We Love Tony!

So I read my August issue of Food and Wine -- the theme being eco-epicurianism. Among the many creeds about eating only locally and organically produced, sustainable food, Anthony Bourdain says:

"While I support and admire those chefs who have made personal decisions to feature organic, sustainable or exclusively local food -- and am very enthusiastic about heritage breeds and artisanal products -- my only real concern is "Is it good?" Personally, I don't care if my tomato was raised in a lab or some hippie's backyard. I don't even care if it causes the occasional tumor in lab rats. I only care that it's the best tasting damn tomato available."

Go Tony! Yes, I try to buy my produce at the wholesale farm market and have a freezer full of meat from a local farm, but I don't obsess over it. I also agreed with the food scientist who says that we in the First World are privileged enough to make those kinds of choices, but the rest of the world isn't so lucky, and if genetic engineering of crops can help reduce acreage with more yield, and feed more people, why wouldn't we do it.

And lastly, Nina Planck, who ran NYC's Greenmarket program, says:

"Lard is an amazing food. Pork fat is loaded with monounsaturated fats, the same kind as those in olive oil."

It's not just the bicycle riding that keeps Chinese people healthier than Americans...