Category — Who Knew…?

with apologies to the artist

Picture it: Michelangelo lying on his scaffold, God’s finger reaching not for Adam, but for his nearly finished pint of gelato.

“You could never eat a pint of gelato,” says photographer Peter Menzel, who along with his wife, writer Faith D’Aluisio, chronicles eating habits around the world. “It would turn you into a marshmallow.”

Well, maybe if you’re Italian.

Let’s face it. Americans are gluttons. Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese and 26 million have diabetes (the kind you get from being fat.) American portions have ballooned in the last two decades with a bagel now twice the size of yore and a 300-calorie cheeseburger now hovering around 600 calories. And a new wave of ultra-low calorie products – ice cream with 150 calories per pint (yes, per pint), beer with fewer than 70 calories, noodles that clock in at 40 calories per half-pound – is making it easier than ever for us to eat without consequences.

Other wealthy nations don’t treat food this way – although, they are catching up. Statistics on portion sizes around the globe are tough to come by, but in their gorgeous book “What I Eat: Around the Globe in 80 Diets,” Menzel and D’Aluisio document the stunning diversity of foods, diets and habits that sustain life in today’s world.

So who are the most reasonable eaters on the planet?

The Japanese.

“They’re an island nation surrounded by fish, they grew up eating rice and soy, and they have a tradition of community and not snacking,” Menzel says.

from "What I Eat: Around The World In 80 Diets"

And probably one more thing: you’d have to eat 20 pieces of tuna nigiri to get the same number of calories found in a pint of Cherry Garcia.

Moonshine still confiscated by US government, circa 1921

It sounds like a whiskey and one that doesn’t leave you feeling very well in the morning.

But Country Captain is actually an American “curry,” a chicken dish made with bell peppers, onions and curry powder. I know — I’d never heard of it either. It’s one of those things where an editor calls and says “Know anything about….”

Here’s the backstory: Country Captain was supposedly brought to the U.S. in the 19th century by a British sea captain who’d served in India, where his ilk were called “country captains.” The dish (again, allegedly) landed in the South — perhaps Charleston, perhaps Savannah (the two cities have been duking it out for 150 years.) But the earliest written record of the dish can be found in a Yankee cookbook, “Miss Leslie’s New Cookery Book,” published in Philadelphia in 1857. So….provenance in contention. [Read more →]

You’re probably as tired as I am of reading the “end-of-year” round-ups that journalists are required to produce, but this information caught my eye. Company called Dotmenu tracked the popularity of different take out foods around the country, and guess what landed among the top 15 places? Indian, Thai and Japanese. Have included the complete list below…..(also, cool factoid: the most popular time to order food all across the country is  7:36 pm…)

Broken down by city, Dotmenu found that America ’s favorite dishes to order-in in 2010:

• New York, NY: Domino’s Pizza, Cheese Pizza
• Los Angeles CA: Manas Indian Restaurant, Garlic Naan
• Chicago, IL: Rajun Cajun, Samosa
• Houston: TX, Blimpie Subs & Salads, BBQ Beef
• Philadelphia, PA: Insomnia Cookies, Cookies
• Dallas, TX:  Milano’s, Rice & Beans Plate
• San Francisco, CA: Zen Yai Thai Restaurant, Pad Thai
• Columbus, OH: Gumby’s Pizza, Original Pokey Stix
• Boston MA: Fin’s Japanese Sushi & Grill, Spicy Tuna Maki Roll
• Baltimore, MD : MD: Hopkins Deli, Cheese Pizza
• Seattle, WA : Tandoor Indian Restaurant, Spinach Nan
• Nashville, TN: Best Wok Chinese Restaurant, Steamed Dumplings
• Milwaukee, WI : Chopstix, Crab Meat Rangoon
• Washington, DC: Wingos, Buffalo Wings/10 piece order
• Atlanta, GA: Wingnuts, Combo #1 (1Pound Boneless Wings, Regular French Fry, Two 12oz. Sodas)