Melodi
Disaster Cat
I am starting this thread because as some of you know, I make a point of trolling through the news each morning a lot of which comes from the UK and Ireland.
In the UK it is perfectly legal for the government to "plant" stories the government "requests" the news broadcasts to do so.
While it is totally impossible to know for certain which stories are planted, which is the US technically isn't supposed to happen but we all know it does; but they tend to have a certain "ring" to them.
Based on following this stuff for years, I've noticed "themes" that tend to appear over and over again - many of which I've mentioned and named here, especially the ones that come up that hint consumers may be unhappy about something but "surprised it is good for you!" or "suck it up! Keep Calm and Carry on."
Some of my favorite trends I call: "Let them Eat Bugs," "Rationing is good for you!"
It used to be this sort of thing just tended to occur around the time the UK government was thinking of "doing something" like introducing GMO foods again, or about to go on another Nanny State Health Kick.
Recently I've been seeing a lot of headlines (and a few from other parts of the United States) which are sounding more and more like they are softening up the public for limited food choices and possible real rationing.
I've posted headlines and stories recently about big supermarkets "rationing" purchases (except as forum members point out it isn't officially rationing) but the term is used is every single headline so the casual observers see: "rationing, rationing, rationing" all over their front pages.
That message is subtle...You saw the same messages that amount to "Oh, goodie, we're going to have a Jolly Little War - brace up and have a nice cup of Tea!" around 9/11 when White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again were suddenly (number one, I was visiting you couldn't escape them or the BBC bits on "Great Britain at WAR!!" from WWII.
Anyway, I am seeing enough of this stuff I decided it was time to start a thread, so other members could start posting stuff THEY can spot on their newsfeeds, local shops or State/Federal governments etc that look like "propaganda" to get people "ready" for something (or hope they can shove it down their throats.
I'll concentrate a lot on food and supplies because that's what I spend a lot of time hunting for, but please feel free to include anything you feel is interesting - TV Commerical themes, military posters, weird stories (like the one where the guy put together the same lines spoken on about 20 "local" US news stations mouthing word for word the same stories etc).
Let's have fun with this one, because sometimes they are so obvious ya-wanna-cry and instead it may be more fun to laugh, and then think about the implications. - Melodi
OK here's the one that got my attention this morning, lately, I've noticed a rash of articles in the UK press with absurd titles like: "Tined (canned) food is even better for you than fresh or frozen," or one I described as "How to clean out the dregs of your refrigerator and enjoy it," along with a lot of "WE ARE WASTING FOOD" (in men walk on moon-sized headlines - you nasty rotten, horrible excuses for human beings)
Today I saw this headline in the Daily Mail headline, a paper that most people won't admit to reading but everyone does as has a focus on what used to be called "working class" (aka lower-middle class) voters.
This one is along the theme of; Canned food is great! (hidden message, because it may be all you peons can get, but you can pretend to be posh and fake foods like the rich eat with it!) *note - not all of these are bad ideas, it is the context and subtext that is concerning.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Cook posh nosh from a tin? Yes you can! Gourmets may scoff but food writer ALEX HOLLYWOOD says some of her favourite recipes are from tinned beans, tuna and cherries
By ALEX HOLLYWOOD FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 01:18, 10 October 2020 | UPDATED: 01:18, 10 October 2020
With two best-selling cookery books under my belt and 16,000 followers on my foodie Instagram account, you’d have thought I’d be very particular about using the freshest-possible, seasonal ingredients.
But I’ll let you into a secret — some of my favourite recipes are made from tinned food. In fact, I’m convinced a cupboard well-stocked with tins holds the key to rustling-up delicious meals: it offers inspiration, speed and minimal waste.
After my split from Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood three years ago, and now that our 19-year-old son Josh has just gone off to university, I’m beginning to adapt to a regular routine of cooking just for me.
More often than not, I’ll open my larder cupboard and rifle through the tins until inspiration strikes.
+8
Tinned food has such a bad reputation, languishing with Pot Noodles at the bottom of the culinary food chain, and it’s perhaps not surprising if your view of canned food has been tainted by spaghetti hoops and spam. But a recent Which? report found that some tinned foods contain more nutrients than fresh (fish, for instance, is canned hours after it is caught) — and tins are often less wasteful because of the long ‘best before’ dates that mean the contents are less likely to go off before you’ve had a chance to eat them.
Like every home cook, I’ve got rows of tins of chopped tomatoes and baked beans, sweet corn and tuna, but I’ve also built up a clever collection of more exotic tinned ingredients, which will completely transform an ordinary lockdown supper.
On my kitchen shelves, you’ll find tins of artichoke hearts, and mussels, chestnuts and asparagus, jars of roasted peppers and aubergine, poached pears, cherries and raspberries.
As well as tinned tuna, I keep pink salmon, anchovies and sardines in olive oil, olives black and green, pickled walnuts, preserved lemons and juicy fat capers.
I’ve got tinned beansprouts and water chestnuts to bring a crunchy authenticity to a stir-fry and a rainbow assortment of different beans and pulses.
But my favourite canned staple is the ‘confit de canard’.
You might think duck legs slow-cooked in fat would make a pretty unappetising prospect, but lay them on a baking sheet in a hot oven or under a grill to crisp and they taste utterly delicious added to a cassoulet with a can of flageolet beans or eaten with a tangy tinned fruit-infused sauce.
Lockdown gave me the opportunity to embrace the power of my larder — and, if another period of isolation is on the cards, you could do worse than fill your kitchen cupboards from the tinned foods aisle.
Next time you’re in the supermarket, simply grab one can of each of the many different kinds of beans you can find: black beans, flageolet beans, kidney, cannellini, butter beans, borlotti, black eye, haricot, edamame.
Each imparts a subtly different flavour and texture, and they are a healthy way to add fibre, nutrients and bulk to a meal.
You can boost a simple bolognese quite simply by draining half the sauce from a can of baked beans and tipping the rest in with the meat, a splash of wine and some Worcestershire sauce.
And, in my opinion, you can never have too many chickpeas — blend them with tahini to create hummus, mush them with herbs to form falafels, and even bake them into brownies. As for fruit, humble tinned pineapple can be converted into a delicious dessert if you mix some of the juice with a little vanilla, brandy or rum, then pop the pineapple rings under the grill to caramelise and serve with creme fraiche.
+8
Tinned cherries, apricots and peaches can be seeped in fortified wine and baked under a cobbler topping. And poached pears are sublime drizzled in ginger liqueur and covered with a brown-sugar crumble topping.
That inauspicious tin of white asparagus tips will give crunch and flavour to a risotto or salad; while mussels from a can or jar give a delicious depth of flavour to a paella.
And I love to blend a jar of grilled aubergines with tahini to create a smoky baba ganoush, and add them to salads or pizzas, or layer them with a homemade tomato sauce and crumbled feta cheese.
Tinned fish, meanwhile, is an incredibly healthy and inexpensive way to stock up on omega-3s.
You can create a delicious, nutritious quiche with a tin of salmon and a tin of artichoke hearts.
If I’m roasting lamb, I stuff slithers of anchovy into deep holes in the joint with garlic shards and sprigs of rosemary to infuse the meat as it cooks — the salty fish provides a delicious richness which cuts through the sweetness of the lamb.
The recipes on my Instagram aren’t forensically measured and tested — it’s just me experimenting, and playing with flavours in my kitchen, and I urge you to do the same.
So go ahead and build up your can collection.
Trust me, you’ll never look at a tin of marrowfat peas in the same light again.
In the UK it is perfectly legal for the government to "plant" stories the government "requests" the news broadcasts to do so.
While it is totally impossible to know for certain which stories are planted, which is the US technically isn't supposed to happen but we all know it does; but they tend to have a certain "ring" to them.
Based on following this stuff for years, I've noticed "themes" that tend to appear over and over again - many of which I've mentioned and named here, especially the ones that come up that hint consumers may be unhappy about something but "surprised it is good for you!" or "suck it up! Keep Calm and Carry on."
Some of my favorite trends I call: "Let them Eat Bugs," "Rationing is good for you!"
It used to be this sort of thing just tended to occur around the time the UK government was thinking of "doing something" like introducing GMO foods again, or about to go on another Nanny State Health Kick.
Recently I've been seeing a lot of headlines (and a few from other parts of the United States) which are sounding more and more like they are softening up the public for limited food choices and possible real rationing.
I've posted headlines and stories recently about big supermarkets "rationing" purchases (except as forum members point out it isn't officially rationing) but the term is used is every single headline so the casual observers see: "rationing, rationing, rationing" all over their front pages.
That message is subtle...You saw the same messages that amount to "Oh, goodie, we're going to have a Jolly Little War - brace up and have a nice cup of Tea!" around 9/11 when White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again were suddenly (number one, I was visiting you couldn't escape them or the BBC bits on "Great Britain at WAR!!" from WWII.
Anyway, I am seeing enough of this stuff I decided it was time to start a thread, so other members could start posting stuff THEY can spot on their newsfeeds, local shops or State/Federal governments etc that look like "propaganda" to get people "ready" for something (or hope they can shove it down their throats.
I'll concentrate a lot on food and supplies because that's what I spend a lot of time hunting for, but please feel free to include anything you feel is interesting - TV Commerical themes, military posters, weird stories (like the one where the guy put together the same lines spoken on about 20 "local" US news stations mouthing word for word the same stories etc).
Let's have fun with this one, because sometimes they are so obvious ya-wanna-cry and instead it may be more fun to laugh, and then think about the implications. - Melodi
OK here's the one that got my attention this morning, lately, I've noticed a rash of articles in the UK press with absurd titles like: "Tined (canned) food is even better for you than fresh or frozen," or one I described as "How to clean out the dregs of your refrigerator and enjoy it," along with a lot of "WE ARE WASTING FOOD" (in men walk on moon-sized headlines - you nasty rotten, horrible excuses for human beings)
Today I saw this headline in the Daily Mail headline, a paper that most people won't admit to reading but everyone does as has a focus on what used to be called "working class" (aka lower-middle class) voters.
This one is along the theme of; Canned food is great! (hidden message, because it may be all you peons can get, but you can pretend to be posh and fake foods like the rich eat with it!) *note - not all of these are bad ideas, it is the context and subtext that is concerning.
![www.dailymail.co.uk](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/10/00/34214602-0-image-a-69_1602287842369.jpg)
ALEX HOLLYWOOD says some of favourite recipes are from tinned beans
ALEX HOLLYWOOD: You'd have thought I'd be very particular about using the freshest-possible, ingredients. But some of my favourite recipes are made from tinned food.
By ALEX HOLLYWOOD FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 01:18, 10 October 2020 | UPDATED: 01:18, 10 October 2020
With two best-selling cookery books under my belt and 16,000 followers on my foodie Instagram account, you’d have thought I’d be very particular about using the freshest-possible, seasonal ingredients.
But I’ll let you into a secret — some of my favourite recipes are made from tinned food. In fact, I’m convinced a cupboard well-stocked with tins holds the key to rustling-up delicious meals: it offers inspiration, speed and minimal waste.
After my split from Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood three years ago, and now that our 19-year-old son Josh has just gone off to university, I’m beginning to adapt to a regular routine of cooking just for me.
More often than not, I’ll open my larder cupboard and rifle through the tins until inspiration strikes.
![I’m convinced a cupboard well-stocked with tins holds the key to rustling-up delicious meals: it offers inspiration, speed and minimal waste I’m convinced a cupboard well-stocked with tins holds the key to rustling-up delicious meals: it offers inspiration, speed and minimal waste](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/10/00/34214592-8825351-image-m-62_1602287585257.jpg)
+8
Tinned food has such a bad reputation, languishing with Pot Noodles at the bottom of the culinary food chain, and it’s perhaps not surprising if your view of canned food has been tainted by spaghetti hoops and spam. But a recent Which? report found that some tinned foods contain more nutrients than fresh (fish, for instance, is canned hours after it is caught) — and tins are often less wasteful because of the long ‘best before’ dates that mean the contents are less likely to go off before you’ve had a chance to eat them.
Like every home cook, I’ve got rows of tins of chopped tomatoes and baked beans, sweet corn and tuna, but I’ve also built up a clever collection of more exotic tinned ingredients, which will completely transform an ordinary lockdown supper.
On my kitchen shelves, you’ll find tins of artichoke hearts, and mussels, chestnuts and asparagus, jars of roasted peppers and aubergine, poached pears, cherries and raspberries.
As well as tinned tuna, I keep pink salmon, anchovies and sardines in olive oil, olives black and green, pickled walnuts, preserved lemons and juicy fat capers.
I’ve got tinned beansprouts and water chestnuts to bring a crunchy authenticity to a stir-fry and a rainbow assortment of different beans and pulses.
But my favourite canned staple is the ‘confit de canard’.
You might think duck legs slow-cooked in fat would make a pretty unappetising prospect, but lay them on a baking sheet in a hot oven or under a grill to crisp and they taste utterly delicious added to a cassoulet with a can of flageolet beans or eaten with a tangy tinned fruit-infused sauce.
Lockdown gave me the opportunity to embrace the power of my larder — and, if another period of isolation is on the cards, you could do worse than fill your kitchen cupboards from the tinned foods aisle.
Next time you’re in the supermarket, simply grab one can of each of the many different kinds of beans you can find: black beans, flageolet beans, kidney, cannellini, butter beans, borlotti, black eye, haricot, edamame.
Each imparts a subtly different flavour and texture, and they are a healthy way to add fibre, nutrients and bulk to a meal.
You can boost a simple bolognese quite simply by draining half the sauce from a can of baked beans and tipping the rest in with the meat, a splash of wine and some Worcestershire sauce.
And, in my opinion, you can never have too many chickpeas — blend them with tahini to create hummus, mush them with herbs to form falafels, and even bake them into brownies. As for fruit, humble tinned pineapple can be converted into a delicious dessert if you mix some of the juice with a little vanilla, brandy or rum, then pop the pineapple rings under the grill to caramelise and serve with creme fraiche.
![You can boost a simple bolognese quite simply by draining half the sauce from a can of baked beans and tipping the rest in with the meat, a splash of wine and some Worcestershire sauce You can boost a simple bolognese quite simply by draining half the sauce from a can of baked beans and tipping the rest in with the meat, a splash of wine and some Worcestershire sauce](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/10/10/00/34214588-8825351-image-m-65_1602287637486.jpg)
+8
Tinned cherries, apricots and peaches can be seeped in fortified wine and baked under a cobbler topping. And poached pears are sublime drizzled in ginger liqueur and covered with a brown-sugar crumble topping.
That inauspicious tin of white asparagus tips will give crunch and flavour to a risotto or salad; while mussels from a can or jar give a delicious depth of flavour to a paella.
And I love to blend a jar of grilled aubergines with tahini to create a smoky baba ganoush, and add them to salads or pizzas, or layer them with a homemade tomato sauce and crumbled feta cheese.
Tinned fish, meanwhile, is an incredibly healthy and inexpensive way to stock up on omega-3s.
You can create a delicious, nutritious quiche with a tin of salmon and a tin of artichoke hearts.
If I’m roasting lamb, I stuff slithers of anchovy into deep holes in the joint with garlic shards and sprigs of rosemary to infuse the meat as it cooks — the salty fish provides a delicious richness which cuts through the sweetness of the lamb.
The recipes on my Instagram aren’t forensically measured and tested — it’s just me experimenting, and playing with flavours in my kitchen, and I urge you to do the same.
So go ahead and build up your can collection.
Trust me, you’ll never look at a tin of marrowfat peas in the same light again.
- As told to Louise Atkinson.