Phat fat

I can barely contain my glee (or whatever the no doubt more apt German/Yiddish word is) that on the day crap like this is written, I get a call from Foyles telling me my copy of Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes is ready to collect.

Butter is not the root of all evil. It is not the reason we're careening towards an obesity epidemic. Eating crap, most of which has sod all to do with anything as fresh or natural as butter, is to blame. But laying into chefs - even painfully annoying celeb chefs - who are trying to get us to eat better food, is far easier than blaming poverty, bad legislation, naivety and stupidity.

Would the do gooders please sod off or add something useful to the debate.

Comments

[Helen]

Ooooh it winds me up so much! Do they really think Nigella et al are suggesting you eat triple chocolate brownies or whatever, every day? It's ridiculous. People who want to cook from cookbooks written by the likes of Stein etc are also more likely to care about what they put into their bodies - yes there may be slightly too much saturated fat getting eaten, but what about those who are gorging on McDonalds, KFC etc etc - that is the real danger - not only laden with fat but almost nutritionally empty too. Encouraging people to care about food is the important issue and taking a pop at the desserts section in the latest celeb cookbook is just downright lazy, not to mention demonstrating some seriously wooly thinking.

[Duncan]

Compare the reporting: from the link you posted "A report unveiled today by The Fat Panel - an independent group of experts..." whereas from the Guardian: http://bit.ly/FI5qS "The panel - which receives funding from the UK's Margarine and Spreads Association - suggests that consumers use stronger cheese and low-fat polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated spreads instead of butter."

So which is it: an independent panel of loonies or a bunch of money grabbers?

To be fair the Guardian buried the funding comment deep inside the article so they don't come out spotless, but at least they headlined with "[blah] says panel" instead of "[blah]
according to doctors and nutritionists".

[Anthony Silverbrow]

@Helen I couldn't agree more.

@Duncan, that is a good spot, it would be nice if that rather important disclosure was made in all the reporting

[Chris]

I couldn't agree more. I definitely have issues with Fat. It's a little bit patronising the way we constantly get told that fat is bad. I know! I don't care! Sheesh, It's exactly analgous to the smoking debate, we know it's bad for us, in my case specifically more than others, it's going to kill me eventually, perhaps sooner than later. but I like butter, I like goose fat, it makes food taste nice.

Anyways, I like you blog! keep up the good work.

Chris

[Anthony Silverbrow]

Many thanks Chris.

[Liz]

Let's hear it for butter!! Also, as Chris mentioned above, goose fat. Potatoes tossed in goose fat and roasted are fantastic. Shame on anyone who says a pie should be made with margarine. Food should taste delicious and satisfying, because if you aren't satisfied you will keep on eating. After you have your food with some fat in it, go out and get some exercise!

[Anthony Silverbrow]

Nicely said Liz