Department of Justice: Agribusiness is Badbusiness?

The Department of Justice has agreed with what a lot of students in Intro to Gastronomy seem to think: that the concentration of power among seed companies (who all use/promote GMOs) might be a problem.... As such, they've started a series of workshops that look into this issue. Here is their press release. Of course, the seed companies are only part of the issue. What are other factors that will need to change in order to change our food culture?

The Last Supper or, Eating Like it was your Last Meal?

A Professor of Consumer Behavior and a Professor of Religious Studies studied 52 paintings depicting The Last Supper. Of these painting, whose dates run from 1000 to 1800, the size of the plate and food both increased in more than 60%. How should we interpret this data?

School Lunch

Mrs. Q., an elementary school teacher in the Midwest, is eating the same lunch as her students in the year 2010 and keeping a blog. She has chosen to do this as a way to raise awareness of the quality of food that is served to students and to let people know that, beyond the taste and nutrition, students, when served this food, do not learn as well. What was your experience eating school lunches? How can it be solved?

Foie Gras, Trans-fats and Salt

A New York State Assemblyman has written a bill that would ban chefs from using salt in any restaurant (customers would add their own). Here is the bill, along with his reasoning. Thoughts? What is a chef's responsibility with regard to the health of his/her customer?

Chicken stock for the soul?

An article from 1901 about folks in St. Louis who ate a spoonful of dirt daily to stay healthy. What do you eat/drink to stay healthy? One hundred years later, what has replaced dirt? (And... might they have a point?)

Breastmilk Ice Cream: Preference, Aversion, Fear or Taboo?

Perhaps you remember me mentioning my professor who made cheese from his wife's breast milk. Apparently, a chef had the same idea. Here is the complete article. My question to you: why do we find milk from a cow acceptable (well, most of us do) but not from a human? And why does it seem that only male [professors and chefs] are the ones making these products and not women themselves?

McDonald's endorsed by Weight Watchers?

First Italians, now nutritionists! Read the article in Great Britain's The Guardian My question to you: a movement toward healthy food or just a marketing ploy?