Quick bites for today

A couple of things I’ve seen online recently:

  • Have you noticed that a lot of improbable foods seem to have added fiber lately (and not just the yogurt that makes you poop)? Jacob Gershman in Slate explains that the newest fiber additive may not be as good as the fiber found in real foods, may have fewer benefits than expected and might even have downsides. The moral here? Keep eating real fruits, vegetables and whole grains rather than looking for your daily fiber in Cocoa Pebbles.
  • FYI, the video clip for the Activia parody starts with a rather weird ad for Lay’s. I think the intended message is that Lay’s potato chips turn you into a happy, lighthearted person, but the impression I got was that Lay’s will turn you into a plastic dummy indistinguishable from those around you. Maybe that’s just me.
  • Tom Shales of the Washington Post doesn’t seem to think much of the new NBC reality show “The Chopping Block,” which seems to be yet another cooks-competing-against-one-another show. I don’t find myself able to watch many of these. I will always love the Japanese version of “Iron Chef,” but I’m not as thrilled with “Iron Chef America” (possibly because Alton Brown, much as I love him, knows too much to achieve the wonderfully goofy wrongness of the Japanese commentators), and I haven’t been able to motivate myself for “Top Chef” or the others. Shales’ review suggests that even if you like some of those you’ll be turned off by “Chopping” chef Marco Pierre White’s screaming and ranting at contestants. Point taken; I don’t think there’s any occupation on earth that’s prestigious, lucrative or fun enough to justify having to take vicious abuse from your manager or mentor.

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