We are too reliant on Pasta.

[jrussel]

I have become increasingly aware of the fact that many people, younger ones particularly, seem to exist on a diet almost exclusively made up from pasta. Or at least, a mixture of that and fried chicken takeaway type meals when they are not at home. Why so? I suspect the reasons are:

- It's easy to cook. Any fool can cook pasta.

- It is easy to store. Meaning no organisation is required in terms of planning ahead, unlike other foodstuffs such as vegetables which tend to go off.

- Many people probably do not realise that the different shapes of pasta are in fact all the same thing. They think they are getting a varied diet but they aren't.

- Romantic associations attached to pasta: sunny Italian villages and suchlike.

- Aggressive advertising by pasta sauce manufacturers.

The only variance in a pasta-based diet is to be found in the accompanying sauces. But invariably these are heavily processed substances from tubes or cans. Of course some problems could be avoided by cooking nutritious homemade sauces and side dishes to go with the pasta but this is only a sticking plaster solution and in any case, the kind of people I am talking about are not capable of this.

I don't know why these people can't sometimes try, for example, potatoes. A much less heavily processed foodstuff which will help them to understand that our food comes from the land, not a plastic wrapper. And good for you too. Not to mention the variety of ways it can be cooked.

You only have to look at countries whose diets rely heavily on pasta to see that such a monotonous diet does not have a good effect. Fascism, dictatorships and corruption emerge periodically in such societies. I know that this can not be definitively linked to diet but I do suspect there is a connection. I should add that there are economic/strategic disadvantages to relying on a foreign foodstuff as well.

I think that it is about time the health authorities in the UK looked at ways of swinging the balance away from pasta and towards other options. Whether this is through tax or health education I don't know. But I do think that the nation's diet, particularly that of young people who as we know are becoming increasingly disruptive, must be taken more seriously. Our obsession with pasta may only be part of the picture here, but a significant part nonetheless.

[PeckhamRose]

It's just flour and water, right?

[jrussel]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> It's just flour and water, right?

Yes, exactly. I think egg too in more expensive types but even then the amount is so small its nutrition value is negligible.

[ojm]

> Fascism, dictatorships and corruption emerge periodically in such societies.

Love it! You nearly had me going there. Did you know that curry causes bloody religious civil war?

[HonaloochieB]

Without pasta, no Mafia. No Mafia, no Sopranos.

No Sopranos, BIG hole in my DVD collection.

J Russell you've not thought this through at all.

Maron!

[mockney piers]

"Fascism, dictatorships and corruption emerge ..."

Is this the first thread to Godwin itself on the fist post? Good effort.

Buuuut for what it's worth, Pasta's cheap and filling and was moer or less my staple as a student (along with booze and drugs) and my first few years in london, not laziness, sheer economics, though I'd always make my own sauces, see p.94 for chopped tomatoes and tuna.....

But better pasta than cheap sausages, idaho fried chicken and burgers n'est ce pas?

[david_carnell]

And eggs.

You're right though JRussel, pot noodles are terrible for you.

Edit - waaaay too late on the eggs addition.

[Ant]

I wonder whether Oswald Mosley was one of these awful pasta-munchers. I imagine he probably was, given he was such great mates with Il Dulce.

[SeanMacGabhann]

marks out of ten from ???? are imminent for this effort...

[david_carnell]

I'm worried about this potato though.

It's all very well showing the effects of a pasta-based dietary regimen with examples of fascism and corruption but look what those potato based societies were up to....

The potato, as we all know, originated in the Americas - Peru and Bolivia to be precise. Now, I don't like denouncing entire nations based on their culinary dispositions but boy, did those guys know how to do a human sacrifice!

The potato will be the end of all of us - mark my words. We'll be throwing bodies on flaming pyres at the top of Dog Kennel Hill before you can say "blight".

Stick to couscous - much safer and benign.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Lady MacGabhann is still chuckling over this bit:

"Many people probably do not realise that the different shapes of pasta are in fact all the same thing. They think they are getting a varied diet but they aren't."

[Ted Max]

Too many spaghetti trees in East Dulwich?

[macroban]

This is a reasonably good book about Godwin's Law, but it's not so strong on the economics.

[mockney piers]

not to mention the hitherto unknown dangers of wheat and potato based products.

[Ant]

I reckon there's a good chance you could actually make some money selling this story to the Daily Mail. Just find an interviewee on whose experience to hang it all for the human angle, dress it up a bit with a few suitable quotes and away you go.

[jrussel]

What a stupid comment.

In any case, I am only talking about the situation in this country. If you think that TV entertainment is more important than people's health, and want to promote criminality, well, good for you. You can still have these things at an arms length if we confine any measures to our own country.

HonaloochieB Wrote:

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> Without pasta, no Mafia. No Mafia, no Sopranos.

>

> No Sopranos, BIG hole in my DVD collection.

>

> J Russell you've not thought this through at all.

>

> Maron!

[Brendan]

The potato is directly responsible for this

[Jah Lush]

Hmmmmm...Pasta

[Jah Lush]

In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, green, yellow and red vegetables of all kinds so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and Magnums. And Satan said, 'You want hot fudge with that? And Man said, 'Yes!' And Woman said, 'I'll have one too with chocolate chips'. And so they gained 10 pounds.

And God created the healthy yoghurt that woman might keep the figure that man found so fair.

And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 12 to size 14.

So God said, 'Try my fresh green salad'. And Satan presented Blue Cheese dressing and garlic croutons on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, 'I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them'.

And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut king prawns, butter-dipped lobster chunks, chicken and fried steak, so big it needed it's own platter and Man's cholesterol went through the roof.

Then God brought forth the potato; naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition.

Then Satan peeled off the healthy skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips and deep-fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt. And Man put on more pounds. God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds.

And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretch jogging suits.

Then God gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.

And Satan created McDonalds and the 99p double cheeseburger. Then Satan said, 'You want fries with that?' and Man replied, 'Yes, and super size 'em'. And Satan said, 'It is good.' And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed ......... and created quadruple by-pass surgery.

And then............ Satan chuckled and created the National Health Service.

THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION

After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here's the final word on nutrition and health:

1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

6. The French eat foie-gras, full fat cheese and drink red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

[Ant]

Apparently the core data upon which most nutritional science is based is inherently flawed. So, meh, whatever. Just eat sensibly - yunno, a bit of veg and that, not too much processed crap - and you'll be OK.

[KalamityKel]

jrussel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have become increasingly aware of the fact that

> many people, younger ones particularly, seem to

> exist on a diet almost exclusively made up from

> pasta. Or at least, a mixture of that and fried

> chicken takeaway type meals when they are not at

> home. Why so? I suspect the reasons are:

>

> - It's easy to cook. Any fool can cook pasta.

> - It is easy to store. Meaning no organisation is

> required in terms of planning ahead, unlike other

> foodstuffs such as vegetables which tend to go

> off.

> - Many people probably do not realise that the

> different shapes of pasta are in fact all the same

> thing. They think they are getting a varied diet

> but they aren't.

> - Romantic associations attached to pasta: sunny

> Italian villages and suchlike.

> - Aggressive advertising by pasta sauce

> manufacturers.

>

> The only variance in a pasta-based diet is to be

> found in the accompanying sauces. But invariably

> these are heavily processed substances from tubes

> or cans. Of course some problems could be avoided

> by cooking nutritious homemade sauces and side

> dishes to go with the pasta but this is only a

> sticking plaster solution and in any case, the

> kind of people I am talking about are not capable

> of this.

Hahahaha jrussel I love ya! of course any "fool" can cook pasta... the more important thing would be SHOULD they? ;-)

Yes pasta is easy to store but requires no organisation? Surely one needs to organise the pasta cupboard in such an order where consideration is taken for the size of the packet (or box if you're SUPER organised), which pasta is used most frequent, whether one has a particular pasta for certain "sauces", whether it needs to be in order of how long it takes to cook, if its gluten free/brown/easy cook, what about the "fresh" stuff? AND the spinach and tomato varieties??? see the list goes on. Hardly something to be thought as requiring NO organisation at all!

Romantic associations? HAHAHAHA u having a larf!!

Most concerning tho is certainly the "aggressive advertising bye suace manufacturers". Where/what have you been/seen such tactics jrussel? "buy and eat pasta or the spud gets mashed"??? ;-)

[Brendan]

So I don't have to bother with eating 5 differnt shapes of pasta a day? Thank god I was starting to feel a bit bloated.

[lozzyloz]

Mussolini suffered from a wheat intolerance.

[macroban]

When you get old and your eyesight fails it gets difficult to thread the spaghetti through the bucatini.

[Brendan]

I would love to know how they get the spaghetti out from the middle of the bucatini in the first place. Must be similar to the process that they use to get the stones out of olives.