Don't go out! There's a carb war raging
Do you know the work of the English comedian Graham Norton? It's an acquired taste, but once you've been hooked, there's no getting off the drug. His humour isn't PC, though. An example: back in February last year Bee Gee Robin Gibb threatened to "rip his head off" after Norton made a joke about his brother Maurice. After Maurice Gibb had died in a Miami hospital, Norton joked on TV: "I bet Maurice Gibb's heart monitor was singing the tune of Stayin' Alive." Tasteless? Of course. That's Norton's thing.
Anyway, he's made a very successful move across the Atlantic where The Graham Norton Effect is now wowing them on Comedy Central. The other night the put two hot topics together when he joked that President Bush could almost justify the war in Iraq if he found a big bag of rice. Geddit? Evil carbs.
Because of my focus on The War on Terror, I've missed out completely on the War on Carbs, which is raging across the US at the moment led by the cadres and foot soldiers of the Atkins Diet movement. As I come from a bread and potatoes culture and have developed a taste for pasta, I think I'm on the wrong side in this one. And that's where I'm staying, too.
The whole carbohydrates fixation was put in perspective by cooking instructor and author Giuliano Hazan in The New York Times last week in an excellent article called "You Are How You Eat". Here, the key grafs:
"Ultimately, it's not the carbohydrates — or the next unsuspecting food group that will come under attack — that will make us overweight. It's our relationship with food and our lifestyle. In other words, how we eat is just as important — if not more so — than what we eat."
Slow instead of fast...
"The antithesis of the Italian eating style is fast food and 'eating on the run,' where little attention is given to what is being consumed and the quicker one is done, the better. There is a physiological benefit of eating more slowly, too: your body senses that food has reached the stomach and shuts off the feeling of hunger before you overeat."
Eat and exercise...
"Italians also tend to lead less sedentary lives. Walking is a necessity not just in cities but also in smaller towns where cars are usually banned from the center of town. Many people live in walkups, and elevators are usually found only in high-rises."
Small portions, please...
"So although per capita pasta consumption in Italy is four times as much as in the United States, Italians actually eat less pasta at a single sitting than do Americans, who tend to eat it only once or twice a week. The trend in the United States seems inevitably headed toward larger and larger portions. To suggest that more and bigger is not better seems almost un-American."
And now, a conclusion that's worth memorizing...
"Eating sensibly is really the best diet, and the better we can teach our children to appreciate good food and the pleasure we can take from eating leisurely together as a family, the less likely we will be to feel the need to try the latest diet fad. Savoring a good meal simply makes us feel good. Food should not be feared. It should be a source of pleasure and well-being. So saute a little sliced garlic in extra virgin olive oil until it sizzles, add ripe fresh peeled tomatoes, cook 15-20 minutes, stir in some fresh basil and toss with some spaghettini. Then sit down with your family and enjoy one of life's simple pleasures together."
If you liked Hazan's arguments, you'll enjoy Quackwatch's withering critique of Low-Carbohydrate Diets. Me? I'm going to have another slice of bread and butter!
Comments
i believe graham norton is irish
Posted by: enda johnson | July 14, 2004 10:11 AM
Apparently, there are conspiracy theories doing the rounds to the effect that sinister industry interests the good doctor murdered.
Posted by: Peter Nolan | July 14, 2004 10:18 AM
Feck! "Born Graham Walker in County Cork, Ireland, he changed his name to Norton — his great-grandmother's maiden name — when he discovered that the acting union Equity already had a Graham Walker on their books." Sorry about that, Graham, I was only jokin', like! Well spotted, Enda. I owe you a pint! And a slice of bread!
Posted by: Eamonn | July 14, 2004 1:12 PM
beer being liquid bread, can i have 2 pints instead? ;-)
Posted by: enda johnson | July 14, 2004 2:51 PM
I read that NYT article just after coming back from an Italian holiday (a week in Tuscany followed by a week outside Naples) and I was practically drooling over the computer screen.
What is noticable is that the fruit and vegetables in the shops may not look as good as the stuff in Irish stores but taste much better.
The other thing that contrast sharply with Ireland is the level of service in restaurants - the staff in an Italian restaurant in Italy are full-timers, dedicated to making your eating experience as good as it can be. In Ireland, your waiter is probably a student trying to earn enough to go on the piss for the weekend.
Posted by: John | July 14, 2004 5:24 PM
hey eamonn
thank you so much for your help
your an Angel!!!!!!!!!!!
love nicole
Posted by: nicole | July 18, 2004 7:00 PM