Fasr Food Fast Yuck

 We've been told for decades that fast food is bad for us despite its' taste. Those burgers and nuggets were addictive as were those fries. Somehow these indulgences are as lacking in flavor as they are in nutrition nowadays.

 I discovered this in the last two days. I was rerouted more or less to the Jersey shore after trying to go Christmas shopping in Clark, New Jersey. I didn't mind the detour. I love hanging out at the Raritan Bay, enjoying the calm waters and briny sea aroma. I knew I'd have to stop and eat somewhere along the road because I hand't eaten since mid morning. I knew where to go. The Jon Bon Jovi stop on the Garden State Parkway always had a good choice of fast food. I knew I had wanted to go to Nathan's if it was still there. It was!!! I looked forward to their hot dog and crispy fries. I bought them along with a diet Coke. The diet Coke was the only good thing. The hot dog was so burnt and salty that I couldn't finish eating it . Nathan's fries were known for their crunchy outsides and the perfect taste of potatoes and salt. These were downright horrible. They were overcooked with a charred aftertaste and a strangely mushy and damp inside. These too went right into the garbage. Luckily they didn't disturb my stomach.

Then today i had lunch at one of my local McDonald's near me in Garfield NJ.I had always got a decent burger there (to me the best McDonald's is down in Hazlet on Route Thirty-Six). Tired of eating red meat I thought I'd get the chicken nuggets. Bad idea. They were over crusted and the flavor only improved when I peeled off the coating. Even the accompanying sauces couldn't help. At least the fries were decent, being thin and crunchy. I've got to admit.I was not used to two days  of stupendously bad fast food. I don' know if it's the staff overcooking or just not caring how the food turns out. Maybe fried fast food is becoming a thing of the past as chains like Jersey Mike's offers freshly made sandwiches that require little frying - save for their bacon. it could also be that newer burger chains like Shake Shack and Habit Burger are offering better made hamburgers that taste like they came off the back yard grill. Also many people are embracing vegetarianism and eating Beyond Burgers and Impossible Meats. There probably will be vegan chains that will eclipse the established ones.

All in all it's very surprising about the overall poor quality of fast foods. They have to improve or lose customers like myself to chains offering at least better tasting fare. If not, they face a dismal future.

The Season Of Kindness

 This is All Soul's Day, a day when most Christians memorialize those we have lost - and this year we have lost many. Yet we also need to honor and help the living. It's time we come together to feed and nourish each other during what will be a difficult holiday season.

Again, it's so important to contribute to various food drives and food pantries right now. If you can, please  help those who are solely giving out food parcels.  This could be packaging or helping to hand out. It could also mean helping to shop and gather important foodstuffs such as cans of beans and veggies as well as containers of milk and orange juice. Another way of helping is financially contributing. If you don't have the money , then consider a pot in which family, friends and neighbors can put as low as ten dollars. You can easily raise $200 to $300. Also pay your local restaurants to supply dinners for those in need. If you live in or near Red Bank and  Toms River,  New Jersey there is Jon Bon Jovi's JBJ Soul Kitchen where you can volunteer to serve delicious food to those who need it. Donate enough to pay for a dinner out for a family or couple who needs a day or night out. Other restaurants are doing this too in your area. Find out where they are and contribute financially.

Many are also going to be alone this  holiday season, whether for Thanksgiving or Christmas. You may not be able to include them physically yet there are ways to share. One is sending over a portion of your dinner and then Zoom eating with them. It's a way of being inclusive without being in the same room or house. another is making an entire dinner for them. Include their favorite dishes too, whether it's cornbread stuffing or pumpkin pie. Christmas is the same idea too. share part of your ham or turkey dinner with them. Include their favorite or family dishes in your meal plan as well. If they want to contribute, let them. It's always fun to try new dishes and flavors. Again you can share all this on Zoom. The same applies to Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  For Christmas Eve, remember to include a plate full of homemade cookies. Ask what the person's favorite cookies are and make them. Toss in some  candy canes and chocolate kisses too in the platter for more fun and flavor. For New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, bring over a bottle of champagne to make the day festive. Again remember to include the person on Zoom.

Make this the season of kindness. Cook and bake extra for those who need it. Contribute financially to food pantries and restaurants who help those in need. We're all in this together. Let's unite over a good meal , good drinks and good talk.

King's Example

Today we celebrate Matrin Luther King's birthday , man who wanted to unite the country and make segregation an archaic idea. Unfortunately we still have the great divide, even more so with the poor of all colors and creeds. Thankfully there are a few small actions we can do to have some easement.

I cannot express the importance of helping out in food pantries across the U.S.. Assisting is not only good way of getting in touch with all of your community but also seeing what needs to be fixed. Sometimes it just takes this to push oneself into politics and community service. Bring the kids along too. The earlier they learn about helping others, the better. Too may kids feel entitlement  and they need to be shown not to take anything for granted Another idea is also bringing a festive air (if that's possible) to a soup kitchen by having a decorative cake or baking cookies to go with after meal tea or coffee. One idea to consider is a pantry garden. This is taking a little more of your yard to grow  bumper crops fruits and vegetables during the spring and summer months. The overage can be donated to your local food pantry or soup kitchen Of course it's too early to plant but it;s not too early to draw up plans or look into planting veggies you haven;t grown before.

For those living in urban areas, it time to protest for more urban farms. The concept is in full bloom in Newark , New Jersey where a variety of benefactors such as Goldman Sachs are contributing. It's refurbishing old warehouses and factories into indoor vertical farms. All sorts of vegetables and greens are grown inside , tended by locals. This creates not only ingredients for nutritional dishes but also jobs for the immediate community.Every city throughout the US should have at least two or three. It's up to the townspeople to help bring these vertical farms to their towns. Teachers in these urban area schools should also urge for nutrition or better nutrition classes too. Another idea to push is pay or help restaurants. If patrons don't have money, then they can help out , whether clearing tables or aiding around the kitchen.The concept was first instituted by rocker Jon Bon Jovi in his Red Bank, New Jersey restaurant JBJ Soul Kitchen. They also need volunteers to help out as well if you live in the area.Again this is an excellent restaurant idea in big cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

Reverend King may have been impressed with the progress we have made, however it would have dismayed him to see the great divide between this nation's upper and lower classes. We can come together foodwise  It only takes a helping hand to start a change .

Don't Waste America's Food

Funny man John Oliver brought a serious  issue to light the other night on his show "Last Week Tonight" The HBO  program  showed tons of food that  is left to rot or tossed in the trash. All this is happening as millions starve and children go to bed  hungry.We as a nation have to do something about this. We have to band together to change laws and perceptions.

Mr. Oliver's report was eye opening and disgusting. Slightly flawed fruit, such as peaches, is left to rot on the grounds around fruit trees.Why? Because they don't meet the USDA standards .The shape could be slightly off or the color not quite the right shade, yet they are still OK to eat. Thousands of these can be given to soup kitchens or food pantries however manufacturers simply can't .The reason? The cost to package and deliver is too financially dear.It would leave smaller, privately owned companies more in the red than in the black. Add to this that a family run farm will not get any tax breaks like the bigger companies for doing any charitable work Maybe a better idea is letting those in need go through the farms and pick up what 's left on the ground.The extra fruit is finally put to good use and everyone benefits from having more healthy foods in their diets.Another nauseating fact is that our local supermarkets overstock - everything. Why? Because it's aesthetically pleasing. No one will want to buy the lone single head of lettuce or last bunch of bananas. We are programmed to think that the more the merrier and that there has to be something wrong with what's left on the shelves. Shoppers have to deprogram themselves from thinking that way. Kudos , though, to Stop & Shop, who do repackage leftover veggies and sell them at a lower price days later..

Last Week Tonight also pointed out about how restaurants are afraid to donate because they fear of being sued. However this is balderdash ,plain and simple. Thanks to the Good Samaritan Act, any business or even person is protected from being sued if on the rare chance,  their donated foods causes illness. Eateries large and small , can donated their overage and if this still is daunting then do what rocker Jon Bon Jovi did  -at his Soul Cafés, in Red Bank and Toms River ,New Jersey . He charged patrons what they can afford.If they can't pay then  they can help out whatever way they can.- setting tables or washing dishes.Maybe restaurants around the US can do this to cut down on the amount of food waste. Even as individuals we can cut down as well or learn to repurpose. Leftovers  can be refashioned into tasty dishes, after all we've been doing this with holiday meals for decades. Another idea is taking extra food want and "gifting" it to our less fortunate neighbors - or simply inviting them over to share it with us. We also have to ignore 'sell by" dates. These are actually meaningless and contribute greatly to the vast quantities of food that is being thrown out. Do what our grandparents and great grandparents did  to determine if food was good - sniff and taste.If it's bad toss it, if it's OK, keep it.

We are wasting large quantities of viable food, due to our stupidity. This should not be. We need to be more aware of what we and our stores throw out It is sinful and disgusting, especially with the large amount of starving Americans out there.