My sweetie took me out for Valentine’s lunch to my favorite restaurant, L’ Eden, an authentic French cafe in beautiful downtown Tampa. The cafe sits on the corner of Tampa and Madison Streets and if one is lucky enough to score a corner table, the urban view and setting is ever so slightly reminiscent of a cafe in Paris where I once dined on omelets overlooking the Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Ok, I said slightly!
I love L’Eden and I’ve eaten there for years. Have I ever told you how much I love French food? If not, you probably guessed it already given the amount of time I spend on this blog lauding the wonders of butter and cream!
The owner of L’Eden is also a French Chef who plans the menu and prepares the food himself. I’ve quizzed him on a couple of occasions about his Food Philosophy (oh yes, there is such a thing!), and he appears careful and thoughtful about the food he serves his customers. He is not one to go for cheap food substitutions to boost profits. He is sincere and earnest in the practice of his craft.
Knowing all this, you can imagine my shock and surprise when I saw Mr. Awesome French Chef himself pull up to the curb in front of the restaurant yesterday while I was enjoying an amazing crock of mushroom and brie soup (made with REAL beef stock) and unload his fresh food for the day’s cooking activities.
Mixed in amidst all the several boxes of fresh produce, was, GASP, 2 huge jars of Hellmann’s mayonnaise!
In case you’re wondering what all the fuss about Hellmann’s mayonnaise is about (it’s supposedly American’s favorite brand of mayo), let me post the ingredients here:
Hellmann’s Real Mayo (yes, they actually call it “Real”, are they kidding?)
INGREDIENTS: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY).
Soybean oil? Natural flavors? Calcium Disodium EDTA?
I almost cried in my soup. How could any French Chef worth his salt buy mayonnaise made with soybean oil? Soybean oil is a cheap, rancid vegetable oil that should never be ingested for any reason at any time. Even if not partially hydrogenated, soybean oil is almost assuredly GM as well as interesterified, which is arguably a method of processing edible oils that is even worse for cardiovascular health than transfats.
Natural flavors is another big one to avoid when perusing food labels to ascertain quality. The translation of “Natural Flavors” on a label is this:
“We don’t want you to know what’s really in this, so we’re just going to call it Natural Flavors and hope you gloss over it.”
On to calcium disodium EDTA .. what is this stuff anyway? It is basically a preservative that prevents spoilage from oxidation of the food molecules. Calcium disodium EDTA is an organic pollutant which breaks down in the environment into ethylenediamine triacetic acid and then diketopiperazine. Diketopiperazine is a persistent organic pollutant, similar to PCBs and DDT.
Hellmann’s Mayo: Compromise or Sell Out?
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
Sources:
Environmental Engineering Science, May/June 2006
Interesterification, February 2008
I think you should go back and talk to him. Share your knowledge of the benefits of using good oils. Keep us posted!
I have to agree with Judy. We can choose to live in fear or live in faith. Personally, I choose faith. Living in fear is going to cause more harm to your body than what little bit of Hellman’s mayonnaise might end up on your plate. You might mention it to the chef sometime in passing if the opportunity presents itself but I wouldn’t go out of your way to confront him.
I just do the best I can and then bless the food. Studies have shown that praying over food raises the frequency to a healthier vibration anyway. So enjoy what you have and give thanks.
It’s important to expose ourselves to small doses of whatever is toxic in the world in order to build up a healthy immune system, that which gracefully mediates I and the World. An inability to digest the world leads to the allergic reaction. Too much of something toxic and I’m happy to have a healthy Immune reaction to it. But if I innoculate my self with just a little of it in full consciousness, I am the wiser and healthier.
Ok.. I’m sure he is using this as a cost efficient sub.. If this is your favorite restaurant maybe you could go back on occasion but I would make sure that you know all of the ingredients of everything you put in your mouth.. As for me and my wife, we never eat out.. The last time we did was months ago up in Vermont and everything was fresh local and organic but we still had to be careful with how the food was prepared..But now we’re back home and everything is made from scratch.. Real homemade stocks, raw cream and butter are a few of our favorite ingredients..I’m pretty sure they passed the Food Safety Modernization Act also which will make it even harder to prepare all of your food the right way, even if you do it in your home.. Our access to fresh, real, organic food is being threatened every day and the most alarming thing to me is that so so so many people don’t even know about it and so many of those who do just don’t care.. I actually work with a guy who truly believes that consuming lots of preservatives in his food will preserve his body and make him live longer.. I just don’t get it.. My wife and I have actually looked in to moving to another country..
Honestly, I don’t eat that many things with mayo anyway, so I wouldn’t give it a second thought. We must be careful to not become a slave to food. If you mind what you eat when in your own kitchen, which is probably 90+% of the food you consume anyway (assuming you don’t eat out a ton), the other 10% you either choose to eat something that may contain “sell out” food (a thoughtful gift or meal from someone) or you may not know if it does (as in this case). Enjoying good food is about more than knowing what is in the food, it is also about the experience, the company, etc. There is too much of life to live without worrying about the less than 10%–that’s just MY Food Philosophy.
Go back to the restaurant and ask the chef. Maybe he picked it up for a friend or some other random reason. Maybe there is still hope…
Having worked in food service for years, I agree that you should go back and ask the chef about it. There are lot of pressing forces in that industry, and none of them are constructive. If you can continue to get items like the soup that are made entirely from scratch with safe, healthy ingredients, then its probably worth it to keep going – it gets extremely depressing to NEVER be able to go out to eat (which is where we are, since there isn’t a single decent restaurant around here at all). Besides, if all the good and conscientious customers stop going and stop asking about ingredients, what motivation and support will a chef and his staff have to keep fighting the good fight?
I think you should go back and ask him, but be prepared for a response you don’t want. I think it’s time we start holding people accountable. And, you might start asking him about his other ingredients. People have a strange idea of what is “natural.” Good luck.
I agree with the rest of the views. Ask him why and if he could change, if not, why can’t he change?
From there you will have to make your decision. You don’t want to be an elitist and 100%, but have to find out what works and what decisions you are comfortable with.
Okay, it may be a sellout, but he may feel he’s only doing what his peers are doing. Being away from France, he may be overcome by the terrible influences over here. The new normal. Talk to him sweetly. Ask about his decision. Suggest the right way if the conversation lends itself.
I make mayo with sunflower and a bit of coconut oil for body, and add a tablespoon of whey and leave it out for a day. Lasts a month in the fridge if it has to (usually not). If you have an immersion blender and the jar it came with or even a tall glass, it is so easy peasy. Check out the technique. 20 seconds and it’s done! http://tinyurl.com/6d6k6zj
You. Are. Awesome. Thank you! I don’t have a tiny food processor and hated the thought of buying one just for the rare batch of mayonaise. I’ve been wondering if I could use an immersion blender or not- and you answered that before I even asked! Thank you. 🙂