In a previous living and working situation, I was a columnist for a weekly business newspaper in upstate New York and my editor and publisher gave me free reign to poke and prod on almost any subject, including politics, society, business – whatever was on my mind.
As a food columnist now, my field of view is well-defined, but I don’t mind telling you that I genuinely enjoy it when this column casts me in the role of agent provocateur. Some would say trouble-maker.
I do it in other places, too, attempting to provoke reactions about a variety of food-related subjects, in places like Facebook, Twitter and my own blog.
So a few weeks ago, when I wrote about honey, I was both surprised and pleased that several people took the time to write – both yea and nay – about what I had written. I was particularly interested in the reaction of the folks from the Corn Association. I guess it ticked them off that they thought I was dissing high fructose corn syrup and recommending real sugar or honey in its stead.
Well, OK, I was … sort of. The fact is that I use corn syrup, both dark and light, for different things that I make and I believe it has a place in every kitchen. And like honey, it has the same amount of calories as sugar, but once again this is a taste thing and in some cases it’s a texture thing.
So let me say this: Hey, Corn Lobby: I love corn. And I love corn products. I love corn tortillas; I love Niblets; I love creamed corn; I love Fritos; and I especially love sweet corn on the cob. I like the fact that there is a whole different kind of corn to feed the cattle that end up on my plate as a thick, juicy rib eye steak. I also use corn starch as a thickener and the aforementioned light and dark corn syrup to achieve a certain consistency in very specific dishes like my Crème Brulée French Toast.
So don’t get your collective noses out of joint if I opine that high fructose corn syrup has become too ubiquitous in too many manufactured food products we buy.
With all of the ways we use corn in this country and the amount we produce every year, can the Corn Lobby truly feel threatened by my little weekly column here? What would be the actual harm if food manufacturers used less high fructose corn syrup and substituted real sugar or honey?
Oh wait. I forgot. There’s the Internet and Google. So my stuff comes up in some of the oddest places. Before the Corn Lobby wrote their diatribe, I received a very nice note from a gentleman in Scotland who wanted to share his research about the health benefits of honey where our livers are concerned.
I might even get to meet the guy, as I have plans to attend my niece’s graduation from the University of Edinburgh where my correspondent lives.
There’s more. I was traveling recently and wrote on my Facebook page that I had tried a food combination that I had never seen before, involving at least three of my favorite things: peanut butter, bacon and ground beef cooked medium rare.
I went to a restaurant in Buffalo, New York that served something called the Jiffy Burger. It was a hamburger with bacon and Cheddar cheese, lettuce and onion and peanut butter. I posted this on my page and I heard from lots of my Facebook friends who reminisced about the delectability of peanut butter and bacon, obviously missing my point of the new combination of cheese, meat, onions and lettuce with peanut butter.
I also received the usual wisecracks and emoticon-filled comments, expressing disdain and other opinions from food professionals and others.
But as I said earlier, I enjoy my role as provocateur because that’s the way a columnist knows his or her stuff is being read.
So what have we learned this week? I love corn and corn products. I still like honey and sugar. I furthered my quest as an omnivore by eating a combination of foods that I had never had before.
OK OK. I was in Buffalo, New York and yes, I had wings.