By(e-bye) Trans Fat?

Last Friday, July 25, esteemed Governor Arnold Swarznegger passed a bill that prohibited California restaurants from using trans fats.  New York City, Seattle, parts of Maryland, and even my dear Philadelphia (former most-obese city in the country) have banned trans fats, but California is the first state to include restaurants under this sort of law.  

I remember NYC and Philly considering legislation like this, and people practically rioted.  Most notably, anyone and everyone who appreciated baked goods and the dear bakeries that peddle such delicacies protested the certain elimination of many beloved pastry products.  According to the article linked above, trans fats occur most commonly when vegetable oil is treated with hydrogen to prolong shelf life, particularly in baked and fried goods.  

Any thoughts on this?  Should the government have a say in what sorts of foods hit the shelves?  Is this legislation too narrow?  Do you think trans fats should be eliminated altogether?  

Definitely one for the side bar

I just discovered Cake Wrecks.  You, too, need to discover cake wrecks.  If you need a teaser, check out this video:

Survey

Being without a kitchen of my own is putting me in a bad place. I wander past street-side displays of oranges and onions and spontaneously daydream about citrus spring rolls for the next two blocks. I duck into Safeway to buy a lone bulbous eggplant and stare at it, longingly, guiltily, each time I open the refrigerator. I eat vegan chicken nuggets straight from the box, uncooked, piled with mounds of ketchup that drip through my fingers. I buy spices I can't use for the sheer carnal pleasure of inhaling their fragrant-but-inedible fumes, and spend far too much time browsing through thrift stores and kitchen catalogs, examining gadgets I can't yet give a proper home.  Suddenly, I inexplicably find myself in Whole Foods, sampling the watermelon and goat gouda for the third time this week.  I think I actually had an inappropriate dream involving chana masala.  And I almost bought a basil plant yesterday but caught myself before committing the poor flora to my current vagabond life.

So, dear readers, I'm asking for your help. Tell me about your favorite ways to prepare the following foods, and if you're feeling particularly generous choose one to make and tell me all about it. You can post to your own blog or leave me lurid details in the comments section. I look forward to indulging my inner gastronome vicariously through you.

What's your favorite way to use...

_Oranges (Not the only fruit, but a current obsession)
_Tofu (Look for, maybe find, something divine)
_Eggplant (Alone in the kitchen, the agony)
_Onions (Peel first, like my love)
_Basil (Search your mixed-up files)

Bonus points for identifying any or all of the literary references above.

By Italian Wisdom

“I always say a gastronome who isn’t an environmentalist is just stupid, and I say an environmentalist who isn’t a gastronome is just sad.”

Carlo Petrini, creator of the Slow Foods movement. Slow Foods USA is coming up, right here in San Francisco -- view the full New York Times article here. And if anyone is planning on attending...

By Substitution

I set out to make a batch of peanut butter cookies this afternoon (credit to 101 Cookbooks), but after I got home from the grocery store and proudly laid out my organic natural peanut butter (crunchy, to be redundant), grade A maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil, and other ingredients practically requisite in a San Franciscan baked good, I discovered what I thought to be a fatal flaw: baking powder. The recipe, as you may note if you followed the link, calls for baking soda. Many people keep baking soda in their refrigerator, to dispel food odors; however, I'm currently a houseguest, and my host doesn't observe this tradition.

This is not the first time I, or any other hapless would-be baker, suffered this mix-up. One of the few stories told about my mother involves a wok, a beef stir-fry, and the wrong white powdery baking substance. Apparently the result was inedible, and I was always careful to check and double-check my ingredient list after imagining a dinner party gone terribly awry.

That said, I did some quick research and discovered all was not lost: thrice the baking powder can be used to substitute for any given quantity of baking soda. Apparently flavor may be compromised, but my cookies were (are) delicious nonetheless. Brilliant. If you want to go the other way, try 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda.

However, the main lesson learned: keep baking soda in the refrigerator.

By Chinese Widsom

From my Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory class:

"Without the kitchen, the army is useless."

We were talking about the functions of zong qi, but I feel that this idea applies to many facets of life. Think Napoleon. Consider Washington. Ponder your own assailments upon the world.

Feed yourself well this week.