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Food Thread: Sugar Sugar! But Add Some Fat For Good Measure...

[Pebbles and bam bam waffles with warm Reese's chocolate peanut butter cups and fruity cereal]

Really...that's what it is! And wow...that is a large amount of sugar! I am not a sugar prohibitionist, and the insanity of many about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) being of the Devil is ignorant of the chemistry. It is identical to sugar, so just ease up.

But what is unpleasant for me about that sort of dessert/meal-for-four is how monochromatic it is. I prefer my sugar mixed liberally with fat, and if you add some bitter chocolate to ease the sweetness a bit I will smile and ask for seconds!

That is not to say that I never eat really sweet stuff. One of my occasional pleasures is a handful of Gummy Bears or good jelly beans...that stuff really hits the spot sometimes.

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Amazing isn't it? Government can effortlessly go from one extreme to another without any philosophical issues, because of course the overarching philosophy of government is: MORE TAXES! Anyone care to bet that Japan has had government-sponsored anti-drinking campaigns in the past?

Japan launches nationwide competition to boost alcohol consumption

The NTA said alcohol consumption in Japan had fallen from an average of 100 litres a person a year in 1995 to 75 litres in 2020. The decrease in alcohol sales has hit Japan’s budget, which is already running a deficit of more than ¥48tn (£290bn)

Taxes on alcohol accounted for 1.7% of Japan’s tax revenue in 2020, down from 3% in 2011 and 5% in 1980. Total revenue from tax on alcohol in the 2020 financial year fell by more than ¥110bn to ¥1.1tn, compared with the previous year, the NTA said earlier this month. It was the biggest fall in alcohol tax income in 31 years, according to the Japan Times.

Maybe Japan should worry less about tax revenue trends and more about creating a country that is vibrant enough to make people want to have children.

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They say that one first tastes with one's eyes, but there are foods that simply don't look all that wonderful, but sure taste great! Nachos can be delicious, but they almost always look like a dog's breakfast. And Mac & Cheese? Sure, if the top has been browned it looks appetizing, but absent that it looks like a yellowish-orange mess. A delicious yellowish-orange mess!

One of my favorite foods of all time is a deceptively simple Italian pasta called "Cacio E Pepe," which is pretty much cheese, pepper and pasta. But it is glorious, and extremely difficult to make well. It's also really boring looking! Here is a very appealing Italian chef with an adorable accent making the dish. Looks easy, doesn't it!

It isn't.

That video was sent to me by RondinellaMomma, our very own professional singer, specializing in Sicilian Folk Music! It looks like she will be doing concerts in NC, DC, MD, WV, and even one in NYC, so check her out!

Anyway, what are your favorite foods that are also not particularly visually appealing?

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Speaking of foods that aren't particularly attractive but more than make up for it in their actual taste! That is cauliflower roasted with tons of garlic, about a cup of olive oil (I exaggerate, but only slightly), salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes. First 20 minutes covered at 375 degrees (convection), then another 30-40 or so until it looks a bit crispy and browned. Awesome. Delicious!

But you know what it's missing? Oysters!

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This dish actually looks pretty good; I just wish that these recipe writers would ease up on insisting that mixing styles of cooking is a good thing. Will it taste good on pasta? Yeah...sure. But it will taste a lot better wrapped up in some fresh tortillas, or simply in a bowl.
Green Chile Pasta

But I am a sucker for tomatillos, so pretty much anything that includes them is going to make me smile.

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I prefer cold water oysters, in part because that's what I was brought up on, and in part because I have always been aware of the possibility of Vibrio in the warm water oysters of the Gulf and the American south...

That is not to say that I avoid eating them, but given the choice, I will eat the marvelous roasted oysters in New Orleans over a plate of raw. That's not settling by the way...those roasted oysters can be spectacular!

Florida officials report death of vibrio patient

I wonder whether cooking oysters became part of the culture in the south because we figured out that maybe raw weren't as safe? Or was it simply that New Orleans has a natural affinity for anything cooked with cream and butter?

Either one works for me, because they really are delicious!

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Maybe it's because I led a sheltered life, but I find foods that make one retch from the smell to be less than interesting as a culinary experience, but hysterically funny as an observation of how strange people can be.

Surströmming Challenge

Sorry, but there is no way in hell that I am going to eat that abomination.

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[Hat Tip: "DHMosquito]

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Just send me oysters. Lots of oysters, and I will provide special dispensation for those without taste who insist upon maple syrup with their French Toast. And pork rib roasts from the front end of the pig where all the good and fatty meat lives, carrots that don't taste like stalky chalk, spare bottles of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Bourbon, an herb garden that actually produces herbs (but no basil!), well-marbled NY strip steaks and elk backstrap to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

And don't think that the rest of you are off the hook with maple syrup and French Toast: I'm still watching you! And I am watching you perverts who shake Manhattans and keeping a list for the Burning Times.