Downstrike/food

From the page: "We don't add antibiotics to baby food and Cocoa Puffs so that children get fewer ear infections. That's because we understand that the overuse of antibiotics is already creating "superbugs" resistant to medication.

Yet we continue to allow agribusiness companies to add antibiotics to animal feed so that piglets stay healthy and don't get ear infections. Seventy percent of all antibiotics in the United States go to healthy livestock, according to a careful study by the Union of Concerned Scientists -- and that's one reason we're seeing the rise of pathogens that defy antibiotics.

These dangerous pathogens are now even in our food supply. Five out of 90 samples of retail pork in Louisiana tested positive for MRSA -- an antibiotic-resistant staph infection -- according to a peer-reviewed study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology last year. And a recent study of retail meats in the Washington, D.C., area found MRSA in one pork sample, out of 300, according to Jianghong Meng, the University of Maryland scholar who conducted the study."

I contracted MRSA once, and that's nasty stuff!

From the page: "Mounting evidence is confirming the view, long held in the public health community, that antimicrobial use in animals can substantially reduce the efficacy of the human antimicrobial arsenal...

Tetracycline, penicillin, erythromycin, and other antimicrobials that are important in human use are used extensively in the absence of disease for nontherapeutic purposes in today's livestock production...

A study recently released by the Animal Health Institute (AHI) may have severely underestimated animal use of antimicrobials. Our estimate of 24.6 million pounds for animal use is almost 50 percent higher than industry's figure of 17.8 million pounds -- and ours includes only nontherapeutic usage in the three major livestock sectors. AHI's covers all uses -- therapeutic and nontherapeutic -- in all animals, not just cattle, swine, and poultry.
Approximately 13.5 million pounds of antimicrobials prohibited in the European Union are used in agriculture for nontherapeutic purposes every year by U.S. livestock producers.

The European Union has prohibited nontherapeutic agricultural use of antimicrobials that are important in human medicine, such as penicillins, tetracyclines, and streptogramins. Total U.S. agricultural use of these banned antimicrobials is enormous...

Our estimates of 24.6 million pounds in animal agriculture and 3 million pounds in human medicine suggests that 8 times more antimicrobials are used for nontherapeutic purposes in the three major livestock sectors than in human medicine."

So salty is right; it only takes 2 typical packages of ramen to complete the recommended daily allowance of sodium for a healthy adult. Of course, most of that sodium is from MSG and other forms.

Personally, I don't buy the American stuff. It turns out like strings of bleached flour mush soaked in brine. I prefer the Thai varieties, and I'm trying to find an opportunity to try the Chinese varieties. I rarely even consider making ramen without adding other ingredients.

From the page:
'Because of their enthusiastic acceptance in the market place, it wasn't long before instant Ramen skipped over national boundaries and became an international phenomena. Factories that make Ramen noodles can now be found not only in Japan and the U.S., but in Europe, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Each country's Ramen noodles reflect their own particular flavor preferences. Korean Ramen is highly spiced and often contains packets of black bean sauce. China makes Ramen in Szechuan flavors. Thailand makes very thin, delicate noodles with very hotly spiced packets. Japan prefers the flavor of seafood and mild spices. In the U.S. they are usually available with meat flavors, mushroom flavors or mild spices often referred to as "Oriental flavor".'

From the page: "Psathyrella candolleana is listed as edible in most field guides, but it should not be eaten; identification of this mushroom is not easy. Rather than considering this mushroom for the table, I recommend proving your devotion to the mushroom world by considering Psathyrella Candolleana for your baby girl's first and middle names; there's a nice ring to it!"

These dudettess hang out in my back yard; I did my research and performed the appropriate tests: Basidiomycetes Agaricales Coprinaceae Psathyrella Candolleana (species cluster), AKA Common Psathyrella

From the page: '"I wasn't sure the concept would even work," says co-owner Natalie Deewan. "But after the first few weeks, our customers were so enthusiastic that they were paying more than their fair share."'

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From the page:

"LOS ANGELES -- California, a national trendsetter in all matters edible, became the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Friday to phase out their use.

Under the new law, trans fats, long linked to health problems, must be excised from restaurant products beginning in 2010, and from all retail baked goods by 2011. Packaged foods will be exempt."

This is where the now-famous Szechwan (sichuan) cuisine originated: