Eat This Newsletter 258: Gifted
Hello
Gearing up to wind down. I’ve one more podcast episode in store before I take a short break, during which I will try to keep the newsletter coming each week. No guarantees. Enjoy, if you enjoy.
Clean-up
Antibiotics are among the most important contributors to human health of the past few decades, but their misuse — especially in agriculture — promotes antibiotic resistance, which in turn diminishes their value. From Our World in Data comes a sober and informative report on trends in antibiotic use in agriculture that actually paints a somewhat optimistic picture.
The article explains how and why the use of antibiotics varies for different livestock species and countries. It also charts the impressive drop in Europe, pioneered by Netherlands and mirrored later by others. And it points out that these declines have not been at the expense of productivity or profits, as long as farmers make the necessary changes to welfare and husbandry that antibiotics cover up.
Overall, things do look optimistic, even though most of the gains to date have depended on regulation and enforcement. That in itself might be hard to promote, but at least it has proved possible.
Wash-out
Looks like Nestlé got out of bottling water in North America just in time. BlueTriton, the company it sold to, is getting out too, at least in Ontario. And yet, BlueTriton just merged with Primo Water Corporation. Together, they own Alhambra®, Arrowhead®, Crystal Springs®, Deer Park®, Ice Mountain®, Mountain Valley®, Ozarka®, Poland Spring®, Primo Water®, Pure Life®, Saratoga®, Sparkletts®, Zephyrhills® and several others. Is there, I wonder, any actual difference? Christy Spackman might know.
A few extra gifts
Originally I saved this article a year ago, and failed to share it. So here is a guide to Christmas panettone (in America). You might need to save it for next year.
Umberto Eco on beans and the rescue of European civilisation. (Thanks to ayjay for bypassing the NYT.)
Almost a year ago, I mentioned the strange business of Saudi Arabia buying Arizona’s water as alfalfa hay. Latest twist: Arizona Sues Saudi-Owned Farm.
Were you as surprised as I was that a “boneless” chicken wing could contain bones. Well, no backsliding, as NPR explains.
I enjoyed, and shared, Erin Maglaque’s review of Eating and Being, by Steven Shapin. Now Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft dishes up an entirely different kind of review in the LARB.
Although I’ve been following the Xylella story in Puglia from the start, I had no idea that the great photographer Edward Burtynsky had been commissioned “to document the deteriorating state of the olive groves in Puglia”.
I’ve no plans to serve sake at any impending celebrations, but after reading Jim Rion’s article Sake as International Phenomenon I’m tempted.
The rise and fall of the Honeycrisp apple should be a cautionary tale against ubiquity and unseasonality, but it probably won’t be.
Take care
P.s. I’m a pandoro person, myself.