What A White Bread Democracy Could Learn From A Kingdom of Rye

[marmar]

from Eating Liberally:



What A White Bread Democracy Could Learn From A Kingdom of Rye
Submitted by KAT on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 6:08pm.


Does the term "white bread" say "all things 'burby and bland," to you? Don't be fooled by this uber-processed slice of whiteness. Beneath its pale golden crust, white bread whispers some dark truths about our values: we cherish convenience and shelf life above taste and texture; cheapness is next to godliness, wellness be damned; and man can always find a way to improve on nature.

Highly refined flour has only the wheat's starchy endosperm, minus the nutritious--but more perishable--bran and germ. No nutrients? No problem! Just add a bunch of vitamins and minerals at the end of the process. Problem solved.

It's whole grains that go against the grain in America. Too darned assertive, and so time-consuming to chew! Our allegiance to this Pillsbury-Doughboy-pokable/Play-Doh-pliable product symbolizes, above all, a culture that resists resistance, and has better things to do than chew.

So, we're low on fiber, morally and culinarily, leaving us perpetually consternated and constipated. We'd give a shit, if only we could.

The citizens of Denmark, on the other hand, revere "Rugbrød," the very antithesis of our Wonder Bread. It's a dense, dark, high-fiber, low-gluten rye bread that Oprah Winfrey famously fell in love with last year when she attended the ill-fated Climate Change summit in Copenhagen. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://livingliberally.org/eating/blog/What-White-Bread-Democracy-Could-Learn-Kingdom-Rye

[hobbit709]

1. I grew up on German bread

I consider plain white bread carp bait. peel off the crust, wad it into a doughball and stick a hook in it. you can catch carp all day long with that.

to me bread has to have texture and flavor. and you have to work out your teeth in eating it.

[marmar]

2. Agree. I despise white bread, and pre-packaged store-bought bread in general.

I just spend a little more and buy it baked. In fact, I might start baking my own.

[drm604]

3. I grew up on the Wonder Bread sandwiches my mother made for us.

I eventually discovered harder darker breads which I much prefer. I don't understand the preference for bland tasteless white bread.

I think it's partly due to the ads when I was growing up that informed mothers that their children preferred soft bread. Nobody asked the children of course.