Althouse: "Do the alleged benefits of eating vegetables outweigh the terrible cost of having to eat them?"

June 1, 2011

"Do the alleged benefits of eating vegetables outweigh the terrible cost of having to eat them?"

"In a word, no."

82 comments:

traditionalguy said...: They are both right. One blood type eats vegetables and thrives. Another type lives better on Dairy products. But the largest number are the O's who thrive on eating meats. So it's easy to stir up a debate and sell books to those that agree that their preferences apply to all people.; 6/1/11, 7:32 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Oh God! Yet another food fetish!

This post contradicts the Steinbeck post. Any society that can produce so many different forms of food fetishes is so rich that it probably needs a war on its land to sink it back into poverty.

Over the past few days, I've been assaulted with writer friends who believe that eating grains is absolutely unnecessary and probably harmful. They think they're doctors. Yesterday, it was vegetarians in depression with their hair falling out who still wouldn't eat meat lest they cease being holy.

Today, it vegetables that are killing us.

Can we return to the days when there was no internet?; 6/1/11, 7:35 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: I'm sticking with the Irish baby diet. Gives me the vitamins I need to spot satire (and it saves money).; 6/1/11, 7:43 PM
ken in tx said...: I eat some veggies because I like them--broccoli and asparagus. Other wise I eat meat; pork, beef and chicken. I also eat eggs. My cholesterol has always been good. I once lost 83 pounds by avoiding carbs.; 6/1/11, 7:47 PM
traditionalguy said...: ST...Free Speech allows for opinions about diets. The more we read the easier it gets to see who are the dingbats. All healthy diet gurus do seem to agree on one thing. eating lamb is good and eating pork is bad. But eat what you enjoy most.; 6/1/11, 7:48 PM
rhhardin said...: The dog likes veggies with rice except for brussels sprouts.

She won't touch rice that's been steamed with brussels sprouts.

Otherwise rice and veggires for lunchtime is the most exciting meal of the day, audible anticipation-wise.; 6/1/11, 7:49 PM
mariner said...: I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli.
- George H. W. Bush; 6/1/11, 7:54 PM
traditionalguy said...: I am also contemplating an expose on the conspiracy among MDs to issue rules that stop men my age from eating anything with salt. It is making a sneak eater out of me.; 6/1/11, 7:54 PM
Fred4Pres said...: I like veggies, you need them to make a really kick ass bloody mary.; 6/1/11, 7:56 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Anthony Bourdain is reading this story somewhere and smiling.; 6/1/11, 7:56 PM
mariner said...: I on the other hand love broccoli, steamed with a little butter.

No terrible cost there (until the Great Great Depression hits and I can't afford broccoli).

I hate Blogger!; 6/1/11, 7:58 PM
traditionalguy said...: Mariner...Fear not. Cheap broccoli and romain lettuce will keep rolling in from Steinbeck's beloved Salinas Valley.; 6/1/11, 8:02 PM
Anonymous said...: When I was a Child - I didn't like Veggies. As an Adult- I love them. The sweet tooth was replaced with the bitter/sour tooth. Now that said, lots of sauces, etc, cover up the taste. Just remember, most of the rest of the World doesn't have the luxury of MEAT, like us. In China and Japan, or India, meat isn't as common.

That said, while digging potatoes, I found myself (with BEER) eating Potatoe bugs. Note that when the Smelt run, it is customary to bite off and eat their head. In Italy, I saw boiled cow head on a stake - the shaved nose with sea salt and lemon was a delicacy. In Greece it was small fishes, saw squid beat on the beach to get the ink out. Snails in Germany, and bernaise sauce on veggies with vietsen (?sp) bier - a heavy, yeasy German Beer, high alcohol content beer. Perhaps that is where my taste for cheap American "heavy beer" came from?
Sure, I love Oysters on the half-shell - with enough BEER, but that is more like some disgusting snot- don't CHEW, just SWALLOW.; 6/1/11, 8:05 PM
george said...: There is no amount of life extension that would make it worthwhile to eat vegetables. Besides, there will be enough time for that if we end up in hell... and if we end up in the other place then what was the point?; 6/1/11, 8:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Fred 4 Pres - Bloody Marys are another of my late "adult" finds. Along with olives, pickled onions, pickled asparagus spears, tomatoes, tomatoe juice, black olives, green olives, broccolli and anything else you can add. Lots of Tabasco and heavy black pepper. The human garbage can aptly can describe me. No offense taken.; 6/1/11, 8:09 PM
Palladian said...: People who hate all vegetables never ate properly cooked vegetables.

I can't imagine life without good tomatoes, or beautifully nutty-tasting haricot-verts, or perfectly-cooked, well-trimmed broccoli, or broad beans in the early spring, dressed with a good, not-too-tart vinaigrette and served with egg, anchovies and pork lardons. Or think of how wonderfully they Chinese prepare vegetables.

Vegetables are thought of as unappetizing medicine because that's how stupid, abstemious people have prepared them. There's nothing worse that a big bowl of steamed, undressed vegetables, or a warmed can of grey-green cellulosic mush. Learn to cook them correctly, season them correctly, and for God's sake, don't forget the oil, butter and bacon.; 6/1/11, 8:14 PM
themightypuck said...: Here's what I know about diet. Eating real meat is healthy. Drinking real alcohol is not healthy. I do both. Hopefully it will average out.; 6/1/11, 8:14 PM
Conserve Liberty said...: My Vermont Yankee mother-in-law believed almost everything is OK to do (eat, drink, experience) when done in moderation.

I eat pretty much anything.

Except Okra.; 6/1/11, 8:16 PM
Anonymous said...: It's brocolli and cauliflower WITH Wisconsin shredded cheddar. HEAVEN. The crunch, the TANG, the COLORS. Sharp yellow with vibrant green and lively white. MMMMMH! Take ANY vegetable, steam it, add some shredded cheese - instant heaven!!! You can do this with potatoes also. When you,ve had a little too much - 5 minutes in the microwave - spike potatoe first with a fork - split 1/2 way through - cheese and butter, Add some bacon also. If you're in the mood, add a couple of eggs.

Awesome breakfast - slice up a potatoe into small cubes. 3 mins in microwave. In pan - 2-3 slices shredded bacon. Add potatoes, sliced JALAPENO PEPPER, cherry tomatoes to mix. Keep covered, stir, add eggs. In toaster, whole grain bread. For an even better treat, warm 4-5 corm tortillias, to use in place of fork, eat tejano style. OH YEAH!!!; 6/1/11, 8:21 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: My dog was interested in grapes but wouldn't eat one. I'd roll a grape to her like a marble and she'd sniff it, put it in her mouth, then drop it. Then one day I put a grape in her jaws and gently squeezed her muzzle to make her teeth smash the grape. Her eyes lit up with surprise like, "Oh WOW!" Then she became an avid grape eater.; 6/1/11, 8:23 PM
Anonymous said...: "Except Okra."

LOL. The hairy slimy vegetable. I learned to love that also!!! LOL; 6/1/11, 8:23 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: On behalf of all of us:

#winning; 6/1/11, 8:25 PM
Palladian said...: Anchovies and nutmeg are two other magic keys to the delicious vegetable kingdom.

Cook fresh spinach, stems removed, in either a big kettle of boiling water, or by steaming, for a very short time. Quickly remove the cooked spinach to a big bowl of ice water (this is the proper way to cook all green vegetables). After spinach is perfectly cool, drain, then squeeze as much of the water out of it as possible (I put mine in a big potato ricer for squeezing). Heat a big, non-stick pan and toss the spinach in the pan for a few minutes to further dry it. Remove spinach from pan.

Fry one anchovy fillet in the pan with some good butter and a few gratings of a nutmeg (be very careful with the dosage! You shouldn't be able to identify nutmeg in the finished dish) until the anchovy disintegrates and the butter is hot (careful not to brown the butter!). Return the spinach to the pan and saute quickly at a high heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Put into a warmed serving dish, preferably with a cover, and serve immediately. Heaven.

Try putting a few scrapes of nutmeg in almost any recipe and see how amazing it is. It's especially good with spinach, however it's cooked, and mushrooms. Remember, the idea is to not be able to identify nutmeg in the finished dish, so be wary about how much you're using.; 6/1/11, 8:25 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Oh, but now I read it, and it's a joke.

#saddening

I like vegetables, but not the way the food-is-medicine crowd would have you prepare them. What Palladian describes is more my style.; 6/1/11, 8:30 PM
RuyDiaz said...: My dog was interested in grapes but wouldn't eat one. I'd roll a grape to her like a marble and she'd sniff it, put it in her mouth, then drop it. Then one day I put a grape in her jaws and gently squeezed her muzzle to make her teeth smash the grape. Her eyes lit up with surprise like, "Oh WOW!" Then she became an avid grape eater.

Chip Ahoy;

That's a bad idea; 6/1/11, 8:34 PM
Anonymous said...: The lowely potatoe - along with eggs - become the dish of kings of those who like ALCOHOL. Once again, the microwave gives one MINUTES to prepare the lowely potatoe. Bacon is the king of meats to add. LOTS of flavour, lots of tang. I have a lot of experience with this, but then, I also like strong German bier.

Of course, another favourite is Bratwurst, with Good strong spicy mustard and giardiniera - NOW - this stuff is HEAVEN on Earth - along with a well grilled Brat and hearty brat bun. Veggies - that can lead to sin. LOL.

For NEWBIES - start with MILD Giardiniera before you move to HOT. MMMMMMM....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiniera; 6/1/11, 8:34 PM
RuyDiaz said...: As for the link, I'm reminded of the wise words of Al Bundy:

"I'm so hungry I could eat a vegetable."

Amen.; 6/1/11, 8:35 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Actually Anthony Bourdain describes the mind blowing simplicity and sublimness of a really good heirloom tomato well in "Medium Raw."; 6/1/11, 8:35 PM
edutcher said...: Have to agree with Palladian and, especially, enicar.

A little butter and salt, maybe some mayo...

Rather eat veggies than take a fistful of supplements.; 6/1/11, 8:37 PM
Anonymous said...: And of course, the KING OF KINGS!!! Corn on the cob, slathered in butter, sprinkled with salt. Some prefer the large, sweet YELLOW kernals, my Grandfather loved the WHITE kernals, or "Gentlemans Korn" - SAY- WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE 'BOUT "VEGGIES? (and yeah, I know, tomaters are a FRUIT); 6/1/11, 8:41 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I take a fistful of supplements everyday, but that's because I don't want to eat oily fish, pomegranates, Indian food, green tea, broccoli sprouts, and lots of vegetables everyday.; 6/1/11, 8:43 PM
Anonymous said...: Educator - in Germany it was always "pomme frites mit mayo" - but then European Mayo is not US mayo. In Bitburg it was "zvei bratwurst mit senf, grosse pom frittes mit mayo, ein cola"" No preservatives, no additives. Guten tag.

In Germant bernaise (sp?) sauce on veggies along with cordon bleu' and heavy German honey beer. Ya, Ya...

Those of you who haven't developed a taste for veggies don't know what you are missing.; 6/1/11, 8:47 PM
Anonymous said...: Freeman Hunt - Free yourself and go for the experience. It does take time, but you can free your palate. I will admit I don't care for fish - but the rest you describe is DELICIOUS. It will come with age.; 6/1/11, 8:50 PM
RuyDiaz said...: Enicar;

Taste perception is highly genetically determined. For a significant number of people, vegetables do taste like hell.

I think I'll stop the science talk now.; 6/1/11, 8:52 PM
Anonymous said...: Almost FORGOT - MUSHROOMS!!! - but then, they are FUNGI, not vegetables. Good stuff, Great when pickled. Add to your Bloody Mary. Nothing is finer than to drink Bloody Marys ona Sunday, with lots of veggies. Pickled fish fits in here also.

Now I gotta cook... always remember, potatoes and eggs make a great base!!! MMMM add BACON....; 6/1/11, 8:58 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: but the rest you describe is DELICIOUS. It will come with age.

I didn't say that I didn't like those things. I said that I didn't want to eat all of that every single day. That is not going to change.

Well, okay, I don't like broccoli sprouts. I bought them one time, and then told my husband he'd have to buy the supplements because I wouldn't eat them.; 6/1/11, 8:59 PM
Anonymous said...: LOL.

Ruy Diaz - Every time I stop at the gate at Menards they ask me " Do you know where you are going"? LOLOLOL. Yeah, I like veggies. LOL.; 6/1/11, 9:05 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Palladian: Cook fresh spinach, stems removed, in either a big kettle of boiling water, or by steaming, for a very short time.

Blech!

First you're supposed to fry some cummin and turmeric in a bit of butter, then add the spinach, a quantity of greens, a chopped onion, some water, salt, and red pepper flakes. Let it boil, covered, for a few hours. Uncover and let the water boil down, but make sure you don't let it burn.; 6/1/11, 9:05 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Yeah, well, the article and the discussion here leave out one thing you get only from vegetables: fiber.

You can eat meat and starches until you're blue in the face, just don't bitch to the rest of us when you've got intestinal diverticuli and hemorrhoids the size of grapes.

The human intestinal track need fibrous vegetable matter to keep things moving and to keep the bacterial flora correct. Without fiber, you've basically got a slow motion train wreck down there.

I'm not now nor have I ever been a member of the vegetarian party. I'm a proud omnivore. But, it's bad science and a fool's errand to bad mouth vegetables.; 6/1/11, 9:05 PM
RuyDiaz said...: LOL.

Ruy Diaz - Every time I stop at the gate at Menards they ask me " Do you know where you are going"? LOLOLOL. Yeah, I like veggies. LOL.

Well, that second 'science talk' was also the voice of experience. I taste even a hint of bitterness in food.

If it were I, I would just give you a look of pity and shake my head in disbelief.; 6/1/11, 9:10 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: YoungHeggelian: Yeah, well, the article and the discussion here leave out one thing you get only from vegetables: fiber.

It's called oatmeal, and I think it's covered on page four of the pamphlet.; 6/1/11, 9:20 PM
kjbe said...: You'll notice that the more vile a vegetable is to eat - for example, Brussels sprouts - the greater is the pressure to believe that it's "good for you" and that you "have to eat it."

Peas are awful. The only thing they ever did for me was make me gag. Asparagus, grilled, however is heaven.; 6/1/11, 9:23 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: enicar333: Almost FORGOT - MUSHROOMS!!! - but then, they are FUNGI, not vegetables.

From chapter three of the pamphlet:

I know they're vegetables for two incontrovertible reasons:

1. Their role in cooking is usually interchangeable with actual vegetables, and

2. They taste icky.; 6/1/11, 9:24 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: You don't have to eat vegetables to get fiber. You could eat high fiber grain-based products. A lot of them even have added fiber now.

Or you could eat the non-vegetable-ish vegetables like beans or lentils. I don't even count those as vegetables. They eat like meat.; 6/1/11, 9:25 PM
LilyBart said...: Oh Man, this has got to ruin Michelle Obama's day.

But I love most veggies, and I'm not giving them up. And, while I know they are not the answer to all that ails you, I continue to believe they are a part of a healthy diet.

On the other hand, white flour products that'll kill you.; 6/1/11, 9:27 PM
Anonymous said...: Ruy Diaz - You take life too seriously. I have lost everything - twice. Been a lot of places. Been high, been low. Life is to enjoy and love. Perhaps I lost my fear of food when I lost my fear of life. Facing financial ruin - multiple times, and living through it gives spice to life... but then C'est La'Vie.

I have slept on the streets, and on the beds of millionaires. I find my solace in Nature. When one learns humility - and can laugh at oneself - it is the greatest gift of all. Good luck, my friend.; 6/1/11, 9:28 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Jason,

Oatmeal's okay, but it just doesn't cut it as fiber compared to prunes, blackberries, watermelon, and what not. No one willingly chases down their oatmeal with enough water to hydrate the fiber properly, while with the fruits and veggies it goes down pre-hydrated.

Also, there's water soluble (legumes) vs non-water soluble fiber to worry about.

There's no getting around veggies.; 6/1/11, 9:29 PM
Palladian said...: Jason, I'll pass on that dreadful spinach recipe. I'm not into liquified baby food.; 6/1/11, 9:29 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Prunes, blackberries, and watermelons aren't vegetables. Everyone loves fruit! Berries are the tastiest fiber.; 6/1/11, 9:31 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Freeman,

If it ain't salt, water, or meat, it's a vegetable of one sort or another!

I will, for dietary discussion, make the distinction between grains and other vegetables, but beans & fruits are vegetables in every dietary sense of that term.; 6/1/11, 9:34 PM
Palladian said...: Beans are much better for you than vegetables.; 6/1/11, 9:37 PM
Shanna said...: cooked spinach

I love spinach! Had it yesterday at this home cooking place and the new kid tried to skimp and I had to tell me that was not enough spinach. I think I could eat a whole plate of that stuff.

Vegetables should be cooked with fat of some kind. Then they are awesome. And what is better than sliced tomato in the summer (although I realize it's technically a fruit). How boring food would be without vegetables of any kind.; 6/1/11, 9:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Spinach is good also. When you get older and you have hair on your privates - you'll LOVE Sauerkraut!!! Especially on beer brats! OMG. Almost forgot Frank's Kraut - right here in Racine WI. Put some on your brats, eggs, potatoes, and drink some beer. Yes, that pickled kraut is awesome. Not recommended for the timid. http://www.sauerkraut.com/brands.htm; 6/1/11, 10:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Ethnic note: My Mother claims I have German/English heritage. Inherieted the worst of both - the Stomach of a German with the humour of an Englishman. It is your suffering to resd my words, not mine. LOL.; 6/1/11, 10:06 PM
themightypuck said...: Peas are awful. The only thing they ever did for me was make me gag. Asparagus, grilled, however is heaven.
----------------------------

Truth! I like spinach and cabbage as well. Spinach is easy as it can be eaten raw with a bit of bacon and goat cheese or cooked with pretty much anything. Cabbage is great with salt and butter. I love sweets but if I'm going to poison myself I'm going for alcohol.; 6/1/11, 10:10 PM
Col Mustard said...: Thanks to Chip Ahoy for the doggie grape tip!; 6/1/11, 10:14 PM
Anonymous said...: In Chicago - in little China, it was fresh killed duck and fish. At Max and Bennies - it was Reubens - now who can deny the taste of Rye Bread and Sauerkraut and corned beef - Doesn't Madison have Ellas? Ya Ya. Jalapeno poppers - or deep fried mushrooms - ya ya!!! How is this a terrible cost??? Dep fried Mozarella stciks don't count. Fried onions - the Sweet Viadelia Onions --- The premise of this article is all wrong. And I'd rather be wrong, than right ----

SAY... then... what do all you SWPL eat in Madison? Ritz crackers and Shedd's spread? YUCK. Ain't much left. OH NO... it's WONDER BREAD!!! LOL. It's a wonder they can call it a bread. Let me guess, with MAYO! LOLOLOL; 6/1/11, 10:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Sweet peas, Mighty puck, Sweet Peas. Small morsels of tender sweetness!!!; 6/1/11, 10:20 PM
RuyDiaz said...: Thanks to Chip Ahoy for the doggie grape tip!

Oh, for the love of....

DO NOT GIVE GRAPES TO DOGS. GRAPES ARE TOXIC TO DOGS. SO, IN SHORT:

DO NOT GIVE GRAPES TO DOGS.

DO NOT GIVE GRAPES TO DOGS.

DO NOT GIVE GRAPES TO DOGS.; 6/1/11, 10:29 PM
Ralph L said...: My employers like cooked cabbage and overcooked string beans. The smell of both make me want to hurl.

Our old family Siamese cat liked (pre-split) grapes, cantaloupe, bananas, honeydew. My mother would eat an apple, and he'd be on her lap licking the other side of it.

He was from Southern California.; 6/1/11, 10:32 PM
Col Mustard said...: "Except Okra."

Gumbo without okra is not gumbo. I grow my own.

During my MIL's final months we had "home care aides" for a few hours every day. All were black and most were illegal caribbeans. Wonderful ladies, all.

I quizzed everyone of them about recipes and cooking methods. Okra was always on the 'test'.

One young Jamaican said chop it and boil it in just enough water to cover. Only took a few minutes for the 'slime' to seperate from the okra.

The Big Surprise? After removing the okra, my Jamaican friend let the liquid (w/slime) cool a bit and drank it. Oh so good she claimed!!! I wouldn't know.; 6/1/11, 10:34 PM
Palladian said...: "Thanks to Chip Ahoy for the doggie grape tip!"

Do NOT feed your dog grapes or raisins! For unknown reasons, consuming grapes and raisins can case dogs to go into acute renal failure. The ASPCA estimates the toxic dose of grapes to be 32 grams of grapes (or grape matter) per kilogram of dog and 11–30 g/kg for raisins.; 6/1/11, 10:36 PM
Conserve Liberty said...: LOL

I vaguely remember a George Carlin routine poking (what were then called) vegetarians -

"So you won''t eat meat because you don't want to hurt a cow.

How do you KNOW the little broccoli don't feel anything when you pull them out of the ground?

Maybe you just can't hear their tiny screams - EEEEE!!!"

LOL; 6/1/11, 10:43 PM
Col Mustard said...: Thanks also for grape 'warnings'. What's the dose in number of grapes?

Chocolate also discouraged but we've always allowed our Labs an M&M or two.

A few years ago, I brought two pounds of fudge with me to a weekend visit with the daughter. After drinks and dinner, I returned to her apartment as she and her boyfriend stayed out for further Friday night excitements.

Couldn't find my fudge anywhere. Not in the apartment. Not in my car. Repeat search. Repeat search.

Finally, in a dark corner I found the baggies with a few flakes and a few teeth marks. That's when her Lab, tail thumping on the floor to beat the band, smiled at me (I swear) to say, "great fudge".

No ill effects. Labs: the uberomnivores; 6/1/11, 11:01 PM
Karl said...: Vegetables from the garden are a great substrate for the best thing ever - sel gris - grey sea salt from the coast of France ( or the internet)

Grapes bad for dogs? I did not know that. The shepherd refuses them. But she will stand on her hind legs for a bit of a clementine.; 6/1/11, 11:28 PM
virgil xenophon said...: enicar333/Col Mustard--

Growing up in Ill I hated okra too--a slimy stuff to be avoided, but that's just because northerners don't know how to cook okra. Come down to south Louisiana and I'll show you what my Creole wife from Opelousas can do with Okra! Fried Okra? Heavenly! And okra in Gumbo? As Col Mustard said, a must! Although some make Gumbo w.o. it's called a "File Gumbo. File being made from Sassafras leaves/bark. Used as a thickening agent--Cajun-land is divided on this subject. (I, myself like to put file powder in my wife's okra Gumbo anyway) No slimy okra from Louisiana cooks!; 6/1/11, 11:35 PM
virgil xenophon said...: PS: Should have mentioned that the reason it's slimy is that northerners BOIL it. In Louisiana it is cut up in small slices, highly seasoned, then fried in oil.

wv: gynes--It's all in the genes! You're either a great cook or your not! LOL; 6/1/11, 11:43 PM
Palladian said...: ". But she will stand on her hind legs for a bit of a clementine."

My mother's dog, Maggie, absolutely loves fruit, except for strawberries. Her vet said it's perfectly healthy for them to eat, save for grapes.

She does not, as you can see from the photograph, care for spinach.; 6/1/11, 11:54 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Oh for Christ's sake I gave my dog one fucking grape and she loved me for it.

One grape a month for a 40LB dog. Get over yourselves. You're as bad as the author of this article and the food Nazis that he denigrates.

My dog ate chicken bones too. Crunched right though 'em.

She ate all kind of shit. Think about it. If a dog kills a rabbit it will eat the stomach and the contents of the rabbit's stomach -- vegetables.

Although I did hear chocolate is very bad for dogs for some reason so she never got any of that.

I almost forgot. A woman was visiting at my house one night and we were having tiny glasses of Baileys Irish Cream in the living room. The dog so usually well behaved would NOT leave us alone trying to get at our drinks. Most obnoxious and unusual behavior and persistent. Finally I broke down poured 1/2 an ounce or so of Baileys into her dog bowl. It was hilarious watching her trying to penetrate the bouquet that formed over the bowl. She kept jerking her head back then trying to get at it again. Over and over. She was totally enraptured by the Baileys. We knew it was a bad idea, but come on, the dog WOULD NOT STOP IT. Back and forth, back and forth, finally she managed the fumes and lapped up her Bailey's voraciously. My girlfriend and I were stunned at the ridiculous behavior of this dog. The Bailey's affected the dog immediately. She went over to the wall and walked along the wall as if the wall was holding her up, then she collapsed in a heap and tucked her nose in her paws in and went to sleep.

Now, you can say that I'm a bad dog owner for that, but I tell you, my dog loved my guts out.

There was another time she pulled sushi off the coffee table, which is really weird. Most uncharacteristic of her. Turns out she was pregnant.

She lived much longer than dogs usually do, nearly 20 years.

Incidentally, speaking of food, if you care to, have a gander at the flounder and swordfish post I just now put up.; 6/2/11, 12:12 AM
Palladian said...: Chip, honey, go make a pop-up card or something. Jesus.; 6/2/11, 12:18 AM
Col Mustard said...: Chip Ahoy - another stellar dog/foodie post!

Bailey's!; 6/2/11, 12:27 AM
RuyDiaz said...: Chip;

Get the vine out of your ass. We wanted to let people know that grapes are bad for dogs. Nobody has accussed you of anything except ignorance.; 6/2/11, 12:27 AM
Col Mustard said...: Virgil - you're a lucky man to have a missus from South Louisiana.

I figure anything served south of I-10 is heavenly. Opelousas - close enough. My dad and uncle were briefly in the Jesuit seminary in Grand Coteau (probably a variation on "go to jail or join the army").

My life's ambition has been to be in the Celebrity Crawfish Eating Contest in Breaux Bridge. Still trying to figure out how to become a celeb.

Once saw a cookbook in Landry's just before the causeway over the Atchafalaya Basin - "Who's your mama - Are you a Catholic - Can you make a roux?" Good marriage counseling in those parts.

I bought a different cookbook and had a nice conversation with a man named Rodrigue. He was pushing some paintings of a strange looking dog. I thought about buying one or two - something about them but they were about $700each. Next time I saw them was in Carmel and all the tickets were north of $100K.

Back to food - you might take a look at Bob Persons' book, "The Double Musky Inn Cookbook - Alaska's Mountain Cajun Cuisine". Good stuff. Bob's an old friend with an interesting history. The late Ted Stevens' best friend.; 6/2/11, 12:58 AM
Toad Trend said...: "One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables."

Or, faith in himself, or other weak people, allows him to be duped into vegetarianism.; 6/2/11, 6:09 AM
Toad Trend said...: @Conserve Liberty

Yes I had the very same recollection, and use this example with vegans/vegetarians every chance I get.

For example, I use this approach - (speaking to a veggie lover) "How, HOW do you know, that a cauliflower or a broccoli stalk doesn't scream when you rip it from its roots out of the ground? Or, douse it in steaming hot water? Vegetables are alive, and you shouldn't be so cavalier about this."

LOL.; 6/2/11, 6:14 AM
Issob Morocco said...: Just more of the unintended consequences of liberal stupidity.; 6/2/11, 6:59 AM
Kurt said...: Shouting Thomas wrote: Oh God! Yet another food fetish!

That reminds me that whenever I go to Whole Foods, I often wonder if the checkout clerks there often try to figure out the food neuroses of the customers as they go through the line.

Palladian: My female dog likes various fruits and vegetables, but my male dog is much picker. She will try most things, but he will spit out bits of apple if there is too much peel on them, and he doesn't much care for lettuce or any sort of leafy green.; 6/2/11, 7:55 AM
virgil xenophon said...: Col Mustard/

If you're back this way I'll just remind you prior to the construction of I-10 the rule-of-thumb was Old HWY 90 just slightly north of Opelousas which parallels I-10. Actually, "Cajun Country is pyramid-shaped (with a slight lean to the right) with the base the coast from the Texas border to New Orleans (East of N.O. is settled mainly by Germans and Croat fishermen from the Dalmatian Coast.) with the apex centering on the Marksville-Mansura-Cottonport area north of Hwy 90. Mansura has a "Couchon du Lait" (Milk-fed pig) Festival every summer which is NOT to be missed. The rule is the firther north thone goes in Cajun Country the more the emphasis is on meat v. seafood--but it's a matter of degree. Don't forget the hot "boudin" pork/rice sausage either! Or the shrimp and "blood" versions! But tay away from New Orleans, they make terrible boudin in that area. (Most New Orleanians eat the "imported" stuff from Opelousas.) Lake Charles, La., in the S.W. part of the state near the Texas border has some great boudin as well..; 6/2/11, 8:31 AM
Tibore said...: Speaking as a rather rabid carnephile, even I found the linked article to be no more than a screed. There is nothing inherently harmful in the consumption of vegetables.

I understand the notion that vegetarianism often is really a cover for carnephobia - I've experienced mild forms of this myself - but really, going in the complete and total opposite direction is excessive. There's value in examining what the real issue is, instead of framing one's mindset as "oppose this at all costs!". The real issue is somewhere inbetween the rabid extremes.; 6/2/11, 8:52 AM
Skyler said...: Never trust anyone telling you that this food or that will cause/cure cancer or all that ails you. Next year the fad will reverse.

All things in moderation. And exercise. That's all you need to consider, besides taste and enjoyment.; 6/2/11, 8:52 AM
Tarzan said...: I'm here to speak up and officially announce my status as a Junk Food Vegetarian.

Thanks for listening.; 6/2/11, 2:07 PM
Tarzan said...: Really, it's amazing how few vegetables one can eat these days and yet still be a vegetarian.

Chips, salsa, cheeze, various soy-based meat simulations and a bottle of red wine to wash it all down.

BELCH!; 6/2/11, 2:10 PM