Deutschland II

Didn't get a chance to post the rest of these photos earlier, but once Dad headed back to the States, Deanne and Jonathan came to visit for 3 days in Ellerstadt before heading on to Stuttgart and then France. It was so fun to have them there and to get to introduce people to so many things I enjoy, including big breakfasts at Omi's with brotchen and soft-boiled eggs! We did a lot of sight seeing crammed into a short amount of
time and D & J were amazingly resilient considering the tours begain on day 1 with no time for adjustment from the time change! Annette took us to the Limburg, the ruins of an old cloister in Bad Durkheim and had a snack of something similar to onion quiche and new wine- yum! Then on to a very cute, very Pfaelz-ish restaurant where we all had a wonderful meal and sampled some wines. The next day was dedicated to Speyer. Annette took us to the town and then we walked around a bit and saw the cathedral there- the Speyer Dom. We ate a little something in the Hofbrauhaus and walked down to the Rhein River. The final day Sabine took us to Heidelberg where we explored the town and walked through the old castle. Its such a beautiful town with so many buildings that are works of art. It makes me look at the big box stores with a refreshed disdain. Why don't we care about beauty in our buildings?
Once Deanne and Jonathan continued on their way (a sad goodbye for me since we never know when we will see each other again) then I had a few more days before my own departure. Sabine and I went to downtown Schwetzingen and I finally got to meet her friend Biggi. We had a lovely afternoon of sitting in the sunshine outside their local pub and having white wine schoelers (spell?). I was so happy also to see Tante Ilsa and Tante Mariele again. Annette cooked a huge feast for us all, the whole family was there, even Omi made it from her house. We had my favorite Markloesensuppe, which is soup with little dumplings that are made of bone marrow and is very tasty, as a starter and it only got better from there!
It was such a nice trip and I'm looking forward to going again soon- with any luck for Wolfgang's 60th which is coming up next October...

Corn, sweet corn

In honor of one of my profile interests, I'd like to post a couple of links about the corn industry's propaganda which I recently had the misfortune of seeing on tv. I think my blood pressure has lowered a little, but if I have to see them again I'll be going to a doctor promptly.


First here's a link from the Cleaner Plate Club, a blog I just stumbled across, but find to be informative and well-written. The comments from others are wonderful and mind-opening. This link also has videos of the original ads.
Here's another blog called Modern Dragons that contains footnotes with references to peer-reviewed scientific journal articles which demonstrate the deleterious health effects of HFCS.
And here's one from The Nutrition Reporter.
And one from the Mayo Clinic.

And as a side-note on hypocrisy- no, my own pantry is not completely devoid of products containing HFCS. But being aware of all the things its in and what that means for your body and for your environment is important. We all make choices about what we are comfortable with and I may be a little sensitive to additives and chemicals and nutrition b/c of the role they play in cancer and auto-immune diseases and mysterious incurable migraines, all of which we have experienced in our family and none of which modern medicine has much in the way of cures for. Either way, it never hurts to have a discussion about it.

Most of all I'd like to agree with most people, it's common sense- of course too much sugar of any kind is bad. Even if you view high fructose corn syrup as just more sugar, than surely we can agree on that. Then the problem becomes- HFCS is in so many products! As stated by other bloggers, how can we consume HFCS in moderation when it appears on the labels of almost every food in a normal grocery store?!
If you view it as less of a sugar and more of a food additive, then we should address how these ads by the corn industry can seek to label HFCS as "natural". They can get away with this claim because the FDA has little to no standard for "natural", and labeling it that does not make it so. High fructose corn syrup cannot be made without the aid of many industrialized chemical reactions. Please read the following for a definition of what the Corn Refiners Association considers natural :

"HFCS is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. Three different enzymes are needed to break down cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.
First, cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of sugars called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is industrially produced by a bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It is purified and then shipped to HFCS manufacturers.
Next, an enzyme called glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down even further to yield the simple sugar glucose. Unlike alpha-amylase, glucoamylase is produced by Aspergillus, a fungus, in a fermentation vat.
The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase, converts glucose to a mixture of about 42 percent fructose and 50-52 percent glucose with some other sugars mixed in. While alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the slurry, pricey glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is then passed over it. Inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are used only once, glucose-isomerase is reused until it loses most of its activity.
There are two more steps involved. First is a liquid chromatography step that takes the mixture to 90 percent fructose. Finally, this is back-blended with the original mixture to yield a final concentration of about 55 percent fructose-what the industry calls high fructose corn syrup. The purpose for this blend is that HFCS has the same "sweetness" as an equal amount of sucrose from cane or beet sugar. HFCS is cheaper than sugar. It is also very easy to transport which translates into lower costs and higher profits for food producers.


Four companies control 85 percent of the $2.6 billion business-Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Staley Manufacturing Co. and CPC International."

As a food additive HFCS allows over-processed foods to sit on the shelves for months, in some cases years. Do we really want to be eating those foods? I make no apologies for not trusting these four corporations and their propaganda. This ubiquitous product contributes to our society's health problems. Personal choices and responsibility play a huge role, but propaganda does not help us to make informed decisions.

Let's address the root of the problem- ditch the over-processed food altogether.

Deutschland II

So to pick up where I left off....
Dad was in Germany the first week I was there and the morning that he flew out Deanne and Jonathan flew in (on what turned out to be the same plane!) . Deanne and Jonathan stayed with Omi and I in Ellerstadt for 3 days, which thanks to our events coordinators and tourguides - Annette and Sabine, were action packed! After the brutal 11+ hours in the plane Deanne and Jonathan arrived in time for a traditional Ellerstadter breakfast of brotchen, soft-boiled eggs and Omi's coffee (even Ross would think it was strong)

Trip to Deutschland

Hello everybody! It's been a while but I finally managed to post again, hope some of you are still checking this occasionally...
After finishing up my field work in Nevada, I have returned home to Fort Collins, where I am working remotely, doing data entry for GBBO. This is a great set-up for me, since I can be here and still earn a little money on the side while I pursue leads for grad school.
Since returning home, Craig and I flew out to Monterey, California to celebrate the wedding of friends Kelly and Mike. Craig has some wonderful photos on his blog from the event, if you guys want to take a peek. It was great to see them and Amy and Sanjay too. We missed you guys that couldn't make it!
Right after the wedding we flew back home and I had a day to pack my things before heading out for a 2 week trip to Ellerstadt, Germany. It was a little rushed, but surely with my organizational skills it shouldn't have been any trouble, right?
Upon arriving at the airport via a 2 hour shuttle bus ride I discovered I had forgotten one essential item... that's right, the single item I could not travel without (and as some of you will remember, this makes it twice in one year). Thanks again to Craig for making an emergency passport run from Wyoming to the Denver airport.
So I arrived a day later than expected thanks to this bout of early-onset dementia, but had a fantastic time nonetheless!
It was so wonderful to get to see my Omi and all my relatives and the weather was wonderful. Dad and I went to the Wurstmarkt together (Dad sacrificing himself for my benefit, as there is only one small beer stand hidden amongst all of the Wurstmarkt wine tents) with Annette and Wolfgang and Sabine. Its billed as the largest wine fest in the world and after being there it's not hard to believe. Then Dad took me on a driving tour of the places he had lived and worked while in Germany. It was especially neat to see his and Mom's first apartment together- a room in a house belonging to a doctor at the local hospital with a wonderful view of the town of Gruenstadt. We went out to Kirchheimbolanden, where Dad was a basketball superstar and I got re-acquainted with his basketball buddies, most of whom I hadn't seen since I was a small child.
Here are some photos:



The Ellerstadt crest on the local government
building. The town recently celebrated their 1225th
anniversary.


Omi's street - Ratstrasse


Ratstrasse


Durkheimer Wurstmarkt- world's largest wine fest!


Sabine and I brave the rides after sampling
several wines.


My second cousin Leonie and aunt Annette-
Can you guess which one is scared of heights?


Sabine and Wolfgang's favorite ride.


The friendly bartenders at Annette and Wolfgang's
sports club wine tent (Dad, Annette, & Wolfgang
worked a couple days before I arrived).


Leonie and I at the Reisenfass (the
world's largest wine barrel, it can
hold 1.7 million liters!).


Dad's rental Fiat.


Near Grunstadt.


Old town wall near Grunstadt.


Dad's basketball friends in Kirchheimbolanden:
Dad, Traute, Saule, Adi, Traudle


Kibo town wall.


Adi's apple orchard.


Schwann Apotheke in Kibo.


Weinstrasse


Dad and Omi

I'll be posting part two of my trip shortly!