Don't Worry It's Not Real...Yet.

If you've been on the internet recently, you've probably come across the Candwich, a sandwich innovation with "grab-and-go convenience," and one would imagine, the faint taste of a can and preservatives out the wazoo.

It has actually been in the news because investor Travis L. Wright used funds for real estate investments to finance the Candwich instead. Fraudulent investments aside, Mark Kirkland, president of Mark One Foods, hopes to go into production this year.

So it is entirely possible, that sometime this year or next, you will go to your local grocer and find Candwich on an aisle. I suppose next to the tomato sauce & canned peas? I'm not really sure how you would classify a canned sandwich in grocery store terms. I am sure that these are the kind of products we need less of, not more. If you don't have time to make a sandwich, you need to reevaluate your life.

Labels, Labels Everywhere...and Not a Drop to Eat

Once you start reading labels, you realize why you never did. There is definitely truth in the saying ignorance is bliss. Unfortunately, when it comes to food, ignorance can be blissfully dangerous. I casually grabbed the Worcestershire sauce to add to my venison & beef for burgers, but my new foodie instincts kicked in so I checked the label. Guess what? High fructose corn syrup! It really is in everything. Needless to say, I opted for making my own sauce, using some balsamic vinegar as a base. Still a bit of a bummer, as they add sodium bisulfate to protect the color, but a better alternative at this part in my journey.

Balsamic Vinegar vs. Worcestershire Sauce

The Finest Ingredients in the U.S.A.

In the spirit of the Fourth of July, I purchased a bag of the most blatantly patriotic marshmallows in existence at the request of my friends. In addition to loving the U.S. of A., these marshmallows are double the size of regular marshmallows, and offer special s'mores instructions calling for two whole graham crackers & an entire chocolate bar. Perhaps a little too American for me.

Wave that flag as you roast one of your relatives, Marshmallow Man.

If the patriotism & size of the marshmallows isn't enough to entice you, they use some pretty excellent buzz words and standard misleading labeling to convince you that these marshmallows are totally good for your health & well being. Check it out:

"Premium Quality"

Whoa, they are NATURALLY fat AND gluten free!? Since 1917! They must be good for me.

Only the FINEST ingredients, and those ingredients are produced in the U.S.A.

Now you are probably wondering the same thing we were, what exactly are the finest ingredients produced in the U.S.A.? It's quite a bold claim to make, and would be relative to the kinds of ingredients in production in the U.S.A.

Are you ready to find out what they are?

I love me some tetrasodium pyrophosphate...it's only "slightly toxic".

Now you know the finest ingredients produced in the good ol' U.S. of A. They would be sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, water, gelatin, who knows, and tetrasodium pyrophosphate. But remember, they're premium quality, and naturally fat & gluten free. So, totally still eat them. I think perhaps I'll be unpatriotic and try to find some ingredients elsewhere if this is truly the best we can do.

Side Note: We did enjoy a fantastic, and pretty much from scratch dinner that I completely forgot to photograph, and I enjoyed some extra dark chocolate while my comrades roasted the super sized marshmallows.

"Ethnic" American Food

I just stumbled across this gem thanks to @SFoodie, and it seemed like the perfect first post on a blog about eating real food.



I would love to imagine that Simone was being sarcastic, but she is quite serious in her excitement that American cuisine has been represented by absolutely nothing that can in good conscience be considered food. Cuisine in our country is diverse and varied; these processed consumable items represent the lowest common denominator. There are glorious expanses of organic farmland, fabulous chefs and bakers, both at home and professionally, who make dishes that represent classic Americana everyday from fresh, wholesome ingredients. The America represented on this aisle is one of branding, advertising, and consumerism. It has nothing to do with food.