Baffled! That’s the only word I can use to describe my feelings about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I know—I know. Here comes another culinary hippie rant, right? Call it what you like. I’m a fairly simple bloke—I just like to know what I’m consuming. If there’s refuse in my brownie—I’d like to know about it. Why? BECAUSE! It’s a simple thing to ask for. I know that lemons are a fruit. Yet—when I’m at the soda fountain, I don’t quite understand how Minute Maid (Irony: MM headquarters lies in Sugar Land, Texas) lemonade is “made with 0% juice”. How is that possible?
Well—lounging on the ole sofa watching the end of the college football bowl season—the heavens rained down upon me the divine answer:
As I watched this advertisement, I couldn’t help but think: OMG—WTF! Fine in moderation? (What is this—hard liquor?) Sweet surprise? Get the facts? Oh—okay, is that what we’re calling them. The last I checked—there are no brute (unreasoned) facts. Every bit of information has an angle—a presupposition, a history informed by particular privilege, education, economics, etc. etc. So what’s the angle here? Simple: profit, of course. But, beyond that—it’s about efficiency for the industry at the longitudinal expense of the consumer. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But, hey don’t take my word for it. Here’s the “facts” from the Corn Refiners Association: http://www.corn.org/
I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand how Coca-Cola—the largest marketer, distributor, and manufacturer of beverages in the free world (one of the largest corporations IN THE WORLD) can make lemonade with no juice whatsoever. Please don’t tell me it’s not in the budget. Could you open your Big-Piggy-Vault a little bit more for something “real”? The issue for me is not necessarily what they’re selling—though it is—but how they’re selling it. When you go to www.sweetsurprise.com you’ll find various “facts” accompanied by pictures—each one (Asian, Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic) framing HFCS alongside the idealized family—completely innocent, in fact, a contributor to the ‘freshness’ of your healthy life and family.
So, the next time you want to be subtly insulted (with a two-bit musical underscore) without knowing it, check out their ads. Bottom line: I have an idea of where the Corn Refiners Association can put these ads. Two words: Corn. Hole. Just a thought…
Just A Thought: Lemonade Made with 0% Juice?
Baffled! That’s the only word I can use to describe my feelings about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I know—I know. Here comes another culinary hippie rant, right? Call it what you like. I’m a fairly simple bloke—I just like to know what I’m consuming. If there’s refuse in my brownie—I’d like to know about it. Why? BECAUSE! It’s a simple thing to ask for. I know that lemons are a fruit. Yet—when I’m at the soda fountain, I don’t quite understand how Minute Maid (Irony: MM headquarters lies in Sugar Land, Texas) lemonade is “made with 0% juice”. How is that possible?
Well—lounging on the ole sofa watching the end of the college football bowl season—the heavens rained down upon me the divine answer:
As I watched this advertisement, I couldn’t help but think: OMG—WTF! Fine in moderation? (What is this—hard liquor?) Sweet surprise? Get the facts? Oh—okay, is that what we’re calling them. The last I checked—there are no brute (unreasoned) facts. Every bit of information has an angle—a presupposition, a history informed by particular privilege, education, economics, etc. etc. So what’s the angle here? Simple: profit, of course. But, beyond that—it’s about efficiency for the industry at the longitudinal expense of the consumer. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But, hey don’t take my word for it. Here’s the “facts” from the Corn Refiners Association: http://www.corn.org/
I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand how Coca-Cola—the largest marketer, distributor, and manufacturer of beverages in the free world (one of the largest corporations IN THE WORLD) can make lemonade with no juice whatsoever. Please don’t tell me it’s not in the budget. Could you open your Big-Piggy-Vault a little bit more for something “real”? The issue for me is not necessarily what they’re selling—though it is—but how they’re selling it. When you go to www.sweetsurprise.com you’ll find various “facts” accompanied by pictures—each one (Asian, Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic) framing HFCS alongside the idealized family—completely innocent, in fact, a contributor to the ‘freshness’ of your healthy life and family.
So, the next time you want to be subtly insulted (with a two-bit musical underscore) without knowing it, check out their ads. Bottom line: I have an idea of where the Corn Refiners Association can put these ads. Two words: Corn. Hole. Just a thought…