Third post/entry.
The third post/entry. Happy holidays.
So the office was abuzz last week with talk of Cornell’s latest investment in the health and wellbeing of its community. I refer, of course, to its line of nutritional supplements, conveniently packaged and available in locations across campus, designed for the sodium, fat and calorie deficient.
I can only assume that the products marketed and sold under the label ‘Fresh Direct’ are intended for a body of persons suffering from such a severe and rather lopsided variant of malnutrition. This would explain why an ostensibly simple item such as a turkey club wrap, the ingredients of which include turkey, bacon, mayonnaise, and wrap, can provide its consumer with a remarkable 99% of his or her daily sodium needs and 78% of his or her daily fat needs (48% saturated). To think, all that nutrition packed in an 840.5 calorie vessel. Cornell, I’m impressed. And I thought Plumpy’nut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy'nut) was the answer to the word’s hunger problems…
…In all seriousness, those who were in my presence last Wednesday can attest to the mental computational breakdown I suffered in attempting to process the notion that a single self-contained food item could contain so much salt. (I guess I’m naïve.) And in fact, that 99% is on the lower end of the spectrum. A subsequent trip to the library café revealed items with well over 100% of one’s daily sodium needs.
Furthermore, all this hullabaloo overshadowed the fact that my girlfriend bought a muffin from the campus store which was literally uncooked. The top was still batter, and not the tasty kind you save to eat after doing your own baking. Had we not been so engrossed in dissecting nutritional labels, I would like to think that I would have had the sense to take it back for a refund. As it is I didn’t think of doing so until I came out of the focused, semi-hypnotic state I was in a couple of days later. Actually, if this is all part of Cornell’s master plan to divert attention from its lack of good oven facilities, then my hat’s off to them. Otherwise, I’m somewhat speechless.
P.S. If you’re interested in seeing a scan of the actual, real-life label from the aforementioned turkey club wrap, please consult my colleague Cliff’s (tebing’s) blog, and maintain a seated position.
Update, ca. some time laterish: You can go to http://tebing.livejournal.com/83009.html for the scanned image.
So the office was abuzz last week with talk of Cornell’s latest investment in the health and wellbeing of its community. I refer, of course, to its line of nutritional supplements, conveniently packaged and available in locations across campus, designed for the sodium, fat and calorie deficient.
I can only assume that the products marketed and sold under the label ‘Fresh Direct’ are intended for a body of persons suffering from such a severe and rather lopsided variant of malnutrition. This would explain why an ostensibly simple item such as a turkey club wrap, the ingredients of which include turkey, bacon, mayonnaise, and wrap, can provide its consumer with a remarkable 99% of his or her daily sodium needs and 78% of his or her daily fat needs (48% saturated). To think, all that nutrition packed in an 840.5 calorie vessel. Cornell, I’m impressed. And I thought Plumpy’nut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy'nut) was the answer to the word’s hunger problems…
…In all seriousness, those who were in my presence last Wednesday can attest to the mental computational breakdown I suffered in attempting to process the notion that a single self-contained food item could contain so much salt. (I guess I’m naïve.) And in fact, that 99% is on the lower end of the spectrum. A subsequent trip to the library café revealed items with well over 100% of one’s daily sodium needs.
Furthermore, all this hullabaloo overshadowed the fact that my girlfriend bought a muffin from the campus store which was literally uncooked. The top was still batter, and not the tasty kind you save to eat after doing your own baking. Had we not been so engrossed in dissecting nutritional labels, I would like to think that I would have had the sense to take it back for a refund. As it is I didn’t think of doing so until I came out of the focused, semi-hypnotic state I was in a couple of days later. Actually, if this is all part of Cornell’s master plan to divert attention from its lack of good oven facilities, then my hat’s off to them. Otherwise, I’m somewhat speechless.
P.S. If you’re interested in seeing a scan of the actual, real-life label from the aforementioned turkey club wrap, please consult my colleague Cliff’s (tebing’s) blog, and maintain a seated position.
Update, ca. some time laterish: You can go to http://tebing.livejournal.com/83009.html for the scanned image.