Bake Bread, Save the World?
There’s nothing better than some warms buns, from the oven that is. A firm, crunchy crust and a nicely formed crumb – it’s like having an wheat-induced orgasm in the middle of a bakery. Luckily, you can enjoy these pleasures in the comfort of your home for far less money, greater satisfaction, and a minimal chance of being arrested for indecency. But what is it with bread nowadays? There seems to be more options than a 64-pack of crayons awaitng consumption by a 3 year old.
Bread isn’t really bread anymore. What was once your run of the mill sandwich bread has become shiny packages of over-exaggerated nutritional promises. Claims range from magically hidden wheat, to “heart healthy” grains, bread that contains essential oils to boost your kid’s brain function. Apparently without Wonder Bread’s Headstart 100% Whole Wheat Loaf, your child will grow up stupid. In an era when mistrust of multi-national, food corporations and concern for the health and welfare of our communities and environment is at an all time high, there is no better time to learn how to bake up a nice loaf of bread. Knowing what’s in your food, where it comes from, and taking the initiative to make some of your own – that’s the essence of masculinity, and also happens to be qualities of a responsible, conscious consumer.
Check out our recipe for Rustic Sunflower Seed Bread, based on a modified version of the almost fool-proof, No-Knead Bread. Great for newbs and seasoned bakers alike!
¿ We ask: If you buy bread regularly, what influences your decison and where do you get the good stuff?
Leave a commentBeyond Protein I Say
Men love food. Not only do we generally eat more of it than our female counterparts, food (especially meat) plays a significant role in how we produce our identities as men and how we relate to each other. As poignantly stated by one of the chefs, er, manly food cookers, in Man Cooking: Swiss Meat Roll, “Little known fact, weaving is manly, as long as you’re weaving with BACON!” Meat, cooking (particularly with fire, not an induction stove top), and our ideas about manliness are inextricably linked to one another in the defining of the masculine. The average male body requires more protein than a female one simply by virtue of body size, we’re generally bigger, unless you’re a giant Dutch woman… But how much do our bodies actually need? According to Gloria Tsang, Registered Dietician for HealthCastle.com:
The average requirement is calculated based on 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight. Therefore, a 165 pound (75 kg) man would need 60 grams of protein daily. In general, both healthy men and women (regardless of body size) will do fine with 60 grams of protein a day. That is equivalent to eight ounces of meat.
I’m about 170 pounds or 77 kg, so according to this calculation, my daily protein needs average to about 61 grams a day. 8 ounces of meat? That’s about the size of a deck of cards! If you’re the average guy like me, you eat far more than a deck of cards worth of meat a day, chances are you’ve eaten a Caesar’s Palace worth in one sitting. The average Canadian eats about 62.61 kg (132 lbs) of meat (inclusive of red, seafood, and poultry) a year. 132 lbs!? That’s a f*cking person worth of flesh! Nonetheless, that averages out to about 172 grams a day, nearly three times the necessary intake for the general man population without counting non-meat sources of protein.
Despite the fact that the average man (read: not an elite athlete, ‘roid monkey, or Chuck Norris) doesn’t need any more protein for nutrition’s sake, according to Food Ethics Council, the worldwide consumption of meat is expected to be double the 229 million tonnes we consumed in 2000 by 2050, especially in heavily populated and increasingly wealthy countries like China where the population already consumes nearly 50% of the world’s supply of pork. And you thought you liked bacon… Continue reading
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