Not that many themes have emerged from this week’s news, but there are a few. One has to do with food (unlike my previous post on FUD). So, without further delay, let’s sit down and start chewing. Don’t forget to say “Grace” first.
- Manufactured Food. When we think about manufactured food, our mind quickly thinks genetic modification by scientists in laboratories. That’s because our society today has led us to always think the worst is happening. Here’s an interesting article about manufactured food — the old fashioned way. The article is about a fruit breeder who is developing all sorts of specialized fruit, like super-sweet grapes, or grapes with odd shapes. He does this the Mendelian way — slow and careful cross-pollination and plant breeding, with plenty of trial and error. You may see some of these in your market … if you can afford them.
- Why Does Food Taste Good… or Bad. Two articles related to how we perceive how food tastes. The first looks at airplane food — or more properly, food you buy and bring on an airplane. It never tastes as good in the air — and it turns out there are scientific reasons for that based on the environment in the aircraft cabin. The second looks at beer and blue cheese. Some people love the taste; others can do without (I’m in the without category — can’t stand the taste of either). This time, it turns out that genetics are behind the different perceptions — there are particular genes that govern how we like these foods. I guess it is like the cilantro gene: some love it, to others it tastes like soap.
- Gluten Free. The other day I cited an article about people to go gluten free because of a fad. On the heels of that article comes a decision from the FDA to regular the term “gluten free” (and similar expressions). There is now a specific legal definition for “Gluten Free”. Of course, it will take a year or so for that definition to go into effect.
