Coke adds bull

Full-page ad in the Washington Post this morning from the Coca-cola corporation. They claim that they're helping Americans "live healthy and active lifestyles". They point you to their new website, which I don't recommend you visit because too much Flash animation is bad for your soul. The want to help you "make the right choices". They even have "portion-control cans" now. For those who only speak English, that's a 7.5-ounce can, which is slightly larger than a standard Coke bottle was in the '60s.

The best way to read an advertisement is to figure out which words aren't there. The invisible elephant in the room is High-Fructose Corn Syrup. This ad is pretty obviously in response to the growing concern with corn syrup, its ubiquity in our diets, and the health problems that seem to appear wherever it goes.

Doctors and health experts don't like it much, but the real worries come from new hesitation amongthe people who sell indulgence.

If you have the patience to find it, that website has an amusing little pocket guide to "Facts and Myths" about Coke. Does corn syrup cause obesity? No, that's from too many calories, so we recommend drinking coke in moderation. Does corn syrup cause Type 2 diabetes? No, that's caused by obesity. Does corn syrup cause cavities? No, not if you brush your teeth after you drink it. Does corn syrup contribute to a bad diet? Not if you eat a healthy diet, and limit your consumption of coke.

Although the pamphlet is a masterpiece of corporate responsibility-dodging, reading it still gives you the feeling there's some way you could simultaneously stop gaining weight, avoid obesity, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, make your teeth stronger, and improve your diet. I wonder what that might be?

By the way, the Coca-Cola Corporation describes their products as "sparkling beverages". (Them and Dom Perignon.) The products they make with all the calories are "non-diet sparkling beverages". "Non-diet." There's a word to ponder. What do you suppose would be the opposite of "diet"? Well, your diet is the things you put into your alimentary canal....

City-wide Fame

There's a story about Dominique in the Falls Church newspaper today. (The print version has recipes.) It's about the raw menu she created for the Vegetarian Society of DC Thanksgiving Dinner.

New Recipe Section on the Web Site

We've revamped the recipes page of the web site. We've added a lot more things to cook, and broken them up into seasons. On a cold, rainy, November evening, it did me good to think about summertime vegetables.

We don't have pictures of lots of the new items. If you've cooked them, and have a photo you'd like us to put up, please let us know!

Vegetarian Dinner at the White House

President and Mrs. Obama hosted their first state dinner this evening, for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. He's been a strict vegetarian all his life, so the menu was a bit of a change from the Bush years. According to CNN,

The first course will be a potato and eggplant salad made with White House-grown arugula and accompanied by an onion-seed vinaigrette. Red lentil soup with fresh cheese follows, and then a choice of entrees: roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chickpeas and okra for vegetarians, or green curry prawns and caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens.

Dessert will be pumpkin pie tart or pear tatin with whipped cream and caramel sauce. Each course is paired with its own wine, all of American vintage.

Nobody has recipes, but the pear tatin looks very much like one of Dominique's favorite desserts. The Washington Post blog has a nice writeup, with more details about the chef.

I just had dinner an hour ago, but now I feel hungry again.