What Was I Thinking?

In reading an article on “Eight Ingredients You Never Want to See on Your Nutrition Label” by David Zinczenko, who is author of “Eat This, Not That”, we find listed Castoreum.

“Castoreum is one of the many nebulous “natural ingredients” used to flavor food. Though it isn’t harmful, it is unsettling. Castoreum is a substance made from beavers’ castor sacs, or anal scent glands. These glands produce potent secretions that help the animals mark their territory in the wild. In the food industry, however, 1,000 pounds of the unsavory ingredient are used annually to imbue foods—usually vanilla or raspberry flavored—with a distinctive, musky flavor.

You’ll find it in: Potentially any food containing “natural ingredients”

Now, I want to ask you, “Who, in their right mind, would take the secretions from the castor sac or anal scent glands of a beaver and put it into their food?”   “How, in the name of all that is sane, could anyone link anything from the ass of a beaver to my vanilla ice cream?”  That’s just plain gross and lacks common sense on all levels.  It’s totally beyond me as to how intelligent people would spend time playing with these secretions in the first place let alone finding uses for it in the food industry.  This definitely falls under the, “What was I thinking?” category.

Well, now that I have all you running to your “fridge” to toss out your ice cream, what else can I tell you?  We set out real early again yesterday morning to take care of those three smiling little munchkin faces.  It’s all about grand-kids, ya know? 

Radek, while doing his Teller imitation of not speaking, comes over and pulls on your hand wanting you to get up out of your chair so he can place a hockey stick in your hand.  Then you find yourself batting a ball around the livingroom floor for the next four and half hours.

Kalina stills thinks G’ma or G’pa’s lap is a playground.  She lugs half of her toy chest out to your lap and then climbs on board.  It wouldn’t be so bad except she squirms, a lot.  And, on sore knees, it can get painful.  Eventually you have to put her down but, that’s hard to do with that innocent sweet little angelic face looking up at you.

Catia is getting to be a big girl and she likes to do “big girl” things.  Maybe G’pa needs to take her on a date; just G’pa and Catia without any siblings.  We could go get an ice cream sundae (no vanilla though) or something else not healthy.  Or, maybe G’ma could take Catia on a shopping trip to the mall.  We’ll have to work on some ideas for a special outing ideas for her – dang, she’s getting too big, too fast.

It was nice to sleep in this morning, at least I did anyway.  I think that Judy crawled out of the sack around five thirty but not me.  I clung to the sheets until oh-six-thirty and it felt dawg gone good.  So what’s up for today?  Well, we have a few chores to do, a soccer game to attend, Saturday night worship at World Outreach Church, and a pizza from Papa Murphy’s to eat.  Catia has her first soccer game of the season this afternoon and she’s, also, singing in the kid’s choir at church this evening; I told you that she’s getting to be a big girl and doing big girl things.

So that’s it from the Volunteer State for this Saturday morning.  Now you can pour yourself another cup of coffee and add a little cream to it but, none of that beaver scented vanilla flavored stuff.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - - -