Is corn a healthy vegetable?  Obviously it’s a major ingredient – I used corn meal today in a recipe in fact- and its derivatives fuel an uncountable number of people, animals and machines.  Original to the Americas, corn is a traditional food of cultures situated in modernity and of cultures that remain aboriginal.

But I’m worried about additives to a popular food- popcorn.  The offender? diacetyl.

A study commissioned by the Seattle P-I (online newspaper) shows that top-selling butter substitutes, when heated, release vapor from a chemical additive called diacetyl. When inhaled, this vapor has been linked to a rare, sometimes fatal respiratory disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. Yes, many brands have elimiated this additive but there is still the aspect of the professional cook or chef who uses products containing diacetyl constantly over heat as a condition of their employment.  No one outside the industry is examining what consumers and workers who pop corn in theaters, discount stores, school gyms and fairgrounds are being exposed to.

The diacetyl vapors from some of the products are released in such volume that they could pose a significant risk to professional cooks who stand over hot grills or skillets for hours and use large amounts of these butter substitutes, according to the analysis. source

The 19th Annual Weber GrillWatch Survey says 31 percent of American grill owners are grilling meat more than they were a year ago because they are “trying to eat healthier.” Nearly 40 percent said they are grilling leaner meats, more vegetables (38 percent), more poultry (34 percent) and more fish (22 percent) than they did a year ago. Meanwhile, six percent indicated they are grilling more meat substitutes such as veggie burgers and tofu, and 5 percent are grilling more fruit, although women are more likely to do so than men.

Grilling is growing in popularity, evidenced by the following factors, among others:

–Fifty-seven percent of all grill owners say they grill throughout the year. Among owners of different grill types, those who use electric grills (65 percent), gas stand-ups (61 percent) and smokers (60 percent) most often are more likely to define “grilling season” as year-round than charcoal grill owners (53 percent)

–Americans are grilling more times per week. Seventy-one percent report they use their grill “at least once a week” during their grilling season (up from 69 percent last year), and 47 percent say they fire it up “at least a few times per week,” compared with 43 percent last year

The Weber GrillWatch survey, conducted by third-party Greenfield Online, polled 1,000 grill owners. All respondents were more than 21 years of age and own a gas, charcoal or electric barbecue grill or smoker.

To view the study in more detail, click here.
By Tom Johnston on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 For Meatingplace.com.

Quorn products were taste tested and reported on by Quad-Cities Online. Also in this review, Turtle Island Food’s Tofurky and a do-it-yourself recipe option.

But can we avoid the “pink elephant” of tension at the table, when good folks with strong opinions about food and tradition get together for a meal? Yes, says Terry Rombeck in today’s LJWorld.com (Lawrence, Kansas) article titled Holiday feast can please vegetarians, meat-eaters alike.

And in the Catskills (New York), making new traditions seems easy, if that is what it takes to take it down a notch and get together. If you get to go to the Woodstock Sanctuary‘s ThanksLiving fundraiser you will enjoy turkeys as the main guests of honor rather than the main course- it really looked fun last year.. If you are in the area on November 18 (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) this year’s ThanksLiving banquet will be sure to please. Tickets available.