The Lobbyists at Your Dinner Party

The Lobbyists at Your Dinner Party

Remember the old food pyramid? Until “MyPlate” replaced it a few years ago, the U.S. government’s official dietary advice for Americans fit neatly into that triangle. The government recently moved toward updating those standards again. And the result...
Eating Local in the Wintertime

Eating Local in the Wintertime

“Has nobody in this bleeping town heard of a kale salad?” I wanted to scream. That’s the anguish of a Californian convert transplanted to Wisconsin in the dead of winter. As I remind anyone who tries to assure me that Madison is a lovely town and Wisconsin...
A Sweet Spot

A Sweet Spot

I don’t have any cute photos of my daughter’s chubby face smeared with frosting from her first birthday party. Already pregnant with my son, I’d become a child nutrition zealot in response to my double dose of motherhood. Instead of wrecking a big sugary cake, my bald...
Old McPontiff Had a Farm

Old McPontiff Had a Farm

Old songs occasionally need to be refreshed with updated verses. Here’s one: “Old McPope, he had a farm /E-I-E-I-O/ and on that farm he had a cow…a donkey… chickens…ostriches…and rabbits…/E-I-E-I-O!” Who knew that the Pope had a farm? Well, he does....
You’ve Got Food

You’ve Got Food

Armed with hefty grants from the Pentagon, squads of food technologists are on a mission to supplant nature with a great leap forward into the Brave New World of synthetic foodstuffs. Not satisfied merely to tinker with the genetic makeup of nature’s products,...