The World’s Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!

THE KNIFE & FORK

Information

THE KNIFE & FORK is a group for anyone who has a strong interest or mild curiosity in food, cooking, eating, drinking, and nutrition.

Members: 152
Latest Activity: Jan 9

1 member likes this

WELCOME TO THE KNIFE & FORK

THE KNIFE & FORK will be a group open to a broad range of food-related topics. You do not have to be a food snob, an epicure, or a bon vivant to join, participate, or enjoy this group. You just have to have the desire to share and explore old and new information on food and dining.

Discussion topics, articles, and questions can include, but are not limited to:

Food history and legend
Ingredient recognition, selection, storage, and preparation
Your favorite recipes, methods, and tips and tricks
Your favorite wines, beers, liquors, or cocktail recipes
Health & nutrition information for adults or children
Food allergy information, warnings, and replacements
Organic foods and pesticide information
Sanitation and food safety / preparation
Product labeling and government regulation
Food and product recalls
Culinary and dining etiquette, rituals, and customs
Food economics
Documentaries, books, cookbooks, and television shows
Bizarre or unusual foods and customs from around the world
Vitamins & supplements (with which you have direct experience)
Diet information (with which you have direct experience)
Agricultural or farming practices related to food quality or availability*

*For this item, please see Borderline Discussion Posts below.

Borderline Discussion Posts
It is inevitable that there will be some crossover in topics and issues related to food production and consumption. I am not forbidding these topics outright, but there may be a better venue for them. Use your best judgment and post the topic in the group that best fits the focus of the discussion. Please do not cross post the same discussion twice in different groups, as it is against Atheist Nexus policy to do so.

If you are interested in food and gardening, it makes more sense to join Godless in the Garden and post your discussions there.
If you are interested in how agriculture and modern farming affect the environment, please join Environmental Atheists.
If you are interested in socio-economic justice, family farms, and fair trade practices, please consider Consumer Ethics instead.
If animal welfare as it relates to food production and consumption is your thing, please join us in Humane Atheists.

External sites of interest:
Food & Water Watch
Organic Consumers Association
Pesticide Action Network
Food & Wine Magazine
Slow Food International
Epicurious
Cook's Illustrated
FoodGawker.com

Discussion Forum

View All

Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of THE KNIFE & FORK to add comments!

Comment by Alice on November 30, 2011 at 6:08pm: LOL

Comment by One Manic Ninja on November 30, 2011 at 6:00pm: I'm not suggesting you drink a tumbler of vinegar or consume a basket of lemons, although you certainly could. Your stomach is MADE to consume all kinds of food, and of course, it makes it's own acid.

You're more likely to do damage to your teeth than your guts with that much acid.

If you get your hands on some miracle fruit, i say skip dinner that night and just eat for the fun experiences -- what's a little tummy ache in the interest of SCIENCE?!

(MMmmMMMMmmm...... delicious science!)

Comment by Alice on November 30, 2011 at 5:47pm: that sounds like a really bad idea? then you're left with a bad stomach ache?

Comment by One Manic Ninja on November 29, 2011 at 11:53am: @Sentient Biped yep they are 100% for real. i have a pkg of the tablets at my house right now. you can drink balsamic vinegar and it tastes like port. lemons taste like Ferrara Pan's lemonhead candy. it basically removes all acid flavors and leaves you with only sweet.

FWIW, the tablets are a little expensive, but you only need half of one to get the full experience. The pill's effects last a little under an hour... but you find yourself eating everything in sight for that hour!

Comment by Sentient Biped on November 28, 2011 at 9:34pm: flavor changing fruit - I got interested in this because I know some people who have lost the sensation of sweetness. I don't know if it helps. This is a fruit that alters taste sensation for about an hour, so that what was sour becomes sweet, and lemons taste like candy.

NY times. wikipedia. THere are tablets available from amazon. I wonder if they are for real?

Comment by Sentient Biped on November 25, 2011 at 8:32am: from salon.com "the birth of america's bastardized cuisine" I think I would have said "hybridized cuisine" but the article is still interesting reading.

Comment by Sentient Biped on November 24, 2011 at 10:51am: The current commercial banana variety is the Cavendish. All Cavendish bananas are genetically identical, propagated asexually. They don't make seeds, which is one reason we like them and the main reason they are susceptible to evolving diseases. In the 1960s, the Gros Michel went through a similar crisis for the same reason. From what I read, Gros Michel had a richer taste and the Cavendish is not as good, but who knows. The same concept applies to the Irish potato famine, which killed millions, and the US Corn blight crisis. There is work to develop disease resistant varieties but we may have to accept that the one variety that everyone likes now, is on the way out.

Comment by Dallas Gaytheist on November 23, 2011 at 9:16am: Aaron, while that bacon explosion may be tasty, it is a very unappealing appearance.

Comment by Dallas Gaytheist on November 23, 2011 at 9:14am: Is the End of the Banana Near?

Extinction of species is an unfortunate problem of homogenization. As we learn more about the environment, we as a society have begun to make changes in many areas of our life. We drive hybrids, have solar-powered garage doors, and recycle.

But yet, the food we eat is not often a topic of conversation. For years, horticultural experts have been warning about the potential demise — commercial extinction — of the humble banana. These so-called Cassandras were a bit ahead of the curve in terms of when this extinction was to take place, but the sad truth is, they are still right — the banana’s days are numbered.

There is only one commercially viable species of bananas. That means the entire banana crop is homogenized — all commercial farmers grow a single variety that has been proven to ship well while maintaining the best flavor. The problem with using a single strain of a plant species is that it leaves the entire crop vulnerable.

There is no diversity in the crop meaning that if something were to happen to this strain, bananas as a global commodity would become a thing of the past. One thing that science cannot do is predict how and when a virus or other pest will adapt to attack an organism. This is what has been slowly leading to the bananas demise. [continue]

Comment by Sentient Biped on November 5, 2011 at 9:15pm: I love to cook. I like it more than I like eating. I think I'll bake a cake tomorrow and take it to work for the break room.