As a total counterpoint.......

[santaman2000]

Y'know I'm allergic to fish ? other folks are allergic to peanuts, tomatoes, oranges, and so on....I wonder if the note by note stuff is an allergen inclusive thing ?

M

A lot of people seem to have varying degrees of allergy to seafood. I recsll reading a recent study that indicates said allergy might not be to the fish itself, but more attuned to the mercury levels present in the fish. Haven't seen any follow up on that though.

 

[Toddy]

I hadn't read that, but I have to say that I have been incredibly ill just from freshwater (Scottish Loch) trout, so I don't think the mercury had much to do with it.
One of our major supermarket chains, Morrison's, has a dreadful layout...the fishmonger is right at the front door. By the time I've gotten past that bit of the store I've got a bunged up nose and every sign of incipient hayfever type allergy

M

 

[Gary Elson]

Great thread Toddy good thought provoking stuff
I've recently finished a degree in environmental studies with the O U (at the grand of forty odd) for two reasons
1) you never too old to stop learning
And 2) I wanted an unbiased understanding of environmental issues etc and how the environment works

Typically the course opens up more questions than answers -which I guess is how it should be
However there are no simple answers to the issue that surround us with regard to feeding the population ,protecting the planet etc. but years ago I came across a quotation on a canoeing t shirt of First Nations origin which goes something like

Only when the last tree has been felled
The last fish has been trapped
And the last river has been damned
Will Man realise that .......
You cannot eat money.

If nothing else it doesn't seem like a bad mantra about not wasting resource
Hence the interest in bushcraft
All the best
Gary

 

[santaman2000]

I hadn't read that, but I have to say that I have been incredibly ill just from freshwater (Scottish Loch) trout, so I don't think the mercury had much to do with it.....

Why not? There are equally high levels of mercury in both freshwater and saltwater fish. Actually, perhaps higher in freshwater. Here's an article on a recent study on this side of the Atlantic. Have there been any studies there? www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA335644

That said, there is another report released from the dept. Of Natural Resources placing freshwater trout on a list of fish that retain less mercury than others. Not "mercury free" mind you; just safer than others.

 

[John Fenna]

Solylent Green anyone?

 

[Toddy]

Okay....Scottish hill loch, forty years ago.....not much pollution up there tbh., and these were wee fish....and I didn't eat more than a couple of mouthfuls.
It's not the mercury that I'm allergic to.
It doesn't matter what kind of fish, even passing the wee fishvan that comes through from Pittenween in Fife can set off the hayfever type reaction.
I'm just really glad that it settles quickly unless I've touched or eaten the blooming stuff and that anti histamines are both readily available and they work

Y'know what sets it off ? Worcester sauce ....they put anchovies in it

Stirling University does the fish research stuff...
http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/138/m138p041.pdf

Anyway, back to the note by note thing, and did we find out if the allergens were part of the deal or not ? I'm thinking of the peanut type thing, tbh.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[santaman2000]

Okay....Scottish hill loch, forty years ago.....not much pollution up there tbh., and these were wee fish....and I didn't eat more than a couple of mouthfuls.
It's not the mercury that I'm allergic to.
It doesn't matter what kind of fish, even passing the wee fishvan that comes through from Pittenween in Fife can set off the hayfever type reaction.
I'm just really glad that it settles quickly unless I've touched or eaten the blooming stuff and that anti histamines are both readily available and they work

Y'know what sets it off ? Worcester sauce ....they put anchovies in it

Stirling University does the fish research stuff...
http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/138/m138p041.pdf

Anyway, back to the note by note thing, and did we find out if the allergens were part of the deal or not ? I'm thinking of the peanut type thing, tbh.

cheers,
Toddy

Ok. Probably not the mercury then. As I said, I only recall reading about that being a suspicion and don't remember ever seeing any follow-up.

You bring up another possibility with the peanut allergy though. Many commercial fish fryers (here anyway) use peanut oil for their frying. Or at least they used to before peanut allergies became as common as they are now.

 

[Toddy]

Trying to find the link to Stirling's research, I did read up about the mercury stuff. That's kind of scary, especially for those who do eat fish.
It's got to be pretty bad to make even the Japanese take notice and do something about their pollution and what's allowed in materials and manufacturing.

Peanut oil is good food I am not allergic to nuts; indeed they're a major food group for me. I keep ten different varieties as staples in my pantry, and ones like almonds come both ground, flaked, blanched or just shelled too.
I would hate to be allergic to nuts.

Allergies are horrible things, and they can develop over time too

Now if those clever bods in the food science world could help suss out a way around them, it'd be a very good thing

cheers,
M

 

[santaman2000]

......Peanut oil is good food I am not allergic to nuts; indeed they're a major food group for me. I keep ten different varieties as staples in my pantry, and ones like almonds come both ground, flaked, blanched or just shelled too.
I would hate to be allergic to nuts.

Allergies are horrible things, and they can develop over time too .....

Yeah, me too. Love nuts. And as far as I know all the family (locally) are fine with them (we lean heavily on peanut butter as well) I do have at least one cousin in Texas that's allergic though.

My daughter's a celiac so we have to be careful to avoid most grains. Even the ones she can have (such as oats) can be contaminated by being processed in the same facilities as wheat.

That's another problem with fried fish, and other fried foods; the batter is usually glutenous.

 

[Toddy]

Peanut butter I use in making gravy, but that's it really. The sons like it, but usually just spread on oatcakes. I think that's a waste of a good oatcake, tbh, but, each to their own
Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil, cashew, pistachio, peanut, pecans, macademia, chestnuts, pine nuts. Of all of these, only the hazelnuts will grow wild and produce good food in Scotland....though that said, there are chestnuts in Glasgow city centre and they do produce good nuts.
In a mast year, we get beechnuts too though, and some oaks produce acorns that are so low in tannin that the nutmeat is almost buttery.
In the mesolithic water chestnuts too were consumed in great quantity. I don't know anyone using them like that here now.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[santaman2000]

I've never used PB in gravy. it sounds interesting though. We use it mostly for the obvious:
-PB sandwiches or PB&J sandwiches
-PB crackers (especially on Ritz crackers)
-PB fudge or PB brownies
-PB and apple slices
-PB & chocolate

 

[Toddy]

It's a good tasty addition to a meatless gravy, and do the Thai's not use it in their gravies and sauces too ? meat or veg, I mean.

If the note by note stuff takes off all the carry out places will be out of business. A couple of pills and that's Chinese, add another and it's Indian
Suppose it might make GM free a bit of a conundrum though.

cheers,
M

 

[santaman2000]

I have seen a cooking show over here where the cook used PB in Pad Thai. He was American though and I kinda assumed he had Americanized it as an easier way than using real peanuts.

 

[British Red]

I can't see peanut butter working well in Pad Thai to be honest - you need the crunch of the whole (unsalted) nuts for true pad thai.

Pad Thai on Plate by British Red, on Flickr

Now in a quick satay sauce with some chilli, garlic and ginger, it certainly has a place

 

[Toddy]

Hear ? seeing those limes brought these to mind.
I bought them on ebay, they came from China, and they're absolutely brilliant

Cost me about a £, and that was including delivery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_t...r+Kitchen+Tool+Juice+Maker&_sacat=0&_from=R40

No mess, no sticky, no fuss, no seeds, just spray juice, and a neat tidy way to keep it in the fridge too

cheers,
Mary

 

[Tengu]

Now Ive seen it all.

Round here the main crop (aside from weeds and horses) seems to be barley.

We all know what that's used for, do we not?

 

[Toddy]

Well, we make beremeal from it.......

.....

.....

and whisky of course


M

 

[santaman2000]

I can't see peanut butter working well in Pad Thai to be honest - you need the crunch of the whole (unsalted) nuts for true pad thai.

Pad Thai on Plate by British Red, on Flickr

Now in a quick satay sauce with some chilli, garlic and ginger, it certainly has a place

That was my thinking as well. Although I suppose you could accomplish that using crunchy peanut butter?

 

[British Red]

No mess, no sticky, no fuss, no seeds, just spray juice, and a neat tidy way to keep it in the fridge too

cheers,
Mary

I'm funny - I like wedges of lime - in bottles of Cerveza, on plates, all sorts. The smell of the skin, the feel of the squish, the slightly sweet and sour taste. I think food should use all the senses A great Balti eaten with the fingers is a wonderful thing.

 

[Toddy]

I like lime too, and I get all of the pleasure of it without the sticky fingers.....I really cannot abide sticky hands, even as a child, I could be absolutely filthy and my hands weren't sticky.

The little gadgets really work, I can pop one in a lemon and have lemon tea, lemon on pancakes, lemon juice in icing, or on sliced apples, and save the rest without it drying out too so I can use it later
For gadgets that one would usually think as being drawer clutter, these ones aren't.


cheers,
Toddy