Tag: breakfast restaurants

I agree with George Monbiot that it is essential that we curb the continuous expansion of industrial agriculture into precious ecosystems if Earth’s life-support systems are to survive. What concerns me is Monbiot’s solution (Embrace what may be the most important green technology ever. It could save us all, November 24). Close to despair at the failure of the world to take effective measures to curb this destruction, Monbiot is turning to technical fixes, such as precision fermentation, which can produce food without photosynthesis, practically from thin water. This means that 1,700 times less land is required to produce protein than in the world’s most efficient agricultural system.

But this hi-tech solution presents dangers. Even though Monbiot says that he would like poor countries all over the world to install fermentation tanks under local control, this seems unlikely. The technology, developed under corporate control, has been patented. Corporations driven by profits are unlikely to democratize control, and the technology is likely to be used by them to extend their reach over the natural world.

The only real hope comes from creating a massive global movement of climate activists, youth movements, traditional peasant movements, Indigenous activists and others. They have shown that it is possible to build resilient local food systems while protecting the ecosystem.

A sudden transition to the large-scale global production of cheap food by a tech fix could threaten the livelihoods of traditional communities when their knowledge is needed more than ever. While precision fermentation may have a supplementary role to play, it must be monitored and placed under public control. If not, it could do more harm than good.
Sue Branford
Clann, Shropshire

Every time we have tried to simplify and rationalize the process of producing food, it has led to unforeseen and damaging consequences. Synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, crop and grass monocultures, intensive livestock farming, herbicide-ready crops, reliance on antibiotics: the list is long. The George Monbiot who has long argued passionately for the protection of the full complexity of the web of life knows all this. But here is another George Monbiot who seems to think we can solve all our problems simply by messing about with a few chemicals in a lab. George mark one – Eco George – has often argued strongly in favor of the precautionary principle. Perhaps he should have a word with the mark two version – Tech Bro George.
Richard Middleton
Crossmichael, Dumfries and Galloway

George Monbiot’s brave new world of precision fermentation evokes a dystopian future of mega factories churning out 1,001 varieties of artificial food. The fundamental problem with this technology is that, given a choice, few people would choose it. The future of food production will involve major changes to protect the environment. However, abolishing farmed and fished foods, and replacing them with factory-made substitutes could not work, at least in countries where people are free to choose what they eat. The kind of extremist solutions proposed by Monbiot would require either nightmare, Elon Musk-style capitalism or Chinese-style state control. Please at least leave us some choices in what and how we eat.
Ian Healey
Worthing, West Sussex

A wonderful all-rounder.

to serve 12
free-range eggs 3
vegetable oil 350ml
caster sugar 450g
salt ½ tsp
cinnamon 1 tsp
ground cloves ½ tsp
bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
plain flour 425g
walnuts 140gfinely chopped
bramley apples 4, peeled and finely chopped
calvados 3 tbsp

For the mist
Breton cider 150ml
caster sugar 10g
calvados 1 tbsp

Line a 23cm diameter cake tin with baking parchment and set aside. Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk as you slowly incorporate the vegetable oil, then add the dry ingredients and whisk them into the egg mixture. Throw in the nuts, apples and calvados and fold so that all the nubbles are evenly coated.

We must stress that, at this point, your mixture will not look right. It will look as though you have too little batter, of too loose a consistency, too light coating too much apples and nuts. Believe in us! this is correct. Spoon the batter into the cake tin and bake in a medium oven (about 160C fan/gas mark 4) for 1½ hours.

When you have removed this glorious cake from the oven, make the mist by putting all the components into a pan over a medium heat. As soon as it has reached a boil, pour the mist over the cake and serve the slices warm, with chantilly cream.

From The Book of St John by Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver (Ebury, £35)

When you think of your favorite food, what do you picture? For me, it’s nachos. Yet even as I’m thinking about the delicious pile of toppings that can really make the platter pop, I’m also picturing cozying up with a big old plate of the things in front of my favorite movie, sharing them with friends. When I crave nachos, I’m not only craving the taste but also the warm and fuzzy emotions that have surrounded my past nacho-eating experiences. And some of the nachos have been objectively bad, with burnt cheese or too many jalapenos, but even so, the dish maintains its association with positive memories. The New York Times posits that this mental connection defines our favorite comfort foods, more so than the flavor does.

What makes a dish “comfort food”

There is some direct science behind the notion of “comfort food”: eating anything at all triggers a release of opioid-based chemicals in the brain, and carbohydrates in particular increase serotonin levels. If you identify as someone with a sweet tooth, that simply means that you have stronger brain-reward responses to sugary foods.

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But it’s our association with memories that makes certain foods more comforting than others. Comfort foods are different in different cultures, The New York Times explains, because that association is with foods we were given by people who cared for us early in life. This is why foods typically associated with healing during sickness, like soup, are often seen as comfort foods. The meals that you’re drawn to during times of emotional distress as an adult were actually determined by your parents or grandparents or whoever was feeding you as a child.

There’s another sense that has a strong association with both memory and food: smell. We process smells in a part of the brain that connects directly to the part of the brain that processes emotions and handles memory, so the smell of a specific food can instantly trigger a comforting memory. If you enjoy cinnamon rolls on a particularly pleasant day with your family, for example, the smell of cinnamon rolls will quickly bring you back to that feeling.

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Of course, the flip side is also true: associations between food and memory can also lead to a list of “never again” foods that are associated with bad times. It’s one of the reasons one bad experience with tequila may turn you off the stuff for life.

How brands are cashing in on nostalgia

Brands are, naturally, always hoping to capitalize on those positive mental associations. Earlier this month, Whole Foods declared “retro products” a trend to watch in 2023, and we’ve already seen some major brands hopping on board this year. McDonald’s appealed to our inner child with the return of its Happy Meal Halloween Pails, White Castle has introduced an entire menu harkening back to 1921, and social media pages like @Snack_Memories serve as a reminder of all of our favorite snacks from a bygone era.

Some brands are even setting themselves up to cash in on future nostalgia by discontinuing beloved items, like Klondike’s Choco Taco and McDonald’s McRib. Testing the waters of how people emotionally respond to a product’s demise can be a good indicator of how deep the memories of that item run. It’s those positive memories that will push people to line up for the next chance to taste it.

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