If you are what you eat, then shouldn't you know what you are eating?
Twinkie, Deconstructed
A lecture/slide program
Have you ever wondered about the artificial stuff listed on the ingredient labels of the foods you buy?
Like most consumers, Steve Ettlinger reads ingredient labels. But when his young daughter asked, "Daddy, what’s polysorbate 60?" while eating ice cream at the beach on a hot summer day, he was stumped—and determined to find out. The result was two years of passionate, original research and the book, Twinkie, Deconstructed (Plume, 2007).
Ettlinger’s lecture/slide program is a fascinating exploration of artificial food ingredients and the international nexus that makes them possible. Ettlinger presents an engaging first-hand account of the roots, and the manufacturing, of the ingredients that are found in most familiar food products—ranging from snack cakes to soups, breads, and beverages —touching on issues of interest to foodies, scientists, and diners alike.
From phosphate mines in Idaho to corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to oil fields in China, Ettlinger demystifies some of today’s most common processed food ingredients—where they come from, how they are made, how they are used, and why. Even an old staple like baking soda comes with an amazing story, one that involves major history and a trip down a 1600-foot deep mine shaft.
His lecture will inspire audiences to find out more about the local and whole food movements, relate science to our everyday experience, and encourage everyone to look at processed foods in a very different light.
Did you know?:
The iron compound found in Twinkies is made from sulfuric acid and steel, and also makes a great weed killer.
Carbon monoxide is used to make artificial butter flavor.
BIO:
Steve Ettlinger has been an author, editor, and book producer since 1985, with over forty books to his credit-six of which relate directly to food. He has written or edited books on ethnic cuisines, beer, and kitchenware, contributed to web sites, and helped create the bestselling series, Wine for Dummies. Ettlinger has appeared on "The Today Show," "ABC Nightline," "Good Morning America," "The Food Network," and dozens of other national, syndicated, and local television and radio shows. Ettlinger is an occasional contributor to the Huffington Post, and has written Op-Ed pieces for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Sun, among others.
