Holy Cannoli! I have a Moral Dilemma

Growing up in Massachusetts, I became a devotee of ice cream.  Massachusetts is in the top five states in the nation for per capita ice cream consumption.  Pretty sure if I still lived there it would easily take back the #1 position.  I'm not saying I'm an ice cream glutton - I don't eat quarts of the stuff per day, but I sure do like to have it a couple of times per week, regardless of season.

In the 80's, with Vermont so close by, I was an early adopter of Ben and Jerry's.  I watched the company go regional, then national.  I was a fan of their corporate culture as much as I was of their product.  Then came Unilever.

Wisely, Unilever continued to produce the same quality product.  They didn't "dumb it down" for mass consumption, but somewhere Ben and Jerry's started to gradually slip.  The original product became a little over shadowed by the seemingly never ending quest for clever new flavors.  They lost me a couple of years ago with their tip of the hat to SNL and the "Schweddy Balls" flavor.  They went from being clever, to hip and ended up just a little bit snarky.

They also lost me when their commitment to quality ingredients began to slip.  Until recently, Ben and Jerry's has made no commitment to guarantee that their products are all natural.  In fact, they presently contain GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).  Their milk, once all pasture raised and organic, is now sometimes fed GMO feed.  Their add ins and flavorings leave many open ended questions about food quality as well.

Since 2012, when Unilever spent nearly $500K to prevent the passage of California's Proposition 37, which would have mandated labeling of GMO foods, I have been quietly boycotting Ben and Jerry's.  There have been moments when this has caused me some personal discomfort or at least dissatisfaction.  As I said earlier, I love ice cream and their product, despite the occasional GMO ingredient is still one of the best mass marketed ice creams on the market.  It was a small price to pay for conscience - I could eat other ice cream (like my current favorite Three Twins - ALL ORGANIC!) for a while until the FDA pulled their heads out of their sphincters and required GMO labeling.

Just this past week, a new angle to presented itself and has left me with a dilemma.  We're obviously not talking world peace here, but this does take up some thought for me.  Ben and Jerry's has announced that by the end of the calendar year all of their products will be certified GMO free.  Great, right?

Well, that's just it.  I'm not so sure.  Either I can stop my boycott and start buying Ben and Jerry's and know that product is free of GMO's BUT still have the revenue go to Unilever which MAY still use those proceeds to fight a GMO labeling requirement but also showing Unilever that there really is a viable and appreciable market for non-GMO products so they may adopt more GMO free products into their portfolio OR do I continue to boycott until Unilever, the parent company, broadens its commitment to make ALL of their products GMO-Free. 

I'm torn.  Ice cream should not be stress inducing.  What are your thoughts, friends?  Should I take up my spoon again once Ben and Jerry's are all certified GMO free and thereby use positive reinforcement on the free market OR continue to boycott until Unilever concedes that they will be GMO free in all of their products OR at least agree to label those products which contain GMOs?

I need some comfort food just thinking over the huge moral implications of all of this.  I think I'll have some Three Twins.  They're guilt free!

Delish Delights at La Shish Kebab

Given the option to eat only one cuisine or style of cooking for the rest of my days I would, without much hesitation, chose Lebanese food.  Healthy, savory, rich, loaded with taste, texture and packed full of nutrition this cuisine is always deeply satisfying to my palette and brings peace of mind that I'm eating well by sticking to the classic Mediterranean diet.

Twelve years living in Washington, DC with its excellent variety of restaurants from around the world spoiled me.  I worked in a Real Estate Brokerage whose owner was Lebanese and ended up frequenting many of DC's excellent Middle Eastern and Lebanese restaurants and cafes.  I could point you to the best Halloumi sandwich and the freshest rotisserie chicken without a second's hesitation.

Sadly, there were some dry years in between those halcyon days and our arrival here.  16 years in fact.  There was one Middle Eastern restaurant that I found in Atlanta - a place called Lawrence's which was better known for their belly dancers (who were not all that good) than their food.

Next came San Francisco, a city known for it's great food.  Any hole in the wall found you great if not amazing Italian, seafood, sushi, Chinese or Thai food.  There was a large population of emigres from all over the world there so it should have been a no brainer to find good Lebanese food.  I did not find that to be the case.  We looked, we tried everything from fancy joints to falafel huts.  It was just "Meh".

After hearing about the dearth of Chinese food here in Charlotte, I held out little hope of finding good Lebanese food.  How glad am I that I was DEAD WRONG!

La Shish Kebab is one of those places that you would drive right by unless you knew it was there.  Fortunately for us, the local edition of Creative Loafing had done our homework for us by writing a review in their free weekly.  Dave and I hopped right on it and didn't waste any time in checking this place out.

CL-CLT was spot on.  The food was delicious and the proprietor was terrific.

I had a chicken shawarma, a dish of both delicacy and gusto - with loads of garlic.  Their's was served over hummus with hand made pickles, fresh tomatoes, purple onion and a perfect blend of spices.

This dish truly knocked my socks off!  Probably the best I've had.

Dave tried a variety of dishes including the handmade falafel, dolmas, foul medanna (a fava bean dish from Egypt) and fettoush.  Everything was really fresh.  The textures were wonderful.  Absolutely the yummiest hummus I've ever had.  There was a light, delicate homemade pita bread to use for dipping into the fava's of the foul medanna.  It was bliss!

We weren't even out the door before I was messaging my friend Kitsy (another big fan of Lebanese cuisine) in DC to tell her that we had a date for this place next time she and her husband are in town visiting her family. 

This is an inexpensive, quaint, healthy and delicious spot.  Add it to your roster of regular stops here in Charlotte!  The owner was attentive and informative - sharing suggestions when he learned Dave was a vegetarian.  The setting wasn't fancy, but it was impeccably clean.  Our food came out quickly and was presented beautifully.  This may not be a fancy date night spot, but for excellent, fresh and flavorful food it's a big winner.

Phe Phi Pho - YUM!

I've had problems with sinus infections for years.  Years ago I had a deviated septum repaired and they are less frequent, but it seems now when I get one, they come on with a vengeance.  Whether it was the stress of the move and the new job, transition to different flora and pollen that exacerbated allergies or just being around the hospital (where I was working for a while) I ended up with a doozy of one this past winter.  For weeks, I could barely even hear out of my right ear - it had a constant whistle like a teapot.  I was miserable.  This especially stinks when you're a foodie like me and you can't even taste anything because your head is so stuffed up.

So, you'd think working at the hospital, I'd have no problem kicking an infection, right?  Well two months, three doctor's visits and four rounds of antibiotics later I could still hear that darn teapot whistling.  I was immensely frustrated.

Then I had inspiration... years ago a big steaming bowl of hot and sour soup had cured me of a nasty chest cold.  There is definitely something to the old adage of a big bowl of chicken soup for a cold.  Rich marrow broth, vegetables and a balance of protein... it all adds up to a healthy fix.  I think when the sinuses are the primary issue, the extra kicker is to add some va va va voom - heat clears out your head and let's you breathe easy for a while.

Now the question, "where in the world would we find good hot and sour soup in Charlotte?"  Every one we talked to told us this city is completely devoid of good Chinese food.  (Seriously - anyone out there who wants to open a good Chinese joint, this is your town!  It's wide open!)  We asked about twenty native Charlotteans as well as a handful of transplants like ourselves, and we weren't able to come up with a single recommendation for Chinese food.  However, more than half instead recommended a Vietnamese place called Lang Van.  We decided to give it a shot.

Dave and me (and my stuffy head - for a table of three) made our way to Lang Van one Sunday evening.  It was rainy and my head was pounding from all the pressure.  I ordered a seafood combo Pho.  We shared some vegetarian spring rolls and Dave ordered a great tofu dish.  Before I was halfway done with the Pho, something miraculous happened.  I literally heard an audible "pop" and my hearing was restored.  The teapot was no more.  As I continued to enjoy the delicious Pho, I began to feel more and more restored.  Head and sinuses drained, fatigue reduced, headache gone... Within hours, it was like I'd never been sick.

It was a Pho Miracle!  We were converts!  How could we make sure that we kept this level of vitality without eating at the WONDERFUL Lang Van every day (we wouldn't object, but it wasn't in the budget)?  We had better learn to make Pho at home.  We've been playing with recipes and exploring international markets for a couple of weeks now.  We think we've come up with the master recipe for a great vegetarian Pho.

Heat a heavy stock pot on medium high heat.
Add the following:
1 teaspoon Vietnamese Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1/2 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole Cloves
1/2 Star Anise Seed (approx 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon organic Soy sauce (non-GMO baby!)
(we put the seeds, cloves and anise in a tea ball so that we could easily pluck it out later)

Once it starts to smoke a bit, add
1 chopped medium Onion
2 tablespoons chopped rough fresh Ginger
4 cloves fresh Garlic chopped rough
1 tablespoon Olive Oil


Saute these ingredients until the Onion turns slightly translucent.  Then add
5 cups of water
5 cups of organic vegetable stock (we use Better than Bouillon)
1 stalk Lemon Grass cut into large pieces
3-4 whole dried Chili Peppers

Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste (I used a little bit of white pepper as well as black pepper).  Simmer and set your timer for 50 minutes.

While your broth simmers, prepare your ingredients for the soup.  We added the following tonight, but you can through in just about whatever you want.
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup dinosaur Kale cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup shredded summer squash
1/2 cup re-hydrated dried Shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup coarsely chopped baby broccoli
1/2 cup cubed Tofu

When the timer goes off, add all the veggies you prepared for the soup to the stock.  Then start a large pot of water to boil.  Once it boils, add your Pho noodles.  We found a great, all natural brand at an Asian market for $1.29.  Follow the instructions on the noodles and cook until done.  Use tongs or a slotted spoon to fill your bowl halfway with noodles.

Ladle the soup to cover the noodles.

Top with fresh cilantro, basil leaves, bean sprouts or pea shoots.  Add siricha or other hot sauce to taste and enjoy!

We've now made this Pho recipe a few times and we're really enjoying it.  I usually add a few shrimp to mine.  You could also add just about any fish or shellfish which has been steamed.

Other veggies you might want to try:
Daikon
Napa Cabbage
Bok Choi
Snow Peas
Japanese or Thai Eggplant cubes

No sign of any sinus problems in our household anymore!