Pete(r)

“Want some gum?” I asked Ella. “What IS gum, anyway?” was her reply. Thus, here is a careful study of what’s in MY gum, as featured on the back of my 12-piece of ‘Cinnamon Tingle‘ flavored Trident White.

SORBITOL:Although this is produced naturally by the body and some fruits, in this case we’re talking about an artificial sweetener, ingesting large amounts of which can lead to some abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea. Sorbitol can also aggravate irritable bowel syndrome and fructose malabsorption.

GUM BASE: According to the US FDA’s “Code of Federal Regulation”, ‘gum base’ is a non-nutritive masticatory substance (ie: you chew it but don’t eat it). This is the bread of the sandwich that is gum. It holds all the flavors, breath fresheners, and everything else in place, and maintains its elasticity and chewiness. When you chew gum for way too long, you’re pretty much left with only this. But what is it? According to wikipedia:
The exact composition of gum bases is usually a trade secret, but common ingredients can be latexes (eg. leche, caspi, sorva, nispero, tunu, jelutong, or chicle, which is still commercially produced), paraffin wax or beeswax, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, stearic acid, and various natural gums.
Yum. Wax and rubber.

MALTITOL: This sugar alcohol, like the aforementioned sorbitol, also can have laxative effect and often can cause gas and/or bloating.

NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING: Vaguely worded and mysterious. In this case, this probably refers to cinnamaldehyde, the chemical compound that makes cinnamon taste like cinnamon. Traditionally derived from the bark of cinnamon trees, it can also be synthesized chemically.

MANNITOL: Another sugar alcohol,this one also produces the ‘cooling effect’, becasue it has negative heat of solution, meaning it absorbs heat when dissolving. Plus, in larger doses, it’s ALSO a laxative!

We next move on to the ‘Less Than 2% Of’ section:

ACACIA: That’s right, the same tree they used to build the ark of the covenant is used as an ingredient in my gum.

ACESULFAME POTASSIUM: Also sometimes referred to by the devious code name ‘Ace K’, it’s the flavoring that gives Diet Rite its kick.

BHT: Possibly the scariest inredient in the list, butylated hydroxytoluene is followed by an apology of sorts. After BHT in the ingredients list, is the parenthetic “(TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS)”. It seems like they know it’s bad, and they’re sheepishly trying to defend the inclusion of an ingredient that is banned in Japan, and that even McDonald’s stopped using in the ’80s.

CALCIUM CASEIN PEPTONE-CALCIUM PHOSPHATE:
Yeah, that’s one long ingredient. This “lactose-free milk derivative” is generally recognized as safe by the FDA, and seems to be the ‘whitening’ aspect of Trident White, which claims to whiten teeth and help prevent stains. It’s hard to find information on CCP-CP, becasue the only hits google comes up with are lists of the ingredients in this particular gum.

CANDELILLA WAX: From the stalks of my favorite shrubby spurge, comes this multipurpose wax. This is pretty much the most natural ingredient in the whole batch.

SODIUM STEARATE: The sodium salt of stearic acid and a major component of soap. Soap?

SOY LECITHIN: Also known as phosphatidylcholine, is added as an emulsifier, meaning it stabilizes the mixture of two or more substances that would normally not mix. It’s also is an integral part of cell membranes, and can be totally metabolized, so it is virtually non-toxic to humans.

SUCRALOSE: The chemical name for Splenda, a non-nutritive sweetener. This is basically a chlorinated form of sugar, which makes it approximately 500 times sweeter (seriously), but also raises some health concerns.

and finally

TITANIUM DIOXIDE: Also known as titania, is the pigment ‘Titanium White’, as seen on The Joy of Painting, and in toothpastes and tatoos everywhere.

So to sum up:
Laxative, Wax/Rubber, Laxative, Cinnamon-Flavored Oil, Cooling Laxative, Tree, Sweetener, Poison (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), Milk, Wax, Soap, Um…Lecithin, Splenda and White Paint.

A recent conversation with friends and a recent news article have inspired me to comment on the current milk situation.

Most milk available in stores today is homogenized. All of it is pasteurized. You’ve seen those two words on milk cartons all your life, and probably never paid them much thought. Some people do. Some people care about it enough to circumvent the law, exploiting loopholes and in some cases resorting to the tactics of prohibition-era bootleggers.

Homogenization, from the greek ‘homos’ meaning ’same’ and ‘genos’ meaning kind, is the act of blending diverse elements into a uniform mixture. When applied to milk, it describes the process by which the milk is forced, at high pressure, through a system of valves or nozzles, in order to break down the milkfat particles and distribute them evenly throughout the milk. Non-homogenized milk, when left standing, will separate into cream and skim milk (so called because it’s what’s left after the cream is skimmed off). Both are still drinkable, and all it takes to undo this separation is a good shaking, so why would a dairy company care enough to put forth the extra effort ? Originally, milk was homogenized in order to extend shelf life. When the fat is broken down and evenly distributed, it takes a few days longer for the milk to go bad. Keeping the milk on the shelf for a week or two longer increases profits dramatically. Also, the process became standard in a time when milk was primarily shipped and sold in clear glass bottles, and homogenization yields a more uniform, eye-pleasing milk, which also increased sales.

When milk is pasteurized (a process named after its developer, French scientist Louis Pasteur), it is subjected to high temperatures for short periods of time, killing off most of the naturally occuring micro-organisms (yeasts, molds, bacteria) which makes the milk more stable for distribution and consumption. Originally championed by department store giant Nathan Straus (part of the ‘& Co.’ in the famous R.H. Macy & Co. [Macy’s], and the Straus of Abraham & Straus [A&S], now a division of Macy’s), pasteurization was an effective deterrent to the rampant spread of tuberculosis around the turn of the (20th) century. Despite initial reluctance, it gradually became accepted, then later required by law.

On the surface, these both seem like good things to do to milk. But just as 19th century science led us to the discovery of harmful bacteria, modern technology has raised some questions about the benefits of these procedures. The growing ‘Raw Milk’ movement is composed of people who believe in the nutritional value of unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk. In addition to killing the harmful micro-organisms (most of which are non-existent in today’s sterile dairy farms), pasteurization kills the beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus), vitamins (C, B12, B6), and enzymes (lactase) found in raw milk, making it less healthy and harder to digest. Also, while raw milk will turn sour (sour cream), then ferment (cheese, yogurt) and still be healthy, the absence of natural bacteria turns pasteurized milk into an undrinkable poison after a few days. Homogenization, on the other hand, possibly represents a greater danger. According to some studies, the process makes the milkfat particles small enough that they pass, undigested, into the bloodstream, leading to heart disease. Interestingly, consumption of dairy fats has actually decreased since the 1930s and the advent of homogenization, while heart disease and heart attack deaths have increased dramatically.

Dairy companies, however, benefit not only from the increased profits of these procedures, but it allows them to raise cows (mainly Holstein cows, which produce a higher volume of lower-grade milk than the traditional Jersey or Guernsey cows) and harvest milk under less safe, less humane conditions. Harmful contaminants introduced by sick cows or dirty equipment will later be neutralized by the pasteurization process. This, in turn, allows them to promote their methods as vital for maintaining a safe milk output (which in their case, is sadly true). The government then requires this expensive procedure, which benefits dairy conglomerate, and hinders the small, independent dairy farmer.

While non-homogenized milk is rare but available in some stores, unpasteurized milk sales are illegal in all but three US states. There are, as I mentioned, loopholes. Some farms, through rigorous testing and licensing, are certified by their state to sell raw milk only directly from their farm. In other areas, people buy into ‘cow-share’ programs, where they pool together money to buy and maintain a cow, whose milk they are then legally entitled to.

Raw milk’s opponents and proponents both claim to be looking out for the public health, and both have valid points (ie: both tuberculosis and heart attacks are bad). Regardless of which has more health benefits and which is more potentially lethal, buying unprocessed, natural food or drink shouldn’t be illegal.

Just a few brief explanations of the meanings of pasta shapes:
(I wrote this a few weeks ago, but just got around to posting it today)

The word “fettuccine” is a diminutive, plural form of the word “fettucia”, which means “ribbon”, making fettuccine=little ribbons. But further dissection reveals that the word “fettucia” is itself most likely a diminutive form of the word “fetta”, meaning slice, making ribbons ‘little slices’, and fettuccine=tiny little slices.

The word “manica” is Italian for “sleeve”. A “little sleeve”, used to describe a muff, or handwarmer, is a “manicotto”, several of them would be “manicotti”.

Nobody believes me when I tell them that the singular of “spaghetti” is “spaghetto”. But it is. “Spaghetto” is a diminutive form of “spago”, meaning “string” “twine”, or “cord”. So spaghetti are literally little strings.

“Lasanon” is what the Greeks called a chamber pot. But the word also describes a similar type of pot used for cooking, and sometimes the food cooked in it. Later, the Romans adapted the word into their language as “lasanum”, describing their own version of the cooking pot, and “lasania” means “of the cooking pot”. Hence, lasagna.

“Citto”, meaning “boy”, evolved into the word “zito”, meaning “bridegroom”. Ziti, before it is cut for cooking, is a round tube about a foot long, which was apparently thought to resemble certain…ummm… attributes of “bridegrooms”.

Recently, I saw something advertized with “polyurethane construction” used as a selling point. Who’s the target market for that pitch? Are there people out there who are swayed by this? I, for one, would be less likely to buy something that touted its polymer origin, especially when it sounds kinda like it may involve wee-wee. I mean what the hell IS polyurethane?

According to Wikipedia, “A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links”. So, polyurethane is a urethane polymer. Easy enough. Now what exactly is this “Urethane”? Sticking with Wikipedia, we learn that it is “The specific compound (NH2*COOC2H5). This ethyl ester is a white crystalline substance produced by the action of ammonia on ethyl carbonate or by heating urea nitrate and ethyl alcohol.”

Wait a minute. Urea? That doesn’t just sound like urine, that IS urine, isn’t it?

Yes, mostly. When the body breaks down amino acids for energy, it also creates water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia. Since ammonia is toxic, the liver converts it into a non-toxic compound called urea, which then gets eliminated as the main organic component of urine.

Currently, they don’t actually extract urea from urine, but they used to. It was extracted from the liquid waste of humans and dogs from its discovery in 1773 until 1828. That’s when scientist Friedrich Wohler, trying to make something else entirely, mixed silver cyanate and ammonium chloride, accidently producing urea. This marked the first time that an organic compund, a product of living creatures, had been artificially created using inorganic materials, thus effectively putting an end to “vitalism” (the belief that living creatures were made of special stuff that had life built-in), and gave birth to the field of organic chemistry.

The idea of synthetic urine may sound gross, but urea is everywhere. Chances are you’ve already come into contact with urea in some form today. It’s not only omnipresent in its urethane and polyurethane forms, it’s also one of the world’s most popular fertilizers, it’s sometimes added to cigarettes as a flavor enhancer, used as a browning agent in factory-produced pretzels, it’s a by-product ingredient of wine and other fermented beverages, and it often substitutes for rock salt in de-icing roads and runways.

Every once in a while, I wonder what somebody’s name means.

What it really means, not just what it brings to mind. If I were to ask what you think of when I say “Brad Pitt”, you would probably start cycling through mental images of Tyler Durden, Jeffrey Goines, or even Frank Harris. But what did “Brad Pitt” mean before he became an actor? Before the Brad Pitt that we all know was born?

Brad Pitt was born “William Bradley Pitt”, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. William is an anglicisation of the old Germanic name “Wilhelm”, a combination of the Norman words “wil” (meaning will or desire) and “helm” (meaning helmet or protection). Desire helmet, eh? Doesn’t really say much about him. No wonder he ditched it. (Maybe his parents, like Wade Boggs, were just fans of Pitt the Elder.)

“Bradley”, the long-form of his chosen name, was originally an Old English surname meaning “Broad Meadow”, indicating that its bearers came from said meadow. Over the years, it’s turned into quite a popular first name. The first half of the word, conveniently, translates into the first half of the meaning, so in the OE, “brad” = “broad” or “wide”.

Now how about that last name? “Pitt”, reflecting his Anglo-Saxon pedigree, is once again an Old English word, one that suffered a lot less in the evolution from old English to new. “Pitt” means “pit” or “hole”, indicating that his ancestors were burrowers of some sort.

So if a citizen of the 10th century somehow was unfrozen after a millennium, and he saw that one of our most popular movie stars was a guy named “Wide Hole”, he’d probably laugh so hard that he’d spit mead all over his copy of Beowulf.