Costco's Iconic Hot Dog

Around lunch time there are customers who come into Costco just for the hot dog. The hot dog and soda combination costs $1.50, the same price when it was first introduced in 1984. While the direct cost of the material ingredients could possibly be less than $1.50, Costco undoubtedly experiences a loss once one includes Food Court labor, utilities, and the capital cost of the equipment and space.

Instead of a cost-based approach, the Chronicle estimates what the price would be if it had merely kept up with inflation:

What’s still a $1.50 hot dog and soda would be setting you back well over twice as much: $3.96.

..The $1.50 hot dog deal is more about marketing than money-making, said Martha Gimbel, the executive director of the Yale Budget Lab.

“There’s so much that is changing right now in our world. Everything feels very uncertain. It sounds kind of silly, but you can rely on the fact that Costco has a hot dog for $1.50,” she said...

It’s still a soda and a hot dog, but the dog is now made by Kirkland Signature instead of Hebrew National. They were first sold at carts, then in an area dubbed “Cafe 150” (named for the price), though it’s now just known as “the Costco food court.”

At one point, the food court sodas at Costco came in cans from vending machines, but Costco switched to fountain soda to save money....And this summer, the retailer shifted from Pepsi back to Coke in yet another cost-saving move.

Even at $3.96 I would still buy the combo, but the $1.50 hot dog and $4.99 rotisserie chicken have become iconic. They're also a lifeline to those on a shoestring budget, so kudos to Costco for holding fast.

Zippy's

I'm only frustrating myself when I open
the App in Zippy-less California.

It's not gourmet, but it serves local favorites late into the evening and when it opens at 6 a.m. [bold added]

The takeout and dine-in menu is large and varied — with everything from spaghetti to plate lunches, chili and burgers — and regulars usually have a go-to dish.

Bruno Mars’ favorite is the “Korean chicken plate with a small chili with rice,” according to a 50th anniversary publication. Jason Momoa recently proclaimed Zippy’s has the “best fried chicken in the world.” Former President Barack Obama likes the Zip Min, a bowl of saimin with wontons, char siu, fish cake and breaded shrimp.

I usually order the Zip Pac, containing one piece of fried chicken, Spam, breaded fish and a slice of marinated teriyaki beef over furikake-seasoned rice.

There are two Zippy's--one next to my father's high school, McKinley, and one on Kapahulu Ave.--within walking distance of my parent's home. I go to Zippy's two or three times on each trip home. It's time to book a flight.....

Blue News

Wild pigs near South San Jose (Mulligan/Merc)

Wild pigs are causing increasing damage, but one obvious solution--hunting and eating them--carries risks: [bold added]

A wildlife trapper in Monterey County made an unexpected discovery after capturing a series of wild pigs in March of this year. While processing the animals, the trapper found several with blue-tinged muscles and fat tissues. The bizarre discoloration is a result of exposure to diphacinone, an anticoagulant rodenticide that is often dyed to identify it as a poison, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In an email to SFGATE, Fish and Wildlife pesticide investigations coordinator Ryan Bourbour said that the trapper observed the wild pigs eating directly from rodenticide bait stations. The scope of the contamination appears extensive across the southern part of Monterey County and along the Salinas River, according to KSBW-TV.

...While California banned diphacinone for most uses in January 2024, agricultural operations have exemptions due to their pest control needs. That loophole has broad ecologic implications. A 2018 statewide study found rodenticide residues in 8.3% of wild pig tissue samples — and in an alarming 83% of bear samples — mainly in animals frequenting agricultural zones. Wildlife officials warn that this contamination can ripple through the food chain, since wildlife can be inadvertently consuming poisoned prey.

After confirming the presence of diphacinone in the liver and stomach contents of wild pigs with blue tissues, Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Health Laboratory is advising hunters to not consume meat from any animals showing discoloration. Visible signs aren’t always reliable, however. “As demonstrated by findings of exposure in nongame animals, the discoloration is not always present and is not a reliable indicator of AR [anticoagulant rodenticide] residues in meat,” the 2018 study said.

Diphacinone is already in the food chain and we can't always trust visual inspection to reveal its presence through the tell-tale blue. Wild pig will be off our menu for the foreseeable future.

Lucky Leaves But We May Have Lucked Out

The former Lucky location has been vacant since April 29, 2025

During the 40+ years we have lived in Foster City the Edgewater Place Shopping Center has always had a supermarket, first Alpha Beta, then Lucky Market, then Albertsons, and finally Lucky again. There never was a vacancy during these changeovers, however, because all the aforementioned stores are brands owned by or related to Save Mart Companies. Over the last several years Save Mart has been closing Bay Area stores that it calls "underperforming," which include Lucky's in Fremont, Millbrae, and Foster City.

The Foster City store, less than a 15 minute walk from our house, has been vacant since April 29th. Many of us had "there goes the neighborhood" fears, because having empty storefronts is a strong predictor of blight. But we were overly worried.

Osaka Fremont (Mehta/Chronicle)

The Osaka Marketplace is moving in.

A Japanese specialty grocery store is expanding with a new Bay Area location, becoming the most recent entry in a flurry of Asian supermarket openings in the region.

Osaka Marketplace has signed a lease in Foster City at the Edgewater Place Shopping Center. The location is the vacant 35,000-square-foot space at 919 Edgewater Blvd., where a Lucky supermarket previously operated. The incoming retailer is best known for its selection of Japanese and Asian goods, as well as fresh seafood and prepared foods.

The store is slated to open in November. This will be Osaka Marketplace’s third Bay Area location, with its other stores located in Fremont and Pleasant Hill. The company is currently working to expand in Northern California and Arizona.

The 123,000-square-foot Edgewater Place is currently in the middle of a capital improvement program to refresh its common areas and parking lot, among other amenities. The shopping plaza has attracted a variety of Asian dining options such as Chinese restaurant Rickshaw Corner, Yemeni Coffee house Sana’a Cafe and Ritha Indian Restaurant.

“We’re thrilled to join the Foster City community and bring our authentic Japanese grocery experience to Edgewater Place,” Osaka Marketplace owner Kazuhiro Takeda said in a statement. “From fresh produce and seafood to prepared meals and pantry staples, we’re looking forward to serving the community and celebrating the tastes and traditions of the neighborhood we now call home.”

The incoming store is located not far from San Mateo, known for its Japanese American heritage. It’s also the latest in a wave of Asian specialty supermarkets across the Bay Area that looks to satiate ever-increasing demand, as seen in the recent opening of the Korean grocery store Jagalchi at Daly City’s Serramonte Center, which drew hourslong lines. Future Asian grocery store arrivals include Tokyo Central at Emeryville’s Bay Street mall, T&T at San Jose’s Westgate Center and the long-anticipated H Mart in Dublin.

It's difficult for shopping centers to replace long-term anchor tenants who leave because they're experiencing profitability problems--look at San Francisco. It's even rarer to have a tenant upgrade. Foster City may have lucked out.

A Cool Name, But That's All

At the old India Cash and Carry, 2013

When the Charter Square shopping center was demolished to make way for the Beach Park Elementary School, only two tenants were viable enough to relocate, the Foster City post office and the India Cash and Carry. In their new quarters close to City Hall. Foster City's sole post office in our town of 30,000 residents has a captive audience, while India Cash and Carry caters to the burgeoning South Asian population of tech and medical personnel.

"Cash and carry" evokes a simpler, 19th century way of doing business, where obligations are settled on the spot with cash and the goods are carried out, not delivered. Of course, the business doesn't operate like that at all with credit cards being the primary payment mechanism and delivery options readily available.

Nevertheless, the name sounds cool.

This Game Ain’t Worth the Candle

Joey Chestnut holds a lot of hot dogs (Gray/Getty/Mercury News)

It wouldn't be a Fourth of July without Nathan's hot dog eating contest. The victor was multiple winner Joey Chestnut:

Famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest after after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle in New York for the coveted Mustard Belt.

Chestnut, 41, consumed 70½ hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, falling short of his record of 76 wieners and buns set on July 4, 2021. It marked the 17th win in 20 appearances for the Westfield, Indiana, eater at the internationally televised competition, which he missed in 2024 over a contract dispute.

“I wish I ate a couple more. Sorry guys,” a smiling Chestnut told the crowd, many chanting his name. “I’ll be back next year.”

Defending champion in the women’s division, Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won her 11th title, downing 33 dogs, besting a dozen competitors. Last year, she ate a record 51 links.

Your humble blogger would feel ill if he ate more than two hot dogs, which raises the question: Is participating in Nathan’s hot dog eating contest harmful to one's health? Grok's answer:

Participating in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest can pose health risks due to the extreme nature of competitive eating. Here’s a breakdown of potential concerns based on available information:

Short-Term Risks:

Choking and Aspiration: Consuming large quantities of food rapidly, like 60-70 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, increases the risk of choking or inhaling food particles, which can lead to asphyxiation or aspiration pneumonia. Posts on X have mentioned concerns about choking during such events.

Gastric Distress: Overloading the stomach can cause nausea, vomiting, or even gastric rupture in rare cases. The stomach may stretch beyond its normal capacity, leading to discomfort or injury.

Electrolyte Imbalances: Rapid intake of high-sodium hot dogs (about 700-800 mg sodium per hot dog) can disrupt electrolyte balance, potentially causing hyponatremia (low sodium levels) if paired with excessive water intake, as noted in discussions about competitive eating risks.

Cardiovascular Strain: The high fat and sodium content (a typical hot dog has ~14g fat and ~500-800mg sodium) consumed in large quantities can spike blood pressure and stress the heart, especially during intense physical exertion.

Long-Term Risks:

Digestive System Damage: Repeatedly stretching the stomach and esophagus may weaken muscles or lead to conditions like gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) or esophageal tears. Some sources suggest competitive eaters train to expand stomach capacity, which can alter normal digestive function over time.

Metabolic Issues: Frequent consumption of high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sodium foods during training and competition may contribute to obesity, heart disease, or diabetes, especially if not balanced with a healthy lifestyle. A 2020 study on competitive eating noted elevated cholesterol levels in some participants post-event.

Nutritional Deficiencies: Focusing on contest foods can lead to poor dietary habits, lacking essential nutrients from a balanced diet.

Mitigating Factors:

Competitive eaters often train extensively, conditioning their bodies to handle large food volumes, which may reduce some risks. For example, they practice techniques to relax the stomach or manage swallowing.

Top competitors like Joey Chestnut are often in good physical health otherwise, suggesting that occasional participation by trained individuals may not always lead to severe harm.

Context from Sources:

Web sources, like posts on X, highlight public fascination with the contest but also concern about health impacts, with some calling it “gluttony” or questioning long-term effects.

No direct studies on Nathan’s contestants exist, but general research on competitive eating (e.g., a 2018 article in Gastroenterology) notes the body’s resilience but warns of potential for acute injury or chronic digestive issues.

Conclusion:

Participating in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest carries notable short-term risks like choking, gastric distress, and electrolyte imbalances, with potential long-term effects on digestive and metabolic health. Trained competitors may mitigate some dangers, but the extreme nature of the event makes it inherently risky. For most people, the health costs likely outweigh the benefits of participation. If you’re considering competing, consulting a doctor and training carefully would be critical.Disclaimer: Grok is not a doctor; please consult one. Don't share information that can identify you.

if watching a sport where no one is injured on a play still makes me wince, then that sport is not for me.

Chicken of Choice

(Chronicle photo)

When Boston Chicken (later Boston Market) introduced rotisserie chicken to the masses in the late 1980's, we were frequent patrons of its restaurants. In 1994 Costco began selling a whole rotisserie chicken for $4.99 (a price which hasn't changed for 30 years), and we visited Boston Market much less often. The Costco chicken was juicy, well-seasoned, and cheap; it was a much better value proposition than Boston Market or any other restaurant.

The Chronicle conducted a blind taste test of rotisserie chicken prepared by 17 different Bay Area vendors. How well did the Costco product measure up?

We took note of saltiness, appraised aromatics and analyzed distinguishing seasonings. We loved schmaltzy, crisp skin and abhorred the rubbery ones. We wanted meat rich in moisture and dreaded when a piece was dry...We rated each on flavor, juiciness and skin. A good chicken excels in all of those categories, which influence the judge’s overall score, on a 10-point scale. The findings show that restaurants typically make better chickens than markets and butchers; they often use higher quality birds...

[Costco's] chicken was by far the juiciest, practically dripping with moisture, and stayed warm longest. The value also must be noted: The price disparity between Costco and every other place was cavernous, nearly five to 20 times cheaper than the rest at $1.16 per pound. However, there is one big caveat: The oversized fowl is only available to those with a Costco membership, which starts at $65 per year.

Without considering the cost, Costco's chicken finished second to Rooster’s Peruvian Rotisserie, a restaurant in San Francisco's Mission district. If we happen to be in that area, we'll check out Rooster's. Meanwhile, Costco's second-best offering will do just fine.

The Pigs are Out of Control

Wild pigs near South San Jose (Mulligan/Merc)

Wolves, mountain lions, coyotes, and bears are all encroaching on human habitats (some argue that we are encroaching on them), but wild pigs appear to be causing the most damage.

A steady increase in the population of wild pigs — a marauding, non-native animal that can grow sharp tusks and weigh 250 pounds or more — is causing growing problems for parks, water districts and homeowners across the Bay Area.

The hogs wallow in streams, dig up lawns and gardens, eat endangered plants and animals and occasionally charge at people. They carry diseases like swine fever and can spread pathogens like E. coli to crops in farm fields.

“We’ve seen the impacts increasing,” said Doug Bell, wildlife program manager at the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland. “They are omnivores. They vacuum up California quail, Alameda whipsnakes and other wildlife. They eat everything. They’ll come in and destroy lawns and all your landscaping overnight. Sometimes people can be hurt by them. We had a hiker who was run over by a wild boar and injured her leg. A firefighter was knocked down by one in 2020. They can be frightening.”

Unlike other animals, the pigs don't have any defenders, and counties and agencies are allowing hunting and even paying to have the pigs killed.

The animals are legal for sport hunters to shoot, like deer or ducks. Last year, 3,327 wild pigs were reported killed by hunters in California, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But their population keeps growing. Females can have up to two litters per year, with as many as 10 piglets per litter...

In December, East Bay Parks published a plan it compiled with other agencies to do more. The study showed that the animals, found commonly around Mount Diablo, Calaveras Reservoir and the Dublin Hills, would grow tenfold without a hunting and trapping program.

It recommended agencies work together to use drones with thermal imaging to track the pigs at night, fit some with GPS collars, put fencing around sensitive areas — although that can cost $20,000 a mile and block other wild animals — collect better data, and enlist the public’s help through a hotline or website to report sightings.

“We are trying to go from being reactive to proactive in the wider region,” Bell said.

In the South Bay, the Santa Clara Valley Water District in December signed a five-year, $125,000 contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to trap and kill wild pigs on land it owns at Anderson Reservoir and Coyote Ridge east of San Jose.

Perhaps some day there will be sufficient demand for wild pig meat to cause profit-seeking game hunters to keep the population at equilibrium. Control will require more than delicious dishes, however; California diners need to believe their food choices are saving the planet. Let the PR campaign begin.

Musk: Something More

Elon Musk has been attacked from all sides during his time at the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Washington. Interest groups are fighting to keep every dollar of over-$6 Trillion in annual government spending, while shareholders in his companies want him to return to tending his businesses.

Elon Musk's last day as a temporary government employee was today, but he may have a few ideas about how he wants to spend his time that don't include Tesla or SpaceX.

The Tesla Diner under construction (Jessie Alcheh/SFGATE)

Elon Musk continually surprises with his list of priorities, but I doubt that many had Tesla Diner on that list.

But there’s something … different about the diner under construction at Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive in Hollywood. For one, it’s got a striking two-story silver Space Age design and electric car charging stations aplenty. Large outdoor screens are set to show movie clips. And then there’s the mercurial owner, controversial Tesla and SpaceX CEO and Department of Government Efficiency architect Elon Musk...

The Tesla diner project has been in the works since 2018, when Musk announced on what was then Twitter that he was “Gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA.” Progress has been slow since that first public idea, but lately, tidbits about the space have been trickling out on social media. The announcement of [Eric] Greenspan as chef was first floated on X and picked up later by the New York Times. In March, Sawyer Merritt shared on X that the “diner will feature a ‘1950s retro charm, dazzling neon lights, the unmistakable scent of freshly grilled burgers & hand-spun milkshakes.’” Merritt also noted the launch of a Tesla Diners Instagram account, which remains post-free...

The restaurant’s alien-spaceship design, courtesy of Stantec, is growing more visible by the day, despite the fencing and security around the busy corner lot. In late 2023, the restaurant was still very much a steel shell, but recent photos reveal that the building has not only been topped out but is already filling up with furniture and other finishing touches. Large movie screens affixed above the chargers are roughly in place, and word is that the screens will show films for 30 minutes, or the time it takes to charge a car.

It may have the tastiest burgers and unique decor, but I doubt that was enough to excite Elon Musk. There is undoubtedly something more to Tesla Diner.

Rice: A Few More Precautions

Rice safety graph from Healthy Babies Bright Future

Twelve years ago we switched back to white rice because brown rice was found to have higher levels of arsenic. Additional research has now shown that the safest rice is uncooked white rice grown in California [bold added]

The type of rice and how it’s grown and processed can impact levels of arsenic and other heavy metals, experts say. Brown and wild rice often contain the highest levels because the milling process used to create white rice removes the outer layers of the hull, where heavy metals are concentrated.

Lab testing found purchased samples of US-grown brown rice contained 151 parts per billion of heavy metals — 129 of that due to arsenic. Arborio rice grown in Italy, which is typically used to make risotto, and white rice grown in the Southeast US (often labeled as simply “USA”) were almost as high in total heavy metals as brown rice, the report said.

Arborio rice from Italy contained 101 parts per billion of arsenic — total heavy metal load in the purchased samples was 142 parts per billion. White rice grown in the US contained 95 parts per billion of arsenic, with a total heavy metal count of 118 parts per billion.

Basmati rice from India, jasmine rice from Thailand and California-grown sushi and Calrose rice (a form of sushi rice) were at or below the 100 parts per billion levels set by the FDA for arsenic in infant rice cereals. However, the Indian basmati and Italian Arborio varieties contained the highest average levels of cadmium.

The California-grown rice had the lowest overall heavy metal content — 65 parts per billion, with 55 parts per billion from arsenic — making it an excellent choice to reduce overall exposure, [Jane] Houlihan said.

Consumers should be wary, however, of precooked rice, including instant (one-minute and five-minute rice), parboiled (10-minute rice), and ready-to-heat-and-eat packaged rice, she said.

“Studies have shown the processing used to create instant rice can create additional toxins, and the ready-to-heat products are cooked inside the plastic containers, potentially releasing toxic chemicals,” Jane Houlihan said.

The report also says that arsenic and heavy metals can be reduced by soaking rice for at least half an hour, not just rinsing it. This step requires just a little more planning, and we'll start doing it immediately.

The Perfect Egg

The "perfect" boiled egg (Di Maio/WSJ)

Your humble blogger will go through some time and effort to acquire good food, but I don't love boiled eggs enough to spend over half an hour preparing them:

A group of Italian scientists has cracked the secret of how to boil a perfect egg.

The catch? It takes 32 minutes, two containers of water held at different temperatures, and a fastidious chef moving the egg between the containers every two minutes...

The scientists aimed to cook an egg evenly throughout. The conundrum was that an egg’s layers—its yellow yolk and white albumen—cook at different temperatures. Eaters risk a chalky yolk if they want a fully cooked white, or a runny white if they want a creamy yolk.

Transfer eggs between pots every 2 minutes

To achieve perfection, [Prof. of materials engineering Ernesto] Di Maio’s group, aided by mathematical models, simulations and experiments, invented “periodic cooking,” a method that calls for starting an egg in a pan of boiling water, leaving it there for two minutes, transferring it to a bowl of tepid water at 86 degrees Fahrenheit for another two minutes, and repeating the cycle eight times.

That’s 16 steps.

The goal is to keep the yolk at a consistent temperature of around 149 degrees Fahrenheit while still cooking the white, which usually needs to reach 185 degrees Fahrenheit to cook.

This is the ideal task for our first AI robot. It will never lose count of how many transfers it made and will make each transfer at the two-minute mark. It will do the job I won't do and do it better than I could ever have done it

First Draw Soy Sauce

One sign that a society is affluent is the large number of offerings for a single class of product. For example, the bread aisle has over a dozen choices; not that long ago the decision was between white and whole wheat.

I also remember when there were only a couple of soy sauce brands on the shelf. Now there are light, dark, and special blends for cooking seafood and dipping dumplings. And there are at least three different manufacturers for each.

Lee Kum Kee (LKK), the company that makes a high-end oyster sauce, is selling a "first draw" soy sauce for 2-3 times the price of the regular stuff:

Compared to dark soy sauce, light soy sauce has a lighter color and is less salty, and is best used for seasoning and fine tuning the flavors of a dish. Based on the sauce’s quality, it can be further divided into “first draw,” collected when the beans are fermented for the first time. Its quality is the highest with a richer taste. It occupies a similar position to extra-virgin in the world of olive oil. And naturally, it’s sold for more. The second and third extractions are known respectively as “gold label” or “silver label,” affordable and found in the pantry of just about every average household.

It sounded like the language that wine connoisseurs use to distinguish the objects of their affection. Fully aware that I was probably being played, I bought a small bottle for $7.29 at 99 Ranch. At my age I should live a little.

Loco Moco in San Bruno

The DHGS loco moco (Yelp photo)

The basic loco moco --rice, burger patty, gravy, and fried eggs--is a simple dish that's on the menu of nearly every Island restaurant, from plate lunch take-out to fancy hotel dining rooms. A good loco moco is distinguished by quality ingredients and a rich, seasoned brown gravy, and we had not found one in the Bay Area until today.

The Diamond Head General Store is a small Hawaiian-themed store and restaurant on El Camino Real in San Bruno, several blocks south of San Bruno Avenue.

The shelves were stocked with snacks and foods (for example, Spam) that are favorites with the people back home. We bought a few items, but the main reason we were there was to order from the restaurant. In addition to the loco moco ($19)--which I liked but others found a little too peppery--we tried the mochiko chicken ($18), which was excellent. The mochiko flour gives the fried chicken crust a distinctive sweetness, and I'm surprised mochiko chicken's popularity hasn't spread beyond Hawaii.

Portions were generous, and there were enough leftovers to supply lunch or dinner the next day. We'll be back.

SNAP Judgment

One welfare program where cuts are being strenuously resisted is SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka "food stamps." Your humble blogger agrees with those who want to keep the program intact (after eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, of course).

Economists say that letting recipients choose what they buy allows them to achieve maximum utility for themselves. Handing out cash allows them to do that.

Pop-Tarts: on the naughty list? (Guan/Bloomberg/WSJ)

However, distributing cash is a bridge too far for those in charge of welfare programs. Preventing starvation, on the other hand, is a program that nearly everyone can get behind.

Food stamps still afford a wide range of choices. Food stamp rules and restrictions prevent beneficiaries from using welfare funds to purchase undesirable goods like beer and cigarettes.

Over the years the list of items that food stamps cannot be used for has grown:

Hot Food

Beer/wine/other alcoholic drinks

Cigarettes/cigars/other tobacco products

Gasoline

Dog food/cat food/other pet foods

Vitamins/medicine

Baby bottles/diapers/wipes

Forks/spoons/knives/coffee filters

Toilet paper/paper towels/napkins

Tampons/feminine pads

Soap/detergent

Mobile phone cards

Food manufacturers, in addition to revising their forecasts downward in anticipation of SNAP cuts, now have a new worry: [bold added]

The pain could be even worse for manufacturers of sugary and processed foods if efforts to restrict SNAP purchases of soda gain traction and spread to other indulgences. In the past, states have pushed to exclude soda from food stamp eligibility, but the Agriculture Department has historically rejected such proposals.

Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has signaled she might grant waivers allowing states to impose restrictions.

The narrative is taking hold that sugar is poison; sugar is to health as CO2 is to global warming. Your humble blogger draws the border of the nanny state here. Warn people about the dangers of eating too much sugar, but let them consume what gives them pleasure.

Meanwhile, have a look at the Netflix comedy Unfrosted about the invention of Pop-Tarts. To those of us who lived through the Fifties it's a hilarious remembrance:

A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars writer-director Jerry Seinfeld.

Part of the genesis of Unfrosted was the simple fact that a serious boardroom meeting about cereal is, well, not very serious. “We love the idea of grown-up men in suits talking about cereal all day,” Seinfeld said. “The silliness of how they look and what they talk about just seemed like a fantastic world to be in.

3.14159265

Today is Pi Day, and we commemorated the occasion by ordering an extra-large #2 (salami, mushrooms and sausage) from Toto's.

π is the Greek symbol for the value of a circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. Pi is the first irrational number (a real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers) that I ever came across. The elementary-school arithmetic books only took pi out to four digits, i.e. 3.1416, but that felt unsatisfying. I looked up pi in the library and memorized it to eight digits,3.14159265. After high school I never had to use pi in a calculation, but I still know it, just like long-defunct telephone numbers.

BTW there was a lunar eclipse today. The congruence of the moon and pizza on the same day prompted me to play the 1953 Dean Martin hit while munching on Toto's #2.

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big pizza pie, that's amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you've had too much wine, that's amore

I Like the New Rules

Ribeye steak

The efficacy or non-efficacy of vaccines get the headlines, but the Trump Administration's challenges to long-running assumptions about diet may turn out to have greater significance. [bold added]

In 2005 federal recommendations dropped from 6 ounces of animal protein a day to 5.5 ounces of any type of protein. Worse, the guidelines use an inaccurate “ounce equivalent” measure to equate different protein sources. The body can synthesize at least two to four times as much protein from beef, eggs and pork as it can from “ounce equivalent” quantities of kidney beans, nuts or peanut butter.

[Brooke] Rollins and [Robert] Kennedy should reject suggestions from an expert committee that the 2025-30 federal guidelines place an even greater emphasis on plant-based proteins and that they recommend “reducing intakes of red and processed meats.” As the Agriculture Department found in 2010, there is either “no relationship” or a “limited inconsistent” relationship between any protein type and chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The National Academy of Medicine should also increase its recommended 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Studies find that 1.2 to 1.6 grams is a better range for weight loss, muscle maintenance, recovery from illness and overall well-being, especially for children and older adults.

In short eat more protein, and get it in the form of meat, not plants or insects.

Searching for Squid

For the first time in a long time I had a hankering for home-cooked calamari. Back in the 1980's it was plentiful and cheap, and I became reasonably proficient at cleaning and slicing squid.

I was surprised to see that Safeway did not carry calamari, either fresh or frozen. I searched Lucky supermarket and got the same result.

Finally, I went to 99 Ranch, which has a large selection of fresh fish and shellfish, but I had to go to the frozen section to find calamari.

The 99 Ranch freezer had a half-dozen calamari items, and most were from mainland China. The one box that was sourced in the USA was more expensive ($19 for three pounds) than the Chinese products, but I wasn't going to risk consuming a product that probably had higher levels of heavy metal contamination.

The box label said that the squid was "wild caught in area FAO77." Below is the world fishery map from Wikipedia. Area 77 is the Eastern Central part of the Pacific Ocean.

The squid is defrosting in the refrigerator. In a few days I'll wash, clean, and braise it. If it turns out well, I'll be returning to 99 Ranch for another box.

Nuances of the Oyster Sauce Market

A sign like "LKK Oyster Sauce - Old" would not seem to be the best way to sell a product...unless one knows the nuances of the oyster sauce market.

Lee Kum Kee has been selling oyster sauce since the 19th century; I remember going with my grandmother to Honolulu's Chinatown in the 1950's and buying a bottle with a picture of the "lady on the boat."

LKK introduced a cheaper, sugary "Panda" brand later in the 20th century, but those of us who grew up with the lady on the bottle much prefer the "old" oyster sauce. Thousands of Asian cooks can't be wrong.

It's Just Offal

The Asian supermarkets in our area are offering a wider variety of offal, i.e., parts of the animal that are not part of the mainstream American diet. (As noted yesterday, even Costco is selling chicken feet.)

99 Ranch has beef aorta, a cut I had never seen, much less eaten, before. I searched for recipes online but found only a couple; Google also helpfully displayed recipes for beef heart, which is quite different from aorta despite their proximity in the animal.

My curiosity is piqued, however. If I ever do see aorta on the menu, I'll give it a try.

Much More Than Dates

Back in the '50's perishable Christmas gifts were rare. Air shipments were not available to the hoi polloi, and refrigeration was prohibitively expensive. When California relatives did send food to our Hawaiian household, it was usually in the form of dried dates, which I did enjoy.

In recent years most of the holiday food shipments (meats, cheeses, fresh fruits) we've received require refrigeration. This year my brother, who lives in Orange County, mailed us a package of California dried fruits. I'll savor them with my morning coffee, thinking of the dates I delighted in a lifetime ago.