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Random Thoughts - Food For Thought

- John Nehrich '72

Revised 11/05/06
    The following are more of my random thoughts, relating to food. These do NOT reflect the official ideas of the Mueller Center, the Student Union, or RPI in general.

Yes, We Have Some Bananas

    The banana is one of nature's perfect foods. It is sweet, full of potassium, non-fat, and easy to digest. Sometimes when I'm walking, I like to get a snack. There are plenty of packaged snack foods, mostly ones high in fat and refined sugar or salt. If I go into the produce section of a grocery store, there aren't many choices. Some fruits, like oranges and tangerines, are hard to peel and leave your hands sticky afterwards. Others, like apples, pears, etc., I don't want to eat unless I can wash first. Thus I don't get either since there isn't anyplace handy to wash my hands and/or the piece of fruit.

    The banana is the one exception. It is easy to peel and isn't too juicy.

    My grandmother used to refer to the little brown spots on a banana as "sugar spots". To me, that is when the banana is at the peak of ripeness, although everyone else seems to think they are overripe and should be thrown away. (I think this could be changed by a new marketing strategy. At one point, tuna was called "horse mackerel" and no one ate it. They changed the name to "tuna" and it has become the most popular fish. If they promoted spotted bananas as sugar-spotted, and maybe even raised the price a little, people might consider this condition as desirable.)

    Another thing to do with bananas is to freeze them. You need to peel the banana as the skin turns black and it is hard to peel when frozen. You can wrap the banana in aluminum foil or a baggie. A frozen banana tastes exactly like ice cream. It is incredible. (I like bananas so much I can't wait for them to freeze, but trust me, these are really good.)

Baby Yourself

    My sister Helen suggested this idea, having raised two children of her own. Baby Food is simply regular food, that has been cooked and strained. You can get all sorts of fruits and vegetables that are 100% pure, no added salt or sugar. (They do tend to taste a little bland without the salt, so you might want to add a pinch.) They are single-servings, good for a person living by themselves, cheap, have a long long shelf life, and don't need refrigeration (so you can keep them in your dorm room or take them camping).

    The best use is to add them to other foods. For instance, if you are heating up soup, stir in some baby food carrots, or add them to dips, or tuna salad, or . . . This is a good way to get your servings of vegetables. The stained fruits can be added to plain or flavored yogurt, or mix in a little sugar, honey, or sweet-n-low, and pour it over ice cream, waffles, french toast, etc.

    The hardest thing is buying these. On my first attempt, the cashier asked me how old my child was. I didn't want to admit they were for me, but I hadn't looked at the containers to see the recommended age, so I quickly made up a story I was buying these for a friend. I e-mailed Gerber suggesting they could market these to a whole new segment of the population by suggesting these as suitable for adults, too. This would remove the stigma of buying these if you don't have children. After all, Johnson & Johnson has successfully marketed their baby shampoo to adults. (Gerber wasn't impressed!)

Health Food Stores

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as to either what is or should be on this website,
or the Mueller Center in general, please let us know.

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Phone: 276-2874
Fax: 276-2817
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