It may sound a bit nutty, but I think our food can speak to us while we eat it – if we listen.  A tomato in the dead of winter does not have much to say since it is out of season and being forced to be served when it is not meant to be.  A tomato at the peak of ripeness, has a lot to say – juicy, soft, sweet, visually appealing.  I like to “listen” to my food whenever possible.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a restaurant with some friends.  The restaurant advertised as serving locally grown, farm-to-plate food.  Right up my alley!  I was so excited . . . until the food came out.  Just about every item was covered in a heavy sauce and/or lots of cheese.  What?!?!? That was not how the items were listed on the menu.  Even more disturbing, I could not taste all the wonderful flavors of the locally grown, farm-to-plate produce due to the sauces and cheese.  I was so disappointed.

This came to mind again when we were in Paris. There, they really know how to let the food speak for itself. The chefs there listen to what the food has to say and how to get it to speak louder or even sing. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the appetizer I had of green beans. I ordered it because I wanted a vegetable, and I knew what it was on the menu. What arrived was totally unexpected. A pile of beautifully blanched green beans with sparks of sea salt and pepper. They had some olive oil on them, too, so they glistened in the light. They were already talking to me. Then, when I took a bite they were crisp, a hint of olive oil, a hint of balsamic vinegar, a bite of sea salt and pepper. Perfect! The green beans themselves would have been amazing, but the chef found a way to put a megaphone up to what they were saying with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. I had a similar experience with some asparagus a few days later.

Next time you sit down to eat, listen to your food and see what it is saying. Can that salad talk to you through all the dressing on it? If not, get the dressing on the side and see how little you can actually use. See what the salad is actually saying to you. Can you taste that bread or is all you taste butter? Challenge yourself to see how little butter you can use to get a hint of butter flavor while tasting the bread. Your food is talking, are you listening to what it is trying to tell you?

If you read the last blog you got a few ideas about how to think a little differently when you fill your plate at a buffet or all-you-can-eat restaurant. Today, we are going to talk more about buffets specifically and some concerns about the food on the buffet line.

First, a little food safety information. Foods that are supposed to be hot should be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods that should be cold, should be kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit are known as the “danger zone” because those are the temperatures where bacteria and other bugs thrive. These are the some of the things that can make us sick. (There are some foods that are OK at room temperature, but most should be kept out of the “danger zone.”) How do you know if food is at a good temperature? Well, you could carry a food thermometer around with you. But, realistically that isn’t going to happen. Is there steam coming off the food? Is the water under the trays steaming? Is the food hot when you sit down to eat it? For cold foods, are they cold when you sit down to eat them? If the food is not hot or cold enough, you are risking getting a food-borne illness.

The second part of a buffet to think about is how the food gets from the container to your plate. You use a spoon, fork, or tongs – right? Do you wash your hands before touching all of those utensils? Do you think everyone else who touched them did? How much dirt, grime, and bacteria do you think are on those utensils? When you touch them, all that stuff ends up on your hands and moves down the line with each utensil you touch. Then, what happens when that spoon handle slips into the Kung Pao chicken? You got it, all the things on the handle – dirt, grime and bacteria – go into the food. Yum!

I love fruit. Often, the fruit at buffets is beautiful! However, someone gets the bright idea of putting the tongs on top of the beautiful mound of fruit. Where have those tongs been? Maybe they fell on the floor when someone didn’t get them back on the mound of fruit just right. There are the same issues with tongs as with the other utensils. All the things from people’s hands, and maybe the floor, end up on the fruit. Yeah, I’ll take some fruit.

Am I against buffets? No, as long as the food is kept at temperature. There is not much you can do about utensils. However, I try to take food from the back of the pan (hopefully there is less bacteria there), and from places where I think the tongs have not been if tongs are used. I had what we think was salmonella once. Once was enough. I don’t want to experience it again which motivates me to be conscious about food safety issues at home and when I eat out.

Next time you go to a buffet look and see if the food is hot or cold. If not, you might think about finding a different place to go. If it is, let them know you appreciate their hard work to keep it that way.

This is the first part of a two part set of newsletters on Buffets.

To set the stage for today’s email, here are a couple of stories. . . .

Story 1: My husband used to work with someone whose in-laws and family have their “buffet pants.” Yes, you read that right – “buffet pants.” They have pants with draw strings (AKA rip cords) they can release to give their stomachs room when they go to a buffet.

Story 2: Another group of friends went on a week-long cruise. When they came back and we were looking at the pictures, you could put them in order by how much weight the men had gained through the trip (I think about 10 pounds each). They hit the buffets constantly.

To continue. . . .Buffets and “all you can eat” restaurants should not be seen as a challenge to see how much you can actually stuff in your body. I know, I know. . . the more you eat, the less the total per serving cost. Honestly though, for most of us that is not what it should be about. We should be thinking about fueling our bodies in a manner that makes us feel good – not so stuffed we can’t move or need a “rip cord” so our pants fit.

The next time you go to a buffet, here are a few ideas to try:

1. Do not put food to the edges of the plate. Leave at least a one or two inch edge around the entire plate.
2. Do not stack food higher than an inch on your plate.
3. If the plate is platter sized, go down the line and see if there are smaller plates and bowls you can use for your food and use the platter as a tray. Remember, servings look tiny on a large plate.
4. Fill you plate from items early in the line. Usually, salads and lighter fare are first. If not, then feel free to skip down further. But, if the first items are salads and vegetables, put some on your plate (and remember rules 1 and 2 – they still apply).
5. Do not put dessert on your plate on the first trip (unless it is fruit and follows the same rules as above).
6. Before going back for a second trip or for dessert, wait at least 10 minutes. Then, ask yourself, “How am I feeling? Am I still hungry? How full am I?” If you feel full, stop. If you keep eating, you will be uncomfortable and all those extra calories will settle in for the long haul.

Actually, these ideas work for any meal – whether eaten at home or out. Numbers 1 and 2 in particular are always good to follow.

If a buffet or “all you can eat” restaurant are in your future, I hope you keep these ideas in mind.

Next week. . . “Do You Know Where Those Tongs Have Been? Buffets Part Two”