Is bacon a gateway drug meat?

I recently tweeted about an article that speculated that bacon is the meat that temps vegetarians back to a carnivorous behaviour. I read this article aloud to my husband and we both had a good laugh.  I have told him on several occasions that bacon would be my downfall!

I am the only one in my family who is vegetarian, so there is meat cooking in our house pretty much every day. I'm not preachy, or critical or anal about being vegetarian. It is not uncommon for me to cook a meat meal and a vegetarian meal side-by-side. Yes I touch meat—I'll form hamburger patties with my hands. I don't freak out if the fork that poked the ham is used to serve me a stalk broccoli.

On two occasions when I was cooking bacon for family and/or friends I found myself unconsciously picking up a slice for snacking! I caught myself both times before I chomped down on it. I have never done this for any other meat. In my opinion, this proves to me the powerful draw that bacon has. Like a drug...bacon is potentially my "gateway meat".

Read the full article about vegetarians "defeated" by bacon here.

Hungry? Just take a whaff!

Every Christmas I do a bit of online shopping at ThinkGeek.com. They always have some unusual gadgets and this past Christmas was no exception. New this year was a product called "Le Whif Breathable Chocolate". From ThinkGeek web site:

"Pop it open, stick it between your lips, and inhale through your mouth. Suddenly it will feel as though you are bathed in tiny molecules of delicious chocolate. Because that's exactly what happens. You get all the taste of chocolate, but with none of the calories or guilt. Perfect for chocoholics on a diet!"

I was game to try it out however they were sold out.

Fast forward a month or two and I had totally forgotten about this crazy product until a saw tweet roll by that reminded me. The tweet mentioned a "new trend" called "whaffing". Apparently a machine exists (called  Le Whaf) that will vaporize food so that you can inhale it. What the heck? Gives another meaning to "inhaling your meal".

You can read the full article about whaffing your food here.

Le whaff



Drinking Vinegars—Refreshing!

Bet you never heard the word "refreshing" used to describe vinegar!

I first heard of "drinking vinegars" a few years ago when I was browsing through The Kitchn web site. My first thought was probably the same as yours...ew...drinking vinegar?? Then I started Googling and found that it is quite a popular drink in Japan and is a common beverage offered in Thai restaurants. Many people think that it has health benefits or can help you lose weight.  I don't know about any of that, but I was still ready to try them. 

Drinking Vinegars

 My first obstacle—finding them! A Facebook suggestion pointed me in the direction of La Bottega in the Ottawa Byward market. They had flavoured vinegars—yes, but for none for drinking!

In the end I realised that I should be looking in Asian markets (since they are popular in Asia!!! duh) and found them at Tan Phat Market in Kanata.

So far my two favorite flavours are Plum and Apple. They are slightly sweet and refreshing. Not at all the puckery, sour taste that we know as non-drinking vinegar.

Nutritional Breakdown Per 140 ml Pouch:
42 Calories
0g Fat (0% calories from fat)
0.4g Protein
9.8g Carbohydrate
0g Dietary Fiber
0mg Cholesterol
48.3mg Sodium