Nourish the Thought

Our Five Cents - Sugar is back

Several months back we wrote about the growing concern over High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)?  More to the point, we posed the question - is it a concern for you? 

Likely we have all seen the fairly quirky commercials about HFCS. In these commercials, HFCS is portrayed as natural (made from corn) and part of a healthy diet if consumed in moderation. 

The reason for this post is that I just read an article in the New York Times stating that sugar - the once considered bad boy of sweeteners by dentist and many, many others is back.

From the tomato sauce on a Pizza Hut pie called “The Natural,” to the just-released soda Pepsi Natural, some of the biggest players in the American food business have started, in the last few months, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with old-fashioned sugar. 

ConAgra uses only sugar or honey in its new Healthy Choice All Natural frozen entrees. Kraft Foods recently removed the corn sweetener from its salad dressings, and is working on its Lunchables line of portable meals and snacks.

Sugar’s comeback is not entirely a backlash against the corn sweetener. Market researchers say that with the economy so unsettled, people want to control what they can. Choosing organic, less processed or so-called natural foods is a relatively inexpensive way to do that.

So what do you think?  Is either one the lesser of two evils?  Likely both have a place in the diet as long as that place has boundaries and limits. Too much of a good thing - no matter how sweet tasting it is - is not necessarily a good thing at all.

Your Five Senses - What is Value

2008 ended with a lot of talk about consumers looking for the best value.  Seemed as though every time I turned on the TV, the news was talking about how retailers were hoping for big turnouts after Thanksgiving and again after Christmas.  Then you would see an interview with a consumer saying that they were out shopping on these two days, but only willing to buy items that were 50% of 75% off original prices.  They were looking for value deals and not settling for anything less. I will admit, I did not shop on these two days, but I too was looking to get great deals during the holidays.

The same was true with restaurants in 2008. Consumers were looking for good deals when they did in fact choose to dine out.  But what constitutes a value deal when dining at a restaurant?

-is it a lower price (even if it means smaller portions or lesser quality)

-is it great tasting products or said another way a truly satisfying meal at a reasonable (maybe not the lowest price)

-is it the bundling of items (2 for the price of 1 or salad, entree, dessert for one low price)

When you dine out, do you specifically look for value options?  Do you choose a restaurant based on the value offering they have or the food itself they offer?

In asking these questions as of late, I have discovered I am more a creature of habit.  I don't seek out value deals at restaurants and I don't look much at the value menus at most restaurants (other than for research). I go to restaurants I like to get the food I like and as long as the food delivers on my expectation and is satisfying I find it a good value.

More than likely 2009 will continue to be a year where we are looking for good deals whether it be on clothes, groceries or restaurant items.  It will be interesting to see what the term value comes to mean in 2009 and what creative value deals will surface.

Our 5 Cents-What's Next for 2009

You can see from these predictions that this upcoming year it's all about high impact flavor combinations, but flavor isn't the only aspect of the foodservice industry that will be discussed in 2009.

As with every subject the economy will be a factor.  You might ask how the economy can effect flavors...a restaurant has to walk the fine line between the exotic and the feasibility of the menu.  Keep an eye on comfort/rustic influenced foods to make a strong push this coming year.  When people are stressed they often look to comfort and familiarity, food is no different.  This might mean a stew made with a cheaper cut of pork, but flavored or scented with a aromatic spice like Chinese Five Spice and served in a rustic terra cotta bowl, the simple can sometimes be the best.

We at Nourish the Thought wish everyone a bountiful and safe 2009 and look forward to hearing from you. 

Your 5 Senses- What's Next for 2009

  We at Nourish the Thought are constantly looking for what's next in the food and beverage industry, in particularly what the new flavors will be.  It is nearing the end of 2008 so reports are beginning to circulate on this topic.  We strongly believe the flavor trends start in the independent fine dining establishments and hotel/resorts and then they trickle down the industry segment ladder into causal dine and finally intofast food.  McCormick & Company; the large spice house has released their 2009 Flavor Forecast, I would like to take a look at a few of their predications.

• Cayenne & Tart Cherry- This sweet-heat combination is a great example of the changing palates of the American consumer, they don't want dull flavors anymore. These two ingredients are also apart of the "Superfood" group so it shows they also want some sort of healthy attribute associated with the bold flavor.

• Chinese Five Spice & Artisan Cured Pork- Case in point, the artisan cured meat movement has been gaining momentum in the fine dining realm for the last couple years and now being combined with the American love affair with Asian flavors/fusion this duo has great potential

• Smoked Paprika & Agave Nectar- The last combination on their list might be the most intriguing.  Smoked paprika is a wonderful inclusion to any BBQ sauce, paella and any other Spanish/Latin based dish, the addition of agave nectar rounds out the bold flavor of smoked paprika with it's background of sweetness.  Spanish cuisine might be one of the best in the world and now pair with a Mexican ingredient it seems to a blend of old world and new world.

Nourish the Thought encourages you to send us any flavor trends and ingredient trends you see out on the horizon. 

Your Five Senses - Thanksgiving, A New Tradition

Well, Thanksgiving has once again come and gone.  I so look forward to the holiday each year - mostly because of the time spent with family, but of course also for the food.  This year was a little different for my family than from years past (as long as I can remember).  This year, my mother did not do the cooking and I must say we (my brothers, their wives and families) were all apprehensive about this change, but it was time.  My mother is a wonderful cook and there are so many things we all feel "only she can make - like her dressing and the gravy for the turkey", but it is time to pass the torch.  This year my brothers wife took on the task of the turkey and the gravy and it was wonderful.  I was given the daunting task of making the dressing.  I could have went out and created my own signature dressing - starting a whole new tradition, but instead I opted to try to replicate my moms.  She of course doesn't really have a recipe, so asking for that was some what pointless.  She does somewhat go by a recipe found in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, so that is where I started.

I won't say I totally matched my moms dressing, but I do  believe I did a pretty good job. Even she herself said so (guess she sort of has to, after all she is my mom).  I guess the best testament to my work was that there was none left at the end of the meal - the pan was empty.

So I guess in some ways we have started a new tradition in my family or maybe it is just an evolution of past traditions. Either way you look at it, we all went away happy and stuffed.

Our Thanksgiving meal is pretty standard, at least I think so. We have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing (not the cornbread kind), rolls, corn, cranberry sauce and some kind of salad.  Then of course there is the dessert - this is the one area of cooking my mom is still in charge of and she is tops. We had pumpkin pie, blackberry pie, cherry pie, peach pie and egg custard pie. Yep she makes each of her kids their favorite.

Well that is a glimpse of my Thanksgiving holiday - what kind of traditions do you have? Did they change at all this year?  Any new foods introduced?  What are your standard Thankgiving Day foods?

Our 5 Cents- Attack of the Killer Appetizers

Here is a crazy thought; what if restaurants started to overwhelm their guests with great service and quality food instead of trying to out portion the competition.  I don't feel like they have to reinvent the wheel, but by focusing on quality and creativity the large chain casual dine restaurants can make small impactive changes and not fall back on to mediocre appetizers and entrees.

Green Luxury!

Have you heard about the latest in the hotel world?  Green just got greener and real just got realer (is that a word).

The Cacao Pearl is the world's first non-profit and luxury eco-resort community to commit 100% of operating profits to environmental protection and social improvements.  The resort is built on a 124 acre private island in the Calamianes archiplego (Philipines).  The Cacao Pearl has all the finest 5 star amenities you could desire, plus the allure of being situated within a lush tropical rainforest.  Oh...and did I mention the beaches and dive sites.

This resort is no token green gesture - it is the real deal and authentic to the core.  Ownership in one of the residences provides a guilt free eco-friendly conscience.  You can actually feel good about this investment on multiple levels.

Your Five Senses- Attack of the Killer Appetizers

There were times in not so distant past where a appetizer might have been a small side garden salad, warm bread and butter or maybe shrimp cocktail; well those days are gone.  Now days you are more likely to find full blown caloric gut bombs for appetizers.  Restaurants are throwing cheese around like confetti on New Years Eve and frying anything they can batter or bread.  With all the research going into obesity and the health effects, why are restaurants running towards fattier and higher caloric appetizers? Is it because people are watching their pennies and are more likely to order heavy apps in place of a $20-25 entree?  Have we as a culture become that over indulgent?

I am certainly not innocent in this matter, I've consumed my fair share of fried mozzarella sticks and might still have a blommin' onion kicking around somewhere.  As I get older I realize I can't keep eating like that and I think what concerns me the most is that kids growing up now will just get used to eating 500-600 calories before they eat their entree.  Obesity and childhood obesity is truly an epidemic and the foodservice industry might want to take a look at their influence on this issue.

Men's Health magazine has an article entitled" America's Worst Appetizers"; check it out and see what I'm talking about. http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/The-Worst-Appetizers-in-America/index.php Nourish the Thought welcomes your thoughts on this matter and any other topic we have discussed in the past.

Your Five Senses- High Fructose Corn Syrup, cont.

A few months ago, I wrote about High Fructose Corn Syrup.  As a mother, I was posing the question as to whether this is something consumers today are concerned about or not?  I wondered then and still wonder now, if there will be a push to remove or reduce HFCS from food items as was done with Trans Fat.

Well since that post, there have been some new developments that cause me to put out the question again.  I am sure most have seen the new TV spots about HFCS - they are quirky to say the least, but at the same time simplistic. Where they created and released due to pressure from consumers, the government, other parties or just the industries way of trying to make a statement about an ingredient they previously haven't had to make statements about?

The most recent news about HFCS, just came to my attention this week.  A national restaurant chain, Jason's Deli, based in Texas, claim to have removed HFCS from their menu. They also claim to be MSG and Trans Fat Free.  The specific statement is -

Jason’s Deli, a restaurant specializing in selling freshly made sandwiches, salads and soups, has eliminated high fructose corn syrup from its culinary items.

Effectively immediately, all of the restaurants owned by the Beaumont, Texas-based deli chain will feature high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-free versions of breads, dressings, desserts and many other food items.

Who will be next? Will there be another chain to follow this lead? Maybe it will be a grocery store item?

 

Our Five Cents-Food Safety

When it comes down to it we are responsible for the food we put in our body.  Next time you are at the supermarket stop and think about the products you have in your cart.  Read the labels, investigate what those ingredients are, where they come from and try to buy products with as little unfamiliar ingredients as possible. When dining out, ask your server about the purchasing habits of that restaurant, do they buy from a quality source. You have every right to know what is in your food.  I highly encourage you to go to your local farmers markets as well, if you don't know where one is located, go on-line and search there might one closer than you think.