Tammy Bruce: Food/Drink Archives

Food/Drink Archives

Filling In For Laura Ingraham on Monday

**Program Note: If you don't get Laura's show, or if your local affiliate isn't carrying my fill-in, you can hear the show at Talk Stream Live. KRLA in Los Angeles, as an example, doesn't carry my fill-in because I'm talent at a competing station, so choose the other available Laura link. Thanks :)

Once again, I have the honor of filling in for Laura tomorrow, Monday, May 5, 6am-9am PT. Yes, it is Cinco de Mayo. As most of you can imagine, I wouldn't necessarily suggest we all celebrate a Mexican holiday but in this instance it's special. Many think Cindo de Mayo is the Mexican Independence Day. That's not true--it's even better! The 5th of May is the day the Mexican defeated the French who were attempted to invade them. Oh sure, the French eventually occupied Mexico City, but the Mexicans eventually won.

Yes, even the Mexicans have defeated the French, and it is a holiday worth celebrating. So, have a Margarita, and perhaps some delicious Mexican food and offer a toast to the Mexicans who knew Mexico was worth fighting for. Those of us fighting for the border wall still believe that.

Posted by Tammy · May 4, 2008 09:03 PM · Permalink · Comments (10)
Food/Drink | Good News | History | Radio

Is This a Joke??

(From Iran, where "Barf" ("برف") means "Snow")

Maynard wonders

An April Fools' item? This G4 press release looks to be legit.

G4 ANNOUNCES UNIQUE NEW SERIES THAT COMBINES EATING COMPETITIONS WITH GUT-WRENCHING PHYSICAL CHALLENGES

New Original Series Entitled “Hurl!” Debuts Summer 2008 on G4

LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2008 — G4 is taking competitive eating competitions to the next level with a new series that combines speed-eating with intense physical challenges. In each episode, five brave contestants attempt to consume the largest quantity of food in a short amount of time and are then immediately subjected to a series of challenges designed to shake them up. The one to hold his or her food down the longest claims victory and walks away with a cash prize, the Iron Stomach Award, and more importantly, serious bragging rights. The half-hour series, "Hurl!" premieres summer 2008 on G4.

The competition is made up of multiple stages, beginning with an intense eating contest. Contestants are challenged to consume a massive portion of some popular All-American favorite, as quickly as they can, with items ranging from chicken pot pies to New England chowder, fish sticks, hot dogs, blueberry pie, and more. Those who devour the largest quantity and keep everything down move on to the second stage where they must face nausea-inducing physical challenges, designed to shake them up – from carnival rides to belly flops off a high dive, to mechanical bull-riding. Each episode features two different cuisines and a new outrageous challenge...

I am at a loss for words.

Posted by Maynard · May 1, 2008 07:03 PM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Cultural Commentary | Food/Drink | Hollywood/Films | Maynard Post | Television

What Happens When You Put Food Into Cars

The price of food goes up because supply can't meet demand, much like oil. The only difference is, if the price of oil goes up, the price of gas goes up, and one can choose to use less gas, and use alternatives. When the price of food goes up there aren't any alternatives. The wealthy, of course, can pay more, but the less well off don't have as much flexibility.

One of the more dramatic headlines in the last couple of days has been the rising price of corn, a result of 'climate change' hysteria. It is the fault of a world so willing to goose-step into line with frantic and ridiculous leftists who worship Al Gore as they pander to his non-existent and yet implacable enemy.

Skyrocketing corn prices hit ethanol profits

The continuing surge in the price of corn, which is punishing households with higher food prices, is cutting the profits of American ethanol producers and playing havoc with an industry that was blamed for causing the grain shortage.

The price of a bushel of corn soared above $6 on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange last week, pushed higher by news that American farmers were planting less corn...Expensive corn is hurting the livestock industry, which in turn will raise the price of meat, Rich Feltes, senior vice-president of commodity research for MF Global, said. “Hog producers are liquidating sows, the farmers are operating in the red,” he said.

The skyrocketing cost of corn is rebounding on the ethanol industry, which is taking an ever larger proportion of the US corn harvest to manufacture road fuel.

Yeah, this man looks like he knows what's healthy for the rest of us.

This is what we get when the world engages in what Hilary Clinton most recently brought to our attention--Mythomania, a psychiatric term describing individuals who make up fantastical stories and convey then as if they really exist or have happened. You think Hillary's Bosnia airport story was bad? Al Gore and the Climate Change Hysterics are no better, the only reason they haven't been so handily exposed is because God and Nature don't have cameras and YouTube to defend the truth of their matter.

All this courtesy of the Leftists who insist the world will be better off if we find 'alternatives' to Big Oil. Yes, now at the expense of Starving People. Geniuses.

Clear-thinkers regularly decry the Fabulist agenda of Climate Change moonbats like Al Gore and his minions, as we point out not just the absurdity of their agenda but also its dangerousness. I suppose it's meant to be made more difficult as were told that "climate change" is murdering polar bears, puppies, kittens and doves, but I for one was even more astounded by the Time Magazine cover story from a couple of weeks ago that actually declared The Clean Energy Scam. Instead of pointing to Leftist Climate Change pygmies as they should, Time now manages to place all the blame on 'politicians and corporations.' In fact, at no point in their story about how biofuels are a dangerous problem, does Al Gore's name get mentioned once.

...Propelled by mounting anxieties over soaring oil costs and climate change, biofuels have become the vanguard of the green-tech revolution, the trendy way for politicians and corporations to show they're serious about finding alternative sources of energy and in the process slowing global warming. The U.S. quintupled its production of ethanol--ethyl alcohol, a fuel distilled from plant matter--in the past decade, and Washington has just mandated another fivefold increase in renewable fuels over the next decade.

But several new studies show the biofuel boom is doing exactly the opposite of what its proponents intended: it's dramatically accelerating global warming, imperiling the planet in the name of saving it. Corn ethanol, always environmentally suspect, turns out to be environmentally disastrous. Even cellulosic ethanol made from switchgrass, which has been promoted by eco-activists and eco-investors as well as by President Bush as the fuel of the future, looks less green than oil-derived gasoline.

Meanwhile, by diverting grain and oilseed crops from dinner plates to fuel tanks, biofuels are jacking up world food prices and endangering the hungry. The grain it takes to fill an SUV tank with ethanol could feed a person for a year. Harvests are being plucked to fuel our cars instead of ourselves. The U.N.'s World Food Program says it needs $500 million in additional funding and supplies, calling the rising costs for food nothing less than a global emergency. Soaring corn prices have sparked tortilla riots in Mexico City, and skyrocketing flour prices have destabilized Pakistan, which wasn't exactly tranquil when flour was affordable.

We can thank Al Gore for this, as well as leftist agitators, and yes, politicians on both sides of the aisle who do not have the vision or courage to reject the nature contradicted, increasingly silly, and regularly debunked claims of global climate catastrophe.

The real folly and disaster is that of mankind thinking it knows all, kmows better, and has more influence and power than Mother Nature herself. Eventually she reminds us, to our great peril.

« Close It

Time to Choose a Different Vodka

**Bumped up for the Saturday Tammy Radio audience. And a big welcome to readers of "SIGforum--Quality firearms, quality discussion". It's a pleasure to have you here. Please feel free look around my site when you're finished with this post.**

In the event you like Absolut Vodka, you might want to rethink your choice of that delicious beverage. Take a look at their ad for Mexico, presented to you in this shot of a billboard.

Obviously advertising to Mexicans in Mexico is a normal thing for a company to do. To encourage the idea that a part of the United States belongs to Mexico is unacceptable and worthy, IMHO, of never ordering/buying Absolut vodka ever again.

Maynard weighs in:

No need to be negative. Just resolve to buy your vodka from the heartland. Skyy is widely available and quite good, and they tell me ladies like the look of that blue bottle. Lately I've favored Tito's Vodka from Texas, available at Trader Joes ($18) and other places (but it's cheaper at TJ). For Al Gore, there's Vodka 360, which claims to be very eco-sensitive in its manufacture. And Blue Ice Vodka is made from Idaho potatoes rather than grains, if you want to be different. Whatever your preferences, you won't be able to get through this election cycle without drinking a lot of vodka, so please support the home team.

Posted by Tammy · April 5, 2008 05:45 PM · Permalink · Comments (26)
Border Security | Food/Drink

Now To What's Really Important: Coffee

Yeah, I get it.

Woman crashes into water, saves coffee

A woman is safe after losing control of her car and accidently driving into the waters of the Oakland Estuary. But on the upside, she saved her morning coffee.

Authorities say the car went into the water a little after 6 a.m. Thursday after its 22-year-old driver apparently lost control of her car while reaching for a cell phone.

After the car became lodged in stilts under a home on the water, the driver was able to get out of the car and make it back to shore.

Onlookers say she came ashore still cradling her coffee cup.

Speaking of coffee, Time Magazine has a big feature on Starbucks. Yes, I know they're a blue company, but I'm hooked and have decided not to get over it.

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam an obviously loopy 'health minister' decided that marijuana smoking will be exempt from their coffee shop smoking ban. You know, the thing you do to allegedly protect the health of citizens by removing second hand smoke from the environment. So not only will there be second-hand cancer-causing smoke blowing into your face, it now will have the added benefit of making you stupid, too. Actually, this could be a stroke of brilliance on the part of the coffee shop owners. After all, who would benefit most from a bunch of people who are high when they get the munchies?

Posted by Tammy · March 27, 2008 05:08 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Food/Drink | Good News

Democrats: Dueling Beverages?

A post by Maynard

The Republicans appear divided between social/religious conservatives and fiscal conservatives. Many of us are wondering what "conservative" even means any more in the context of Republican politics. But, for better or worse, the Republicans have found their candidate, so the argument settles down for the time being.

It once seemed the Democrat Party was solidly coalescing behind the inevitable Hillary. But now the Democrats have their own divisions.

How to define the Democrat factions? This article by The Economist's "Lexington" sees it this way:

A famous political distinction exists between "wine-track" and "beer-track" Democrats. Wine-track Democrats have traditionally supported reform-minded liberals such as Gary Hart and Paul Tsongas. Beer-track Democrats have preferred more practical-minded pols. Walter Mondale famously hammered the nail into Gary Hart's coffin when he stole a line from a hamburger advertisement and asked "Where's the beef?"

Part of Bill Clinton's genius was to bring the wine-drinkers and beer-drinkers together. This was, after all, a man who went to Yale and Oxford but who grew up the child of a widow in the backwoods of Arkansas. Yet this year's Democratic primaries have burst the party asunder once again.

Obamaworld is a universe of liberal professionals and young people — plus blacks from all economic segments. Hillaryland, by contrast, is a place of working-class voters, particularly working-class women, and the old. These are people who occupy not just different economies but also different cultures. How many white Obama voters eat in Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans? And how many Clinton voters have a taste for sushi?

So is Obama being carried forward by a coalition of kids and eggheads and blacks? That makes for a powerful coalition within the Democrat Party, but it will take broader appeal (i.e., a "dream team") to capture a majority of the nation.

(It's worth noting that Tammy has been known to wax poetic on the virtues of exotic martinis. Could this be a political statement? And is it possible to like sushi and still be conservative?)

Posted by Maynard · March 12, 2008 12:59 PM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Food/Drink | Maynard Post | Politics

Vote Tomorrow Because Joe Probably Will

Here is the best I can do when it comes to trying to scare some of you into a) voting and b) voting for Romney. My guess? Odds are quite high "Joe" is not a Romniac and will very probably vote. I'm just sayin. Oh, a lot of the language is not suitable for children. Of course.

UPDATE:

Because some of you are Smart Asses, let me rephrase: "If you have a primary or caucus tomorrow, please vote. And I will add, whenever your primary or caucus is vote and make that vote for Romney. :)"

I Hate It When This Happens

Dinner is supposed to be in your tummy, not in your back seat!

After Accident Woman Finds Cow In Car

Tonya Coccia, 46, said the street was dark when she suddenly saw cows that had wandered out onto the road from a nearby farm. She swerved, but hit two of them. One was a massive Black Angus.

“I only saw it for a split second before it came up it into my windshield,” Coccia said.

One of the cows had gone airborne.

“There was airbags and smoke and me and my daughter was losing it. I thought that was it, but I felt my car start shaking.”

The cow had flipped over the roof of the car, gone through the back window and landed in the back seat.

“I didn’t really want to see what was there, but I saw a black cow head in my back window. My daughter turned this way and said ‘Mom there’s a cow in the back seat!’ And we just took off,” Coccia said.

Me, I would have looked for the baked potato and garlic bread that had to be in there somewhere.

Posted by Tammy · February 3, 2008 12:27 PM · Permalink · Comments (0)
Animal Issues | Food/Drink

Turkey Fight: Roasted or Fried?

gobble

UPDATE: Here is the perennial Tammy Blog Thanksgiving food thread. This is the third year I've bumped this up because recipes never get old and there are plenty of good ones in the Comments, which are begging to be added to. Whether or not to Roast or Fry is also an issue. I've had both and love them both. here's an additional link for this year: The Ultimate Last Minute Thanksgiving Guide

Gobble on and see what all the fuss is about. We are also being told there are many dangers to frying turkey we mere humans should be warned about. We must, of course, be protected from ourselves, even when it comes to cooking dinner.

I am in charge of the Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving. Here is the recipe. While given to me by a friend ages ago, I have just learned it is a creation of Food TV maven Paula Deen. I also got the suggestion at Thanksgiving dinner to try replacing the apple ingredient with pear!

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and return to a boil, then lower the heat so that the liquid simmers. Add the apples, walnuts, raisins, Grand Marnier, orange and lemon juices, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool. Makes 4-5 cups.

Mmmm....

Posted by Tammy · November 14, 2007 10:50 PM · Permalink · Comments (32)
Food/Drink

Was Randi Rhodes Attacked By An Irish Pub?

Smashed?

After Air America's Randi Rhodes All-Fall-Down-Go-Boom morphed by other paranoid lefties into an attack by some "Right Wing Hate Machine" Goon Squad, the truth slowly oozed out. Sort of.

First, Air America and Rhodes clarified that she fell down all by herself and it was not a "hate crime" (radio talk show hosts are now a protected class? Yippee!), supposedly while walking her dog. But now an anonymous contributor at Gawker has a post with more details that sound as good as the imagined Goon Squad, and therefore too good to check:

Randi Rhodes was no more assaulted by a right-wing fanatic on Monday than Dick Cheney was. She, in fact, fell down and injured her teeth outside of a Midtown Irish bar at around 6 o'clock Sunday evening after downing about fourteen Ketel One Bloody Marys. She was abusive to the barstaff and generally gross, crass, loud, and pretentious. I genuinely hope she has a speedy recovery. I never would've disclosed this (I believe that anyone should feel free to hang out at Irish pubs at any time and not be concerned about someone publishing their behavior) if Air America hadn't grossly interpreted a drunken indiscretion and allowed it to be morphed into some bullish rhetoric on air. Whatever journalistic integrity the station may have ever had is now completely compromised. The manipulation of the public diminishes any cause, whether just or fabricated.

Let's see, what's more likely? Miserable Leftist falls down and smashes teeth after:

A) Getting jumped by Conservative Muggers.

B) Getting Jumped by her dog and the sidewalk, simultaneously.

C) Getting Jumped by an Irish Pub.

Hmm, let me think....one second here. They're all so possible. Wait. Sheesh. Okay, okay, I say...C?

Posted by Tammy · October 17, 2007 08:54 PM · Permalink · Comments (11)
Food/Drink | Leftists | Malignant Narcissism | Mental Health, Lack Of

A Food Jihad?

If we would just leave the chili alone, it would leave us alone. But no, the British have to keep bothering it, exploiting the chili for years, using it for their own pleasure and imperialistically giving it a good life in London. Now look at what they made it do.

Spicy chili smell leads to evacuation

LONDON - Super spicy chili sauce being cooked at a London Thai restaurant sparked road closures and evacuations after passers-by complained that the smell was burning their throats, police said Wednesday.

London Fire Brigade's chemical response team was called after reports that a strong smell was wafting from the restaurant in the heart of London's Soho district Monday afternoon, a Metropolitan police spokesman said, speaking anonymously in line with force policy.

Authorities sealed off several premises and closed roads. The Times of London described shoppers coughing and spluttering as firefighters wearing special breathing masks sought the source of the smell.
The paper said firefighters smashed down the door of the Thai Cottage restaurant and seized extra-hot bird's eye chilies which had been left dry-frying. It said they were being prepared as part of a batch of Nam Prik Pao, a spicy Thai dip.

"The smoke didn't go up into the sky because of the rain and the heavy air," The Times quoted Thai Cottage owner Sue Wasboonma as saying. "It's the hottest thing we make."

The police spokesman said no arrests were made in the case.

"As far as I'm aware it's not a criminal offense to cook very strong chili," he said.

Not yet anyway.

Posted by Tammy · October 3, 2007 03:44 PM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Food/Drink

But Would It Be Worth It?

Answer: No. But then again, I'm not a worm.

Posted by Tammy · October 2, 2007 08:25 PM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Food/Drink

Like Stealing Donuts From Seniors

Big Government vs. Big Donut

You can consider the Nanny State out of control when they decide to take away donuts from a senior center because they're bad for the residents. The very same seniors, who in their 60s, 70s and 80s, one way or another fought and won World War II, and defended this nation during the Korean and Vietnam wars. They survived the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the drug-haze of the 60s, the disasters of Nixon and Carter in the 70s, Carter's recession, malaise and Iranian hostage taking. The didn't kill themselves, die of alcoholism or drug abuse, die in a car wreck, or get killed by some freak. They survived the 20th century.

And what do we do to honor and celebrate our seniors? We treat them like babies and take away their donuts. Yet we're so obsessed with making sure potheads can get their dope we open up "medical marijhuana" stores. Un-Effing-Believeable.

Seniors Protest Doughnut Ban

MAHOPAC, N.Y (AP) — It was just another morning at the senior center: Women were sewing, men were playing pool — and seven demonstrators, average age 76, were picketing outside, demanding doughnuts.

They wore sandwich boards proclaiming, "Give Us Our Just Desserts" and "They're Carbs, Not Contraband."

At issue is a decision to refuse free doughnuts, pies and bread that were being donated to senior centers around Putnam County, north of New York City. Officials were concerned that the county was setting a bad nutritional precedent by providing mounds of doughnuts and other sweets to seniors. The picketers said they were objecting not to a lack of sweets but that they weren't consulted about the ban.

"Lack of respect is what it's all about," said Joe Hajkowski, 75, a former labor union official who organized the demonstration. He said officials had implied that seniors were gorging themselves on jelly doughnuts and were too senile to make the choice for themselves.

"I'm 86, not 8," added C. Michael Sibilia...

Caregivers there and elsewhere say the doughnut debate illustrates the difficulty of balancing nutrition and choice when providing meals to the elderly.

"Senior citizens can walk down to the store and buy doughnuts. Nobody's stopping them," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.

That's respect for you.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Supports the Troops

Looks like I'll be getting my coffee at the Coffee Bean, at least until September 3rd, which is how long their great promotion in support of our troops will be running. SondraK has the details, with a HT to The Ugly American. Buying coffee for the troops is a top priority and this is an easy and smart way to do it. Visit the following link for additional information and details. It is important to support businesses who make decisions like this. Stabucks has yet to make any special effort to support our heroes. Perhaps I can get to like the Coffee Bean coffee during this period of time.

coffee, tea or SondraK???

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is currently running a wonderful promotion at all of their in-store locations.

Donate a purchased pound of Coffee Bean coffee or tea to Soldiers’ Angels and in turn they will take 10% off your entire order.

The promotion runs through the end of Monday, September 3rd.

I myself ponyed up a pound of eye-opening Sumatra while purchasing my usual Friday morning iced latte.

Speaking as someone who suffered through 8 years of Navy coffee, I think this is a really awesome way to say “Thank You” to all of our brave men and women currently serving overseas : )

Posted by Tammy · August 11, 2007 02:06 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Food/Drink | Good News | Good Samaritans | Military

Coffee, Good For You, Good For Your Brain

I've been telling you that forever. Now there's proof why coffee is in fact the nectar of the God.

Coffee 'protects female memory'

French researchers compared women aged 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day with those who drank one cup or less per day.

Those who drank more caffeine showed less decline in memory tests over a four year period. The study, published in the journal Neurology, raises the possibility that caffeine may even protect against the development of dementia...Caffeine is a known psychostimulant, but this study appears to suggest its effects may be more profound.

Woo hoo! Profound indeed. No more guilt about that third cup.

Posted by Tammy · August 7, 2007 02:27 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness

The Best Beers For Your BBQ

Now, for some really important analysis--what beer should you serve with your BBQ? No, the answer isn't always "Corona." Like wine, certain beers are best with certain foods. And now with the wonderful weather (three cheers for global warming!) here is Imbibe Magazine's suggestions of the best brew for your BBQ.

Brown Ale
Pair with: brisket, grilled veggie or lamb chops

Smoked Beers
Pair with: grilled sausages, cold-smoked salmon, or pork chops

Pale Ales
Pair with: burgers, barbeque chicken or sticky barbeque ribs

Pilsner
Pair with: salmon, grilled sardines, or pulled pork

Stout
Pair with: oysters, bbq, chocolate or ice cream

Lager
Pair with: burgers, grilled beefsteaks, and deviled eggs

Mmmmmmm....

Posted by Tammy · August 4, 2007 10:57 PM · Permalink · Comments (13)
Food/Drink

New Botulism Warning, Now for Green Beans

Completely unrelated to the existing canned meat botulism recall. Here are the details. Have you noticed these recalls happen only to food you really don't want to eat anyway? Why don't we have a chocolate or ice cream recall for just a little while, long enough to give certain persons time to lose a few pounds?

Instead, it's spinach, canned meat, and green beans. Let's just say I'm not having to check my food stash.

U.S. issues new botulism warning for green beans

Consumers should not eat certain brands of French-cut green beans because of concerns they could be tainted with the toxin that causes botulism, U.S. health officials warned on Friday.

The green beans were manufactured by Lakeside Foods Inc. of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and packaged in 14.5-ounce cans, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The FDA said the beans may not have been processed adequately to eliminate the potential for botulinum toxin, which can cause a life-threatening illness...

Lakeside Foods said on Wednesday it was voluntarily recalling 15,000 cases of green beans because of the botulism concern. No botulinum toxin has been found in any cans that were tested, David Aggen, Lakeside's vice president of quality assurance and product safety, said in an interview on Friday...

The FDA said the affected Lakeside French-cut green beans are sold nationwide under the brands Albertson's, Happy Harvest, Best Choice, Food Club, Bogopa, Valu Time, Hill Country Fare, HEB, Laura Lynn, Kroger, No Name, North Pride, Shop N Save, Shoppers Valu, Schnucks, Cub Foods, Dierbergs, Flavorite, IGA, Best Choice and Thrifty Maid.

Fir further information and more details visit the FDA and Lakeside Foods.

Posted by Tammy · August 4, 2007 09:30 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Recalls

Botulism Recall Issue Now Termed "Urgent" By FDA

We're now being told tens of millions of cans of canned meat, both human and dog products, may be infected with deadly botulism. After what were somewhat casual recall notices, the FDA has stepped their warnings, with the latest FDA announcement calling the issue an "urgent public health threat."

The original recall involving 10 canned meat products has increased to 80. And while the second announcement revealed four types of Natural Balance Dog Food being recalled. This latest notes dog food affected being sold under "a variety of brand names" yet the FDA list still only indicates the four Natural Balance products. Here we go again.

First, here is the fact sheet link to the FDA, including the new expanded list of products affected.

FDA says food recall is urgent health threat

A recall of canned meat products and dog food made at a Georgia plant due to botulism fears could involve tens of millions of cans that pose an urgent public health threat, U.S. officials said on Monday.

U.S. food regulators appealed to consumers and retailers to find and dispose of the cans..."This is a very big recall," David Elder of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's office of regulatory affairs told reporters, deeming it an "urgent public health matter."

The recall by Castleberry's originally affected 10 products. The expanded move involves more than 80 types of stew, chili, hash and other products as well as pet food sold under a variety of brand names.

And here is the list of the Natural Balance Eatables dog food varieties being recalled:

Irish Stew with Beef Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59860

Chinese Take Out with Sauce with Vegetables and Chicken Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59861

Southern Style Dumplings with Gravy with Chicken and Vegetables Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59862

Hobo Chili with Chicken Pasta Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59863

Posted by Tammy · July 23, 2007 11:42 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Recalls

Whatever They Want, I'll Pay It

Whatever. They. Want.

Starbucks raising U.S. drinks prices next week

Starbucks Corp will raise U.S. prices on coffee, lattes and other drinks by an average of 9 cents a cup next week to help offset soaring costs for milk and other commodities, a spokesman said on Monday.

The widely anticipated move marks Starbucks' second price increase in less than a year and comes a month after the coffee shop chain's chief financial officer warned it would be "very challenging" for Starbucks to meet the high end of its 2007 earnings forecast, in part because of rising dairy prices.

9 cents more. Yes, it's already more expensive than gasoline, but we pay it, don't we? It's called the Free Market, and I'm all for it. Or, maybe I'm just addicted.

Posted by Tammy · July 23, 2007 07:56 PM · Permalink · Comments (14)
Food/Drink

Meat "Country of Origin" Labeling Passes House Committee

(Image by Dion Laurent)

Actually, the law passed in 2002, but Republicans have delayed its implementation. Another stupid abandonment of conservatives by Republicans, fumbling the ball to the Dems. Pat S. has the details in this email to Tammy Blog:

***

Our friends the Republicans have been delaying implementation of the labeling law passed in 2002.

US Meat Labels to Note Country of Origin

The House Agriculture Committee voted Thursday night to require country of origin labels on meats beginning next year, striking a compromise as reports of tainted food from China raise consumer awareness about imported food safety. After days of negotiations between both sides, the committee agreed to allow the mandatory labels but soften penalties and burdensome record-keeping requirements that had concerned many food retailers and meatpackers who opposed the law. The committee adopted by voice vote the labeling changes just before it approved a five-year farm law that would govern agriculture programs.The Agriculture Department never put in place the 2002 law requiring the labels because then-majority Republicans repeatedly delayed it, most recently to 2008.

Here's what Lou Dobbs had to say about the failure to implement the 2002 COOL on July 16th: (I wish I could find a video clip).

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Food from all over the world, consumers may like the variety, but they also want to know where their food is coming from, and they can't tell.

Laws enacted by Congress in 2002 to require country-of-origin labeling, so-called COOL laws, but powerful lobbying groups pushed back implementation of those laws for most products until 2008.

URVASHI RANGAN, "CONSUMER REPORTS": In Congress, the delay was done in 2004 and then again another delay was made in 2006. So, there's definitely been opportunities for country-of-origin labeling to go into effect and it's most clearly been derailed at least twice.

PILGRIM: The recent discovery of numerous cases of contaminated food, especially from China, have caused health scares. Just this week, popular snacks manufactured in the United States but containing Chinese ingredients were found to be contaminated with salmonella.

A Web site sponsored by the American Meat Institute advocates no country-of-origin labeling, reading: "a coalition of entities who are deeply concerned about the costly, trade distorting, and disruptive nature of mandatory country-of-origin labeling."

But the American Farmers Union, which represents a quarter- million producers of all types of fruit, vegetables, grain, and other commodities is for country-of-origin labeling.

TOM BUIS, NATIONAL FARMERS UNION: We have been advocating this for about 15 years and actually got it into the 2002 farm bill as part of the law signed in to law by President Bush. Importers have been able to block and delay the implementation time after time after time.

PILGRIM: The USDA said even though the law has been passed, it's not a final rule. It's still only a proposed rule.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Now, the USDA even now is taking more time to implement those proposed rules. They're in a 60-day open comment period to solicit comment on how the public feels about the rules.

But the law was passed. President Bush signed it. And it's clear the American public really wants this legislation.

DOBBS: All right, help us all out here. Is this thing the law or isn't it?

PILGRIM: You know, I went through this about six times with the USDA. They said, it is a law, but it's still a proposed rule. And, so, until the USDA acts on it, it will not be a final rule.

(CROSSTALK)

Here's where Dobbs sounds like Tammy's separated at birth twin:

DOBBS: So, these incompetent, cowardly people -- I will call them people -- I am going to be generous; I am going to call them people -- at the USDA are not implementing a law signed by the president, passed by the Congress, and it's been five years?

PILGRIM: And they say they're still soliciting comments, so they can write it...

(CROSSTALK)

DOBBS: OK. I have got a comment.

USDA, listen to me. Start protecting the American consumer. Do your jobs.

And, if it's the Bush administration, Mr. President, why don't you just get one thing right in your administration and start protecting consumers?

Is that fair comment?

PILGRIM: It's pretty clear.

DOBBS: OK.

We will pass that on to the USDA.

What a -- unbelievable.

Kitty, thank you very much -- Kitty Pilgrim.

And here's what the American Meat Institute has to say about it.

This web site is sponsored by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and a coalition of entities deeply concerned about the costly, trade distorting, and disruptive nature of mandatory country-of-origin labeling, which was included in the 2002 Farm Bill. In fact, the language in the 2002 Farm Bill is better described as KOIL or Keep Out Import Labels.

« Close It

Posted by Tammy · July 22, 2007 09:39 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Corruption | Fed Incompetence | Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Politics

Deadly Botulism Found in Chili Sauce, Hash and Beans

Botulism, that stuff women inject into their faces to get that I'm-Old-But-Have-the-Wrinkle-Free-Botox face, has been found in a variety of food products made by the Castleberry's Food Co., which is owned by Bumble Bee Seafoods. The products include chili sauce, corned beef hash, BBQ pork, and chili. The botulism is so dangerous if you even just touch it, you'll become ill. Here are the details.

Botulism Linked to Canned Hot Dog Chili Sauce

Federal health officials warned consumers late Wednesday night that some canned hot dog chili sauce may be contaminated with a potentially deadly botulism toxin.

The warning applies to 10-ounce cans of Castleberry's, Austex and Kroger brands of hot dog chili sauce with "best by" dates from April 30, 2009, through May 22, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a prepared statement.

Robert Brackett, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, urged consumers to discard any of the recalled chili sauce cans without opening them. "The toxin is so potent if they get it on their hands or it sprays in their face, it could make them ill," he said.

Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, according to the CDC. Symptoms of botulism include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness that moves down the body.

The recall covers the following universal product codes:

* Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3030000101)
* Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10-ounce can (UPC 3030099533)
* Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10-ounce can (UPC 1111083942)
* Morton House Corned Beef Hash, 15-ounce can (UPC 7526665830)
* Cattle Drive Chili With Beans, 15-ounce can (UPC 3030001515)
* Southern Home Corned Beef Hash, 15-ounce can (UPC 0788015360)
* Meijer Corned Beef Hash, 15-ounce can (UPC 4125095229)
* Castleberry's Chili With Beans, 15-ounce can (UPC 3030001015)
* Castleberry's Barbecue Pork, 10-ounce can (UPC 3030000402)
* Bunker Hill Chili No Beans, 10-ounce can (UPC 7526604112)

Consumer questions can be addressed to the FDA by calling 1-888-SAFEFOOD.

Posted by Tammy · July 19, 2007 08:57 AM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness

L.A. Food Fight: Hamburger Versus Fish

I think this could only happen in Los Angeles. I'm also not quite sure who would eat at a sushi restaurant named after the most poisonous fish out there. But then again, eating too many Double-Doubles Animal Style could probably kill you, too.

BREAKING: In-N-Out Sues WeHo's Blowfish Sushi Over 'Animal-Style' Dish

Talk about random lawsuits. We just got word that In-N-Out is suing West Hollywood's Blowfish Sushi to Die For over the use of 'animal style' on their menu. The burger chain apparently trademarked the term "animal" for their secret-menu Animal Style burger that has mustard, pickles, extra sauce and grilled onions. When the company found out Blowfish had an Animal-Style sushi roll---spicy tuna, snow crab, red onion and shrimp tempura wrapped in soy paper---they demanded it be removed from the menu. Blowfish owners said no, and they've been slapped with a lawsuit for copyright infringement. The whole thing is so seemingly proposterous, even celeb-investor Julian Lennon came out of the woodwork to weigh in. From the official release:

“At first we thought it was a joke," laughed musician Julian Lennon, who is a partner in Blowfish's four restaurants, including its location on the world-famous Sunset Strip. "No one in their right mind could possibly mistake a seafood sushi roll with a ground meat sandwich.”

Oh, sure you could if it was done right and you had enough sake.

Posted by Tammy · July 2, 2007 03:44 PM · Permalink · Comments (11)
Food/Drink

When Candy Attacks

I love these candies. Sometimes when I eat them, for some reason I always bite my cheek. Now that I think about it, maybe we should send some to the senate.

Michigan Woman Claims Starburst Candies Are Dangerously Chewy in Lawsuit

Starburst Fruit Chews are exactly as their name would indicate: chewy. But one Michigan woman says the candies are so chewy, they should come with a warning label. Victoria McArthur, of Romero, Mich., is suing Starbursts' parent company, Mars Inc., for more than $25,000 for "permanent personal injuries" she claims she sustained after biting into one of their yellow candy in 2005.

"I don't know, maybe about 3 chews and it literally locked my jaw … and it just literally pulled my jaw out of joint," she told MyFoxDetroit.com...McArthur says she has had trouble chewing, talking and sleeping since the incident.

Yeah, we wouldn't be in bad shape if certain senators had trouble chewing, talking and sleeping. Maybe they'd leave us alone for a while. Teddy could use that 'trouble chewing' part. But I suppose even with lock-jaw you can drink.

Posted by Tammy · June 27, 2007 07:21 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Food/Drink | Just Plain Stupid

Russians Drinking Themselves to Death

Habits fostered by the hopelessness of communism for generations are hard to break. Even with democracy, a country is only as good as her people. I hope the Russians get their act together and believe they're worth more than a corrupt former KGB man and the cologne on the shelves.

'Cologne cocktails' killing men

Russian men are risking death by drinking aftershave and cleaning agents, a study has suggested.

UK researchers estimated that half of all deaths in working age men in the country are due to hazardous drinking. The products, which also include herbal tinctures sold in pharmacies, are widely available, cheap and contain up to 97% alcohol, the Lancet study says.

It was found that they contain very few toxins but are deadly simply because of the extreme alcohol levels...Hazardous drinking - classed as excessive consumption of regular drinks such as beer, wine and spirits or drinking of non-beverage alcohol - was found to cause 43% of deaths.

Posted by Tammy · June 14, 2007 08:02 PM · Permalink · Comments (0)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness

Best, Most Accurate, Headline of the Day

China grabs US nuts

I think that just about says it all.

Posted by Tammy · June 13, 2007 11:03 AM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Fed Incompetence | Food/Drink | Internationalism

Too Bad There Isn't a 'Mojo in War' Equivalent We Could Send to Bush

I guess that "if you have one for four hours" warning in commercials isn't just a come on.

Man Sues Over Long-Lasting Erection

NEW YORK (AP) - A man has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus, claiming the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside and caused him to be hospitalized.

Woods' court papers say he woke up the next morning "with an erection that would not subside" and sought treatment that day for the condition, called severe priapism.

Novartis' Boost Plus Web site describes the drink as "a great tasting, high calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume," in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Now don't you all go rushing out to store now.

The Tiny Gay Squirrel says: "Whew! I was worried. I can tell you the chocolate one is delicious!"

Posted by Tammy · June 6, 2007 01:38 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Squirrels

Pet Food Recall/Poisoned Food Updates

In addition to the FDA warning to drug makers and suppliers to be wary of a new poison from China, news continues to come in about the extent of the pet food poisoning. Here is the latest:

First, please read the up-to-date recall list of pet foods. It has expanded greatly in the last week. On May 2nd, Menu Foods alone added at least two dozen more products to the list. Please check it again to make sure your pet food is safe.
In the meantime,
the FDA is insisting that the farms chickens who have eaten Chinese melamine-spiked feed are safe for humans to eat. They assure us that consuming animals that have the plastic in their systems won't hurt us. Just like how eating chickens who have been injected with arsenic, to improve the color of their meat, is also just fine. And people wonder why lupus, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and autism are at epidemic rates.

The new Food Safety Czar is already proving himself to a lackey of the system. Just one week after the FDA issues its warning about anti-freeze in the drug supply (an ingredient which is also used in things like food and toothpaste) Dr. David W.K. Acheson , less than a week on the job and sounding very much like Officer Barbrady, assures us it's just fine to eat imported food. (HT Pat)

Despite publicity about tainted shipments from overseas, Dr. David W.K. Acheson said Americans shouldn't fear eating imported foods. "Consumers should be reassured that the international situation is under control," he said in an interview. "We're now getting on with this proactive strategy." [...]

"Globalization of food is here. It's here to stay. We need to acknowledge that and make sure food coming to the United States is as safe as we can make it," Acheson said in a telephone interview, one of the first he has conducted since taking on the new post on Tuesday.

The AJC has a good editorial about the current situation, the new "food czar" and what really needs to be done.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The world's problems on our plate

The globe is our grocer.

That's a great thing, because it has given us access to a wide variety of foods in almost any season at very low costs. Last year, more than 14 percent of all the food Americans consumed (by weight) came from other countries. However, that is also a problem, because our food safety net doesn't extend across the oceans to protect Americans from adulterated and dangerous agricultural products.

n response, the Food and Drug Administration has created a new position of "assistant commissioner for food protection," or "food czar" as the post was dubbed by the media. Unfortunately, the appointment of a czar falls well short of what's needed, which is an outright revolution in how we safeguard the food supply.

Certainly, the FDA cannot protect every American from food-borne illness or death. But when you consider that more Americans die each year from what they eat than were killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, surely it has room to improve.

Uh, yeah.

Posted by Tammy · May 7, 2007 10:18 AM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Corruption | Fed Incompetence | Food/Drink | Menu/Pet Food Recall

Where's Alec Baldwin When You Really Need Him?

When a schoolteacher in Amsterdam started to talk about a pig during a lesson about rural life, the Islamic children went on a rampage and started to demolish the classroom (HT Janet). The response of the adults? Ban discussion about pigs. The question also remains, how did the so-called grown-ups let 9 and 10 year-olds "demolish" a classroom. In other words, where's Alec Baldwin when you really need him?

School Scraps Nature Course As Pigs Enrage Muslim Pupils

A school in Amsterdam has halted lessons on rural life because the Islamic children refused to talk about pigs. Reporting this, Alderman Lodewijk Asscher said he wants to take "tough measures." Subsidies for all kinds of dubious groups must stop and parents of unruly children penalised financially.

Asscher told newspaper De Volkskrant: "A primary school in Amsterdam-Noord has decided no longer to teach about living on a farm. Various pupils began to demolish the classroom when the pig came up for discussion. Apparently it has gone that far. These children, 9, 10 years old, have not been given even the most elementary rules at home about why they must go to school."...

Asscher is also shocked by the powerlessness of welfare bodies who try to talk criminal youngsters back onto the right track. In Slotervaart district, a mother of 10 children, of whom half have a criminal record, is guided by 35 different social workers, the alderman discovered. They have little or no idea of what each other is doing, according to Asscher.

Posted by Tammy · April 27, 2007 09:44 AM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Animal Issues | Children | Food/Drink | Internationalism

Not the Val Kilmer We Remember

How this happens, I do not know. But has anyone seen Knut this morning?

Posted by Tammy · April 24, 2007 08:15 AM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Animal Issues | Celebrity | Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Just Wrong

After Pet Food Travesty, Now All Food Imports Revealed At Risk

We knew this was coming. The pet food poisoning tragedy not only ruined lives, it has exposed exactly how incompetent and overwhelmed the FDA is in general when it comes to all food imports.

U.S. food safety strained by imports

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