Friday Frustrations on a Saturday and in English

This is a translation of Fredagsfrustration kun på dansk - Uduelig mad, bavl og konsekvenser realising that the majority of my readers are English speakers or readers.

The past month has been crazy with food and food-related news. I'll tackle two here, but the rest are just as absurd. On 30 December, TV2.dk wrote that the Rule of 5 can reveal dangerous food
Just a few quotes from the article:

A good rule is to look at whether there are more or fewer than five ingredients. If there are fewer, the product is fine. But if there are more than five, you should go in and read if there's anything you don't understand," says Anne Tjønneland.

What's not good, however, are fizzy drinks and crisps. Sweets in general shouldn't be eaten either. The same goes for long-life ready meals.

Perhaps more surprisingly, veggie products, including certain types of plant-based drinks, also get a thumbs up from some researchers.

In the 1970s, product declarations began to be widely used on many food packaging. Since then, the concept of e-numbers came into use. The latter describes additives that are so difficult to explain that they have their own coding language, i.e. an E followed by a numerical code.

I have a few comments on this:

-  The Rule of 5:
If there are fewer than 5 ingredients, the product is OK - but chips are not OK. Strange, isn't it? Most crisps consist of potatoes, sunflower oil and salt. 3 ingredients, none of them with weird names.
     Many questionable sausages and the like consist of meat, emulsifier, water and spices.

- Vegan goods:
They are deeply surprised that some vegan products are ultra-processed. Pretty much all of them are, and I've been saying this for a long time.

- E numbers:
They state that: "The latter [i.e. E numbers] describe additives that are so difficult to explain that they have their own coding language, i.e. an E and a number code after it."
     This is totally wrong. There are plenty of E numbers that cover ordinary, well-known substances. The E numbers are a standardisation, the E stands for Europe, and the list was introduced by the EU so that we can all recognise the substances regardless of where the product is manufactured. (Wikipedia tells us: E numbers, short for Europe numbers, are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods, such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union)
     The common ones I can think of are E330 = citric acid, E300 = vitamin C, E440 = pectin, E553 = talc and E901 = beeswax.
     I'm certainly just as uncomfortable - or maybe even more so - with glucose-fructose syrup or hydrolysed vegetable protein, for example, which have no E numbers.
     And I wonder how many people are offended by carob, carrageenan, sorbitol, monosodiumglutamate, and many others where you're allowed to write the common name instead of their E numbers (E410, E407, E420 and E621 respectively)?

I think you can go completely wrong with these rules. For example, try reading the ingredients of Mou organic meatballs: Pork and beef (60%), water, EGG WHITE, onion, WHEAT FLOUR, potato flour, breadcrumbs (WHEAT FLOUR, salt, yeast), salt, beef fat, white pepper.
     A total of 11 ingredients! But not one I don't have or couldn't easily make at home in my own kitchen - and here we are at what I believe is a much better rule: COULD I DO THIS MYSELF?
     Could I chop the meat, mix it with salt, add water, egg whites, onions, flour, breadcrumbs (which I could make myself), salt, pepper and fat and then cook the buns in salt water? Yes, I could do that. So it's OK.

Let's try the vegan version:
     Beyond Meat meatballs, ingredients: Water, pea protein* (14%), rapeseed oil, coconut oil, flavourings, smoke flavour, rice protein, dried yeast, stabiliser (methyl cellulose), potato starch, salt, potassium salt, spices, herbs in variable proportion 0.5% (Parsley, rosemary, sage, basil and oregano), apple extract, garlic powder, corn vinegar, concentrated lemon juice, onion powder, pomegranate extract, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), colour (beetroot red), maltodextrin, carrot powder.
*Peas are legumes. People with severe allergies to legumes such as peanuts should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet due to the risk of pea allergy (MotherOwl adds: or intolerances, peas are high FODMAP; as are apples, onions, garlic, and I think pomegranates).

   There are a lot of ingredients - 24 in fact - of which Flavourings is in fourth place, and there are several where I think... how the heck do I do this?
     Pea protein ... how do I get the protein out of the peas? Ditto with rice protein and what about sunflower lecithin?
     Methyl cellulose and potassium salt... (E461 and E508 that is). COULD I DO THIS MYSELF? No, I couldn't. NOT OK

I'm happy to repeat myself from a long time ago:
     What if instead of all kinds of crazy diets we stopped eating cheap rubbish and ate a little less, but of a decent quality, and only ate things we could reproduce in our own kitchen - things that my grandmother would also understand. I think the most important question to ask is:

COULD I DO THIS MYSELF?

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The other news is about a week old, here we read -- also from TV2news:

Fishmonger thrown out of board for statement about fish from aquaculture

According to the owner of a fish shop in Aarhus, salmon from aquaculture is actually not suitable for human consumption. Take a look at this:

Jakob Clausen from Denmark's oldest fish shop is no longer part of the board of the Danish Fishmongers' Association.
He has been kicked out of the trade organisation's board because he announced on Tuesday that he will no longer sell salmon from aquaculture in his shop.

Yes, if someone tells the truth, you should just throw them out of the 'good' company. I hope the truthful and brave fishmonger continues as he started, and if I lived in Aarhus (in Jutland, so I won't just go there), all my future fish purchases would be made in that shop!

According to the article, Lars Poulsen, head of the secretariat of the Danish Fishmongers' Association, believes that aquaculture is a natural part of the fishing industry and that customers can choose which fish they buy.

Fine, then just note on the signs which fish are from aquaculture, so we can choose! This one is for packaged fish in the supermarket - but at the fishmonger... what do we do there when it's not on the signs?

Fredagsfrustration ~ Kun på dansk ~ Uduelig mad, bavl og konsekvenser

Den seneste måned har det været helt vildt med nyheder om mad og fødevarer. Jeg tager her fat på to, men resten er lige så absurde. Den 30. december skrev TV2.dk  at 5-reglen kan afsløre farlig mad
Lige et par citater fra artiklen:

En god regel er at se på, om der er flere eller færre end fem ingredienser. Er der færre, så er varen fin. Men er der flere end fem, så skal man gå ind og læse, om der er noget, man ikke forstår, siger Anne Tjønneland.

Hvad der derimod ikke er godt, er sodavand og chips. Slik bør vi i almindelighed heller ikke spise. Det samme gælder langtidsholdbare færdigretter.

Mere overraskende er det måske, at også veggieprodukter herunder visse typer plantedrikke får en løftet pegefinger fra nogle forskere.

I 1970'erne begyndte varedeklarationer at blive udbredte på mange fødevareemballager. Siden holdt begrebet e-numre sit indtog. Sidstnævnte beskriver tilsætningsstoffer, som er så vanskelige at forklare, at de har fået deres eget kodesprog, altså et E og en talkode bagefter.

Dertil har jeg nogle kommentarer:

  5-reglen:

Er der færre end 5 ingredienser er varen OK - men chips er ikke OK. Sært, ikke sandt. De fleste chips består af kartofler, solsikkeolie og salt. 3 ingredienser, ingen af dem med underlige navne.

     Mange betænkelige pølser og lignende består af kød, emulgator, vand og krydderier.

Veganske varer:

De er dybt overraskede over at nogle veganske produkter er ultraforarbejdede. Det er de stort set alle sammen, og det har jeg sagt og ment længe.

E-numre:

De siger: "Sidstnævnte [altså E-numre] beskriver tilsætningsstoffer, som er så vanskelige at forklare, at de har fået deres eget kodesprog, altså et E og en talkode bagefter."

     Det er ganske simpelt forkert. Der er masser af E-numre, der dækker over helt almindelige, velkendte stoffer. E-numrene er en standardisering, E'et står for Europa, og listen er indført af EU for at vi alle skal kunne genkende stofferne lige meget hvor varen er fremstillet.

     De almindelige, jeg lige kan i hovedet, er E330 = citronsyre, E300 = C-vitaminer, E440 = pektin, E553 = talkum og  E901 = bivoks.

     Jeg er bestemt lige så utryg  - eller måske endda mere - ved for eksempel glucose-fruktosesirup eller hydrolyseret vegetabilsk protein, der ikke har nogle E-numre.

     Og hvor mange stejler mon over johannesbrødkernemel, carrageenan, sorbitol, det 3. krydderi, og mange andre, hvor det er tilladt at skrive det almindelige navn i stedet for deres E-numre (henholdsvis E410, E407, E420 og E621)?

Jeg mener, at man gå helt galt i byen med de regler. Prøv for eksempel at læse ingredienserne på Mou økologiske kødboller: Grise- og oksekød (60%), vand, ÆGGEHVIDER, løg, HVEDEMEL, kartoffelmel, rasp (HVEDEMEL, salt, gær), salt, oksefedt, hvid peber.
     Hele 11 ingredienser! Men ikke én jeg ikke har eller let kunne fremstille hjemme i mit eget køkken - og her er vi ved det, jeg mener er en meget bedre regel: KUNNE JEG SELV!
     Kunne jeg selv hakke kødet, røre det med salt, tilsætte vand, æggehvider, løg, mel, rasp (som jeg selv kunne lave), salt, peber og fedt og så koge bollerne i saltvand? Ja det kunne jeg godt. Altså er det OK. 

Så prøver vi lige den vegansk variant:
     Beyond Meat kødboller, ingredienser: Vand, ærteprotein* (14%), rapsolie, kokosolie, aromaer, røgsmag, risprotein, tørret gær, stabilisator (methylcellulose), kartoffelstivelse, salt, kaliumsalt, krydderier, urter i variabel andel 0,5% (Persille, rosmarin, salvie, basilikum og oregano), æbleekstrakt, hvidløgspulver, majseddike, koncentreret citronsaft, løgpulver, granatæbleekstrakt, emulgator (solsikke-lecithin), farve (rødbederød), maltodextrin, gulerodspulver.
*Ærter er bælgplanter. Personer med alvorlig allergi over for bælgplanter som f.eks. jordnødder skal være forsigtige, når de indfører ærteprotein i deres kost på grund af risiko for allergi over for ærter.    
     Der er rigtig mange - faktisk hele 24 - ingredienser hvoraf Aromaer er på fjerdepladsen, og der er flere, hvor jeg tænker ... hvordan pokker gør jeg.
     Ærteprotein, hvordan får jeg proteinerne ud af ærterne? Ditto med risprotein, og hvad med solsikkelecitin?
     Methylcellulose og kaliumsalt ... (E461 og E508 altså). KUNNE JEG SELV? Nej. IKKE OK

Jeg gentager gerne mig selv fra for snart længe siden:
     Hvis nu vi i stedet for alle mulige fortænkte kure holdt op med at spise billigt bras og spiste lidt mindre, men af en ordentlig kvalitet, og kun spiste ting, vi kunne reproducere i eget køkken - ting som min mormor også ville kunne forstå. Jeg mener at det allervigtigste spørgsmål at stille er: 

KUNNE JEG SELV?

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Den anden nyhed er vel en uges tid gammel, her hører vi -- også hos TV2

Fiskehandler smidt ud af bestyrelse for udtalelse om opdrættede fisk

Ifølge ejeren af den aarhusianske fiskeforretning er den opdrættede laks faktisk slet ikke egnet som mad til mennesker. Se lige her:

Jakob Clausen fra Danmarks ældste fiskeforretning er ikke længere en del af bestyrelsen i Danmarks Fiskehandlere.
Han er nemlig blevet smidt ud af brancheforeningens bestyrelse, fordi han tirsdag fortalte, at han ikke længere vil sælge opdrættet laks i sin forretning.

Ja, hvis nogen siger sandheden, så skal man da bare smide dem ud af det "gode" selskab. Jeg håber den sandhedskærlige og modige fiskehandler fortsætter som han er begyndt, og hvis jeg boede i Aarhus, ville alle mine fremtidige fiskeindkøb ske i den butik!

Lars Poulsen, der er sekretariatschef i Danmarks Fiskehandlere, mener ifølge artiklen, at opdræt er en realitet i branchen, og at kunderne selv kan vælge, hvilke fisk de køber.

Fint, så skriv lige på skiltene, hvilke fisk, der er opdrættede, så kan vi vælge! Denne her er for pakkede fisk i supermarkedet - men hos fiskehandleren ... hvad gør vi der når det ikke står på skiletene?

Floriane did not get us :: Words for Wednesday and Echoes

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable event with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.
The prompts for January are provided by Elephant's Child and can be found @ Elephant's Child.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

- - A - - B - - C - - 

This week's prompts are:
Ancient
Life
Water
Melody
Lied
      and/or
Medal
Speaker
Cords
Paper
False

This is an echo of my Friday Frustrations and more from November 2023 onwards. I only used one of the Words for Wednesday: Water. I'm still not totally out of my poetry writing spell, so a poem is what you'll get.

Floriane's winds have blown
and the waters all have grown
but our tunnel's dry as a bone
we can run to the bus and go home.

Catching the bus during the storm Floriane - January 2025.

All spring of 2024 the tunnel was closed, we ran, sometimes illegally under the descending gates to catch the bus  ... the road was almost closed as well, bothering traffic in and out of town, but it was worth the trouble, just compare this:

The tunnel January 2024

to this:

The tunnel January 2025.

Poetry Monday :: Fiction

Every Monday is Poetry Monday.

Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings and I have taken over the hosting duties, mostly the supplying of the prompts - only temporarily we hope - while Diane at On the Border is taking a break for health and relaxation, travelling the world with her husband as far as we can tell.
 
We just hope she's going to take back over once she returns home again.

  I have something to ask of you: If you read this and the poetry of others via the links, would you please leave a comment.
  Half - if not more - the fun of these challenges is receiving the responses of others.

Today's prompt is Fiction. This is a thing I would not willingly live without.
My poem is a partial repost from almost five years ago, just carefully improved and updated.

My old partner in crime

I wrote my first fiction some time before school,
Wrote poems of sons and stories of cats.
A decrepit typewriter, ancient as time
Was my friend and my partner in crime.

I once had as homework to tell us a tale
Of ghosts from a place that I knew.
I wrote of a troll, of a church and a hill
Oh, the tale ... I remember it still.

As an end to the story I wrote, as was true:
If I didn't have no books at all
I would write me some books, at a terrible speed.
Just for to have something to read.


 - - - - - - - - - -

January 13: Fiction  (today)
January 20: Sheep
January 27: Silver
February 3: Funky
February 10: Funny
February 17: Fidgety
February 24: Fluffy

005, 006, 007

Some days ago it snowed. I went shopping. Our pedestrian streets have been remade, they are now neither pretty nor good, as they are quite slippery when wet or filled with snow. I think that whoever made this decision was not feeling very sharp that day. Even I who am not afraid of taking a fall, waddle like a penguin when snow is falling. Maybe I could survive a fall (I can) but my shopping bags, containing milk, eggs, and soft drinks in bottles ...
As I was waddling along, I noticed a car turning into our pedestrian street, people living there are allowed of course, as are delivery vans. I jumped into a snowdrift and looked - nonplussed - at the car. It was a

005

Then today on our way to mass, I saw this car in the park site near church.

I was almost late for mass, and the Owlets wondered what upheld me.

For the last week or so a 007 has been mocking me, parked where I normally go shopping - but no 006 anywhere to be seen, so now I had caught that one I though to myself that it would be nice and easy, I would just go there tomorrow and look for it ... But on our way home from mass, in that very same park site ...

Seven numbers in seven months, now I only need 83 ¼ years to complete the challenge.

-- 💛 --

Thursday our crafting guild celebrated the new year. The cake we ate, may with a bit of good will pass off as New Start Yellow: