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This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
Culinary no-no #43
By Kevin Fischer
Sunday, Feb 24 2008, 06:15 PM
NOTE: For the benefit of new readers, Culinary no-no began on my blog last summer when I wrote about my wife’s preference for ketchup on a brat. I consider such a selection to be taboo. I started discussing improper (in my view) food issues, a departure from most foodie articles that focus on what’s good to eat and drink. I thought I’d write until the summer grilling season was over, but over 40 consecutive weekly blogs later, I’m still writing about culinary no-no’s. A complete surprise to me, the feature has become one of the most popular items I write about.
Since tomorrow is Monday, you’ll be dining at home. SmartMoney reports that one of the ten things that restaurants won’t tell you is:
"Never go out to eat on a Monday."
Christine Bockelman on SmartMoney writes:
“If you think that Monday, when restaurants tend not to be crowded, is a great time to eat out, think again. "You're being served all of the weekend's leftovers," says Francis, the exposé co-author. Kitchens prepare food on a first-in, first-out basis, meaning whatever is oldest gets served first. It's a way to ensure that everything on the menu is as fresh as possible.
The system works great most days, but it can run into a little glitch over the weekend. Distributors typically take Sunday off and make their last deliveries Saturday morning, which means that by Monday any food not used over the weekend is at least three to four days old. And it will be served before the same ingredients arriving in Monday's delivery.
What to do if you wish to dine out on a Monday? Ignore your instincts and go to a place that's perpetually crowded. "If you are open 24/7 and busy all the time," says New York chef Lucia Calvete, "all your ingredients are fresh all the time."
So, what will you preparing for your home meal Monday night?
Beef? Chicken? Pork? Lamb?
How about none of the above.
Why not consider a meatless Monday as a means of eating healthier?
That’s right.
A meatless Monday.
Oh, and that means all day Monday.
No bacon with the eggs.
No burger for lunch.
No meat at dinnertime.
A meatless Monday, all day Monday.
Meatless Monday is the brainchild of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health that says, “Meatless Monday is a national health campaign to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer - four of the leading causes of death in America.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently wrote about Meatless Mondays. As you might expect, writer Jeanne Besser viewed Meatless Mondays as a wonderful endeavor to benefit all mankind, the greatest thing since sliced bread, sans meat of course.
Besser writes:
“I’m going to try it. In addition to being good for my family, it’s a great way to educate my kids about the benefits of eating more vegetables and fruits as part of a more healthful diet. It’s also a good way to get back on track after weekend splurging (hopefully no one saw us a Dairy Queen last night…)”
Yeh, yeh, yeh. Because Dairy Queen is just so awful.
Here are just a few of the comments from Besser’s readers:
“We go meatless at least three times a week now but, of course, the problem is keeping “meatless” from translating into a cheesy goo-fest. A vegetarian meal that involves 2 pounds of melted cheese is probably not doing my family any favors.”
“Lets see, I believe Monday I’ll have the bacon smothered/slathered chops ala bacon-lard-glazed onions. Meatless Mondays are for the wabbits!”
“Not only is it healthier for you, but it’s sure healthier for the animal. Anyone who has watched this week’s video of the tasering of a sick cow laying on the ground—sticking it in the eye, etc.—and can still eat the meat of that poor animal needs some empathy classes. And some rethinking about what is food and what isn’t. PS—a pig has a higher IQ than a dog.”
“Why would you go meatless in order to be more healthy? Moderate servings of meat along with plenty of fruits and vegetables through out the day are just fine. If you want to be more healthy, cut down on your refined sugars and starches! Then try taking a walk.”
“To all the superior vegetarians out there: We are at the top of the food chain for a reason. We are animals and we require meat protein. There’s nothing more pasty and sickly looking as a vegetarian starving for protein. It’s all moderation. Why is a lion eating a gazelle nature and a human eating a cow inhumane?”
“All this burger talk is killin me! I’m going for a Big Mac. Maybe, if I’m lucky, my fries will come from the bottom of the pile. Really soft and greasy that way!! Wish they still used trans fats. MMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!”
“Vegetarianism - veganism in particular - is little more than the dietary equivalent of Scientology. Eat some meat and like it. That’s why we were made with canine teeth.”
And my favorite:
“I will support Meatless Monday as soon as all Vegans eat meat one day a week!”
Well, here we go again. Another do-gooder organization trying to tell me what to do to live better. They use the tired tactic of trying to make me feel guilty about meat, that, I hate to tell them, is necessary and can be very healthy.
It’s interesting that I should stumble across the Meatless Monday campaign this past week. It’s Lent. I’m Catholic. I’m now enduring Meatless Friday’s. And let me tell you. Every Friday in Lent, I wake up craving hot dogs, pork chops and filet mignons.
I’ll listen to a lecture on the importance of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet.
Pontificating about how I need to eat less meat?
Been there and heard it all before.
Meatless Monday?
Pass the A-1.
PREVIOUS CULINARY NO-NO’S
1) Ketchup on a brat
2) Green peppers on pizza
3) The dirty martini
4) Fruity brats
5) A Bloody Mary after dinner
6) Women “manning” the grill
7) Eating pizza at Festa Italiana, brats at German Fest, or tacos at Fiesta Mexicana. (Be adventurous. You can have those items anytime).
8) Eating a cream puff as though it was a hamburger.
9) Taking your own bottle of sauce when invited to a barbecue.
10) Touching the grill if you’re a guest at an outdoor barbecue.
11) Coaching the host on how to grill.
12) Some regional flavored ice cream…..like black licorice.
13) Taking the husks off before you grill corn on the cob
14) Being afraid to chill red wine
15) Pizza on the grill
16) When serving exotic or strange dishes to guests, do not tell them exactly what it is. Instead, use a more inviting term (caviar) rather than being blunt (fish eggs).
17) In late summer and early fall, this time of year, don’t buy zucchini. Somehow, someway, you will find zucchini or zucchini will find you.
18) Showing disrespect to your restaurant server.
19) Eating out on a Monday night.
20) Pumpkin beer.
21) Mail-order turkey.
22) Grilled cheese is just for kids.
23) Dining in the dark.
24) Ketchup on spaghetti
25) Sneaking healthy foods into treats to get your kids to eat it.
26) Do not throw away culinary gifts received in the mail because you don’t like them.
27) Do not feel guilty about eating Oreos. (Oreos are not to blame for out of control obesity).
28) Doing something so totally ridiculous that you are desperately forced to call the Butterball Turkey Hot-Line for assistance.
29) Don’t forget the sweet potato January-October.
30) Using resource guides from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s on gracious living to plan holiday parties
31) Eating cranberries, the best of the super-foods, only during the holidays.
32) Egg nog that isn’t spiked.
33) Putting hot spices and other weird stuff in chocolate bars and hot cocoa.
34) Don’t disregard fruitcake.
35) Sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve ain’t champagne.
36) Ordering a Coors Light or any facsimile when at an outdoor open-air bar on a tropical beach.
37) Smoking bans in restaurants and bars in Wisconsin.
38) Goat burgers and healthy items at tailgate parties.
39) The restaurant of the future, with all kinds of cameras trained on you for....research.
40) The Budweiser Chelada
41) Replating
42) Sour cream on potato pancakes, as opposed to applesauce
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