[BOTH Pollbook Tally and BINGO] Twinkie Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger 3 stars

[Karin]

Who knew that the world's largest producer of casein was New Zealand? Not me--I always thought it was made from domestic milk by products. This is one of a few new things I learned in an area where I have to admit I already knew a fair bit.

This isn't badly written, and Ettlinger ties in how and when he started this quest along with bit of history of food handling and processing. While I realize that we need minerals from the ground or sea (salt being one of them), much of this book made me happy that I tend to eat food as close to how it originally was, but then I've been doing that much of my life anyway, although not with extreme zealousness. There were a few disturbing things I hadn't realized, but why add spoilers beyond what I already have?

[Idit]

That actually sounds interesting!

[Karin]

Idit wrote: "That actually sounds interesting!"

It is :)

[NancyJ]

Yikes, the title alone makes me feel a little queasy. I never did like twinkies anyway, but I wonder what surprises this book might have for me.

[Meli]

I know this is silly, but when a title is this long I'm always like 'nah.' Unless the subject matter really grabs me :P

[KateNZ]

I had to look up what casein is - but then it made sense. Dairy cows. Lots of dairy cows (very controversial from an environmental perspective but lucrative for the GDP). And a source of trade niggles with the US

[Karin]

Actually, a study was done and globally land is better used and more people can be fed with either ovo-lacto-vegetarianism or light omnivore diets than with vegan diets, but I am not sure how that pans out in NZ where bovines aren't native. But then, neither are sheep, although they aren't bovines and there are a lot of differences in the ranching of sheep vs cows.

[LibraryCin]

Oh, this sounds like something I'd like! I might be adding it to my tbr...

[KateNZ]

Nutrition is one thing - methane production and waterway fouling is another. Something that we’re continually working on improving (feed development and other technology improvements for instance) but in the meantime it’s a major problem and a barrier to our zero carbon ambitions

[Susie]

I think our PM is planning on creating the emissions that NZ are preventing. 😔

[KateNZ]

I thought ScoMo was now claiming to be misunderstood and that his government has always acknowledged the existence of climate change #wideeyedinnocence.

Seriously, your PM makes me so angry - his response to the fires (as well as failures that led up to them) has been pathetic. Not surprised so many firefighters are calling for his head. I can’t even listen to him on the TV reports... I start throwing things ...