wha????