nwr - high fructose corn syrup

originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Politically, yes, it is completely ridiculous that we as a nation are plundered to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize corn production solely because we have allowed, for whatever reason, the state of Iowa to claim disproportionate influence in our presidential election process. Then there are also the legions of Pollanites who have read the Omnivore's Dilemma, adopted it as a religious text, and yammer on about the environmental impact of "monocultures," which leads to the lifestyle identification point. Bitching about high-fructose corn syrup is of a way of demonstrating to others one's membership in a superior social caste (roughly coterminous with the Stuff White People Like crowd), whereupon conversation can proceed to other acceptable topics such as how much better other countries are than the United States, how TV sucks (except for Mad Men and the Wire), and the amazing experiences one had backpacking through Thailand or volunteering for Barack Obama.
Click to expand...

The Iowans are controlling the government and have us believing that Obama is a citizen.

Open your eyes people, we're spiraling towards national socialism where white people will continue to be persecuted.
 
originally posted by VLM:

The Iowans are controlling the government and have us believing that Obama is a citizen.

Open your eyes people, we're spiraling towards national socialism where white people will continue to be persecuted.
Click to expand...

So I'm guessing this egg thing is no biggy, right?

And while I agree that nationalism is out of hand here and abroad; white people being persecuted?
How the hell did you get there from here?
Best, Jim
 
Keith,

I'll take you up on the US Coca-Cola w/ HFCS vs. Mexican Coca-Cola with cane sugar. Like the old Pepsi challenge, it's easy to pick out one from the other. I thought it was just nostalgic to have Coke in the old glass bottle, but I tried one and it was so good, just like I remembered Coke from being young. So I opened a regular can to compare. Oh my god, the difference was night and day, like old school Bordeaux vs. new fangled Napa cab. I definitely agree with the original poster. It seems HFCS dominates the flavors it's combined with. Maybe producers just add too much. In the Coke example, there was real cola flavor in the one, and a bland, sweet flavor in the other. That was enough for me.
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I thought it was just nostalgic to have Coke in the old glass bottle, but I tried one and it was so good, just like I remembered Coke from being young. So I opened a regular can to compare. Oh my god, the difference was night and day.
Click to expand...

You're not really refuting/addressing his point about the vessel (can vs. glass) being more important than the sweetener.
 
originally posted by Tom Glasgow:
originally posted by Rahsaan:

Isn't health the most important point.
Click to expand...
If you have no actual knowledge why speculate?
Click to expand...

Sure. But one can't just ignore the health issue.

Because his other point "Bitching about high-fructose corn syrup is of a way of demonstrating to others one's membership in a superior social caste" is based on the premise that this 'bitching' is unjustified. However if HCFS poses some of the severe health threats that we hear about, then those who avoid it are in a superior social caste.

Along with supporters of Obama, those who travel abroad, and those who only watch certain TV programs. But here I jest just for the sake of returning his repartee.
 
A few years ago, in an effort to understand the different sugars that comprise honey (I am a mead maker) I went out and bought samples of pure fructose, dextrose and sucrose. I tasted them to see if they were markedly different. They were. I did not take any tasting notes, all three were vastly different in terms of perceived sweetness, flavor and mouthfeel. It was unmistakably evident.

It would be hard to imagine that those differences are not imparted to the finished beverage. Toward the end of some kind of objective determination (eliminate glass v aluminum v plastic v fountain, and to get the political bullshit out of the judgment), the logical approach here would be to dilute up distilled water with HFCS and sucrose to a given specific gravity and find out if one can taste the difference. Given the refined state of the palates I know reside here, I would be shocked and gasted, perhaps even flabbergasted if we could not. Unfortunately, unless you are Kellogg's or Coca Cola, it is not easy to procure pure HFCS.

If anyone can lead me to a source of small quantities, I'd gladly do this. I'll even beg Todd and Putnam to help.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Why the admiration?
Click to expand...
Because I could immediately sense that this would develop into the glorious maze of deep disquisitions on sweeteners and Weltanschauung that this has indeed developed into...
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I thought it was just nostalgic to have Coke in the old glass bottle, but I tried one and it was so good, just like I remembered Coke from being young. So I opened a regular can to compare. Oh my god, the difference was night and day.
Click to expand...

You're not really refuting/addressing his point about the vessel (can vs. glass) being more important than the sweetener.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I wouldn't think the vessel is as important as the ingredients. I've had the same beer out of bottle and can and not discerned a significant difference. There are local breweries here going only in cans, and their beer doesn't have a tin taste. I think that whole "cans taste bad" thing is a myth. Bad beer tastes bad. U.S. Coca-Cola tastes bad. That Mexican Coca-Cola tasted pretty good, though I'm not a big soda guy, to say the least.
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
Keith,

I'll take you up on the US Coca-Cola w/ HFCS vs. Mexican Coca-Cola with cane sugar. Like the old Pepsi challenge, it's easy to pick out one from the other. I thought it was just nostalgic to have Coke in the old glass bottle, but I tried one and it was so good, just like I remembered Coke from being young. So I opened a regular can to compare. Oh my god, the difference was night and day, like old school Bordeaux vs. new fangled Napa cab. I definitely agree with the original poster. It seems HFCS dominates the flavors it's combined with. Maybe producers just add too much. In the Coke example, there was real cola flavor in the one, and a bland, sweet flavor in the other. That was enough for me.
Click to expand...
I agree they taste different with different sweetness perceptions but I submit the difference is the result of glass bottles vs. cans, not corn syrup vs. sugar. I think you'll find if you taste Passover Coke (sugar in 2-liter plastic) it is vastly inferior to any corn-syrup Coke out of aluminum or glass. I guess to have a complete taste test one would have to include the "Christmas" Coke bottling (corn syrup Coke in glass).
 
With Lafite, the sugar version works better as it brings out the pencil lead more clearly; latter day Latour I prefer HFCS. From glass bottle, of course.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Jim - you got a good baked beans recipe? The RG beans are like butter in burritos.
Click to expand...

Never had butter in burritos?!

No recipe but everything with Rancho Gordo beans in it is better.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

Buttery texture. I'd like to make a batch of baked beans with them ... will look in Simply Recipes or something. Wait, is that a way of demonstrating superior social caste?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Because his other point "Bitching about high-fructose corn syrup is of a way of demonstrating to others one's membership in a superior social caste" is based on the premise that this 'bitching' is unjustified.
Click to expand...
No, not at all. There are an infinite number of true facts in the universe, but one's selection about which of those facts to care about or converse about tends to be one of those indicators we use in gathering information about someone's personality, values, and so on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top