pay your rent and eat it too... or something like that

We've all seen the signs, "$1 Value Meal." Great! What a bargain! Ok, so not really. Tom Philpott of Grist breaks it down for you here: "people are gaining weight and getting sick because unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food -- thanks in large part to federal policies."

Sweetness and Power If the USDA's food pyramid recommends two to five cups of fruits and vegetables per day, its budget -- mandated by Congress through the Farm Bill -- encourages different behavior altogether. Will the real food pyramid please stand up?

Cheap corn, underwritten by the subsidy program, has changed the diet of every American. It has allowed a few corporations -- including Archer Daniels Midland, the world's largest grain processor -- to create a booming market for high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS now accounts for nearly half of the caloric sweeteners added to processed food, and is the sole caloric sweetener for mass-market soft drinks.

According to Drewnowski and his student Pablo Monsivais, cheap and abundant additives such as HFCS allow manufacturers to sweeten food liberally without adding much to their production costs. For people on a tight budget, these additives can also make cheap food the most efficient way to get calories.

Ok, I'll stop there, I don't want to bog you down with all this information. However, I do encourage you to read the article. Stop playing Solitaire and do something productive at work today.

Now, on the reason for this post... Pay Rent and Eat Too? This was an article published yesterday by, yet again, Tom Philpott. The sparknotes version: it discusses the rising food prices and who will pay the cost.

With food on the brain, here's your weekly dose (by the way, I know a good whale stew recipe if your interested):

How about Brunch? Do you need a drink to wash this down? I do.

Champagne Eye-Opener

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup papaya juice
2 ounces Grand Marnier liqueur
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (750-ml) bottle good quality Brut sparkling wine or Champagne
8 strawberry halves, garnish

In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a tall pitcher, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract the juice. Add the papaya juice, Grand Marnier, and sugar, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate until well chilled. Add the sparkling wine to the pitcher and stir gently to mix. Pour into tall Champagne glasses and garnish each glass with a strawberry half. Serve immediately.