Eat Arkansas

Someone, anyone, please tell me how the picture above qualifies as seafood. Please. The only item on the platter that doesn't appear to be fired is the pointless curly parsley and that thing that resembles bread.

The process of frying is devestating to the nutritional value seafood has to offer- not that shrimp or crab legs are high in nutritional value in the first place- too fatty.

Where are the vegetables? There is nothing, I repeat nothing, that is fresh or appealing, about eating a plate like that to me. Two bites in and I would be suffering stomach pains without a doubt.

And what's more- WHY, again, does everything have to come served on a platter? Huh? Since when is a platter fit for ONE PERSON? Who is this person? Whatever happened to the idea that you eat food based on what your body needs at that particular moment and stop when you've had just enough? Eat in small quantities- be a friend to your body and your metabolism! Does anyone in the food industry, anywhere in this state, or particularly in the South even remotely understand the definition of the word M-O-D-E-R-A-T-I-O-N???????

Ugh- fried food. Probably the worst culinary trait of the South- total and complete sh*t for your body.

Courtesy of CBS News:

"Combating Southern Fried Fat"

DECATUR, Ga., Feb. 14, 2005

(AP) When Becky Cleaveland is out with her girlfriends, they all pick at salads except for the petite Atlanta woman. She tackles "The Hamdog."

The dish, a specialty of Mulligan's, a suburban bar, is a hot dog wrapped by a beef patty that's deep fried, covered with chili, cheese and onions and served on a hoagie bun. Oh yeah, it's also topped with a fried egg and two fistfuls of fries.

"The owner says I'm the only girl who can eat a whole one without flinching," Cleaveland said proudly.

Amid a national obesity epidemic and the South's infamous distinction as the "Stroke Belt," health officials have been trying to get diners to flinch, at least a little, at the region's trademark fried and fatty foods.

But nutritionists have found it's hard to teach an old region new tricks. How can Southerners give up delicious staples like fried chicken, fried seafood, fried green tomatoes and cornbread slathered in butter?

Even at the Atlanta headquarters of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leader of the nation's anti-obesity campaign, the cafeteria serves up such artery-clogging regional favorites as biscuits and gravy.

CDC nutritionist Annie Carr said the agency is working to get its house in order by pushing the cafeteria to serve popular foods in healthy ways. The broader goals of the anti-obesity campaign are to educate people to cook with less fat and sugar and to promote the idea of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

And for the South, that doesn't mean vegetables and greens flavored with bacon and meat drippings.

"I don't think anything is wrong with the kind of vegetables we eat in the South - it's the way they are prepared," said former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, the interim president of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, who grew up eating traditional Southern staples on a farm in Alabama. "We need more fruits and vegetables in our diet."

Health officials' concerns with healthy eating in the South date back to 1962, when the CDC noted a large concentration of counties with high stroke death rates in the coastal states of North and South Carolina and Georgia. More than three decades later, the high stroke rates in that region seem to have shifted west to counties along the Mississippi River Delta.

Health officials have spent thousands of dollars on grants to promote healthy eating, including sending nutritionists into community centers and churches. The food experts introduce healthier cooking practices, such as alternatives to frying and methods that reduce the fat in gravy and sauces. But those efforts have found resistance from some cooks who say the healthier recipes alter the taste of their dishes.

"Flavor is a big issue - when you modify Southern cooking, then you lose a lot of the flavor," said Laurita Burley, a clinical nutrition instructor at the Morehouse School of Medicine. "The reputation of the Southern cook is at risk when you begin to modify it."

Much of the South's traditional foods date back to the days of slavery. Frying was preferable in the region's hot climate, since it didn't take as long as baking and didn't heat up a house as much. Plus, Burley said, workers didn't have all day to prepare meals; they had to get back into the fields to work. Lard was also plentiful. Today, frying still is popular, especially in poor areas of the South, because it is also inexpensive.

While it's quick, easy and adds flavor, frying loads ordinarily healthy foods with calories and fat.

"One of the common things in the South is that you fry everything," said Dr. Nicholas Lang, chief of staff of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock. "It's a major grease-transport mechanism - there's no idea how much calories you get when you get that."

Other research has found that frying, grilling and smoking certain foods can cause chemical reactions within the food that can increase the risk of cancer.

"The best advice is to fry less and to eat their meat medium rather than well-done - and do like their momma said and add vegetables," said Lang, also a professor of surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Back at Mulligan's in Decatur, owner Chandler Goff is quick to point out that the bar also offers healthy alternatives, such as salads and sandwiches that aren't deep-fried.

But he acknowledged that the "Hamdog" and the "Luther Burger," a bacon-cheeseburger served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut bun, are what draw attention.

As for Cleaveland, she says she doesn't think about cholesterol. "I probably should, but I do not. I'm only 25, maybe later." For now, she's able to maintain her 5-foot-7, 115-pound physique without regular exercise.

Regardless of age, Lang doesn't recommend the Hamdog, even as a one-time snack.

"If you choke that down, you might as well find a heart surgeon because you are going to need one."

By Daniel Yee
©MMV The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

To each his own. I thought it was mighty tasty. More than I could eat in one sitting, sure, but hey -- leftovers are also a good thing.

Actually, Jen, done correctly (right temperature, right cooking time, etc) frying shouldn't add any more fat to a dish than, say sauteeing. As long as there is enough water in the food to keep an equilibrium with the fat on the outside, the fat can't get into the food. Alton Brown on Good Eats does a good job of explaining this in the "Fry Hard" episode.

Shrimp, crab and fish are actually low in fat, but shellfish can be higher in cholesterol per ounce than other meats. Still, they're not horrible for you.

EY

My bad. I was thinking of cholesterol levels, particularly in shrimp, that were high. Thanks for the correction. And yes, I think there are ways to fry foods that aren't detrimental to your health- but I think the picture above is probably not an example of that.

And to Kat, of course to each their own. I just don't think fried seafood platters are worth promoting anywhere to anyone- strictly in terms of health and proper dieting. I think there are very few (are there any?) benefits to eating fried food. Period. I would also argue that any nutritionist or doctor would agree.

And while we're on the subject, I'll put this on the table for the sake of argument.

Taste vs. Health?

I'm sure, to some, that the aforementioned fried cholesterol explosion was "mighty tasty," but how can anyone argue, even for a fraction of a second, that there is any justifiable reason to eat fried food other than "it tastes good?" I realize it's easier said than done, and I love tasty food just as much as the next person- but I draw the line if my conscience screams out in objection. I refuse to subject my body to harmful foods as part of my regular diet. And believe me, my body refuses to accept it. I refuse fried food, fast food, chain restaurants and I almost always pass on dessert (and if I don't, I only eat a few bites- because my body doesn't NEED it). Food, for all purposes, is meant to promote and sustain life- to be a positive source of energy for the body. No one can make the logical argument that as a society, we're eating right- much less endorsing an appropriate, healthful food life style. And it's particularly. noticeable in the south. It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to learn how to cook for yourself or educate yourself about WHY you should maintain a proper diet. It's the desire (to do so) that is often lacking.

So what's more important? Something that tastes impossibly good or something that does your body good? Why not strive for both?

All a matter of perspective I suppose...if you don't like fried food, then so be it.

Me? I try to limit it to moderate amounts...get in my veggies...exercise in spurts.

But you know what...something's going to get me in the end. It might be my eating habits...some genetic disease...or I could get hit by a Frito Lay truck. I'd rather take my chances and enjoy the occassional seafood platter and chocolate cake along the way!

Whoa. Can JenJens lecture!

What? Me? I have never had an opinion in my life.

I attended a cooking class the other night where fish fillets were lightly fried. It was probably the first fried food I had eaten since after a funeral out in the country years ago where wads of fried chicked was cranked out by an armada of church ladies. It occured to me that I have lost my taste for fried foods despite having been raised on them.

Jen Jen needs to take a chill pill. Honey, is it time to up the medication? Moon just a little too full for you? Its just a food blog.