The Food Thread

[Vrede too]

Cool, I would eat these:

The Salmon on Your Plate Has a Troubling Cost. These Farms Offer Hope.

[billy.pilgrim]

Cool, I would eat these:

The Salmon on Your Plate Has a Troubling Cost. These Farms Offer Hope.

I'll try most anything.

I reckon I'm glad I don't live where most people live. This, from the article, is hard to believe.

"Salmon is the second-most-popular seafood in the United States, where the average American consumes more than 3 pounds a year. (Shrimp is No. 1, with average annual consumption reaching nearly 6 pounds in 2021.)"

I probably eat 60 lbs of shrimp per year.
My second place is tuna at roughly 25 - 30 lbs/year and
then there's at least a dozen pints of oysters and the same for lump crab mear and there's grouper and sheepshead and and mullet and squid and scallops and clams and red fish, and red snapper and mackerel and more.

[O Really]

"...average American consumes more than 3 pounds [of salmon] a year" Three pounds? Seriously? We go through more like 20 pounds each, and when it's on a good sale, we've bought 10 pounds at a time for the freezer. Probably 10 pounds each of halibut, red snapper when it's available, cod in various dishes, yada. Not 60 pounds of shrimp, but we've always got some in the freezer, buy it fresh when it's available, and eat a lot of it.

So 20 pounds of salmon isn't that hard to do. It's about an 8oz chunk once most weeks. People who eat three pounds in a year just don't care for salmon.

I dunno, though, maybe we're not typical since we've got fishmongers in three different states and two countries.

[billy.pilgrim]

"...average American consumes more than 3 pounds [of salmon] a year" Three pounds? Seriously? We go through more like 20 pounds each, and when it's on a good sale, we've bought 10 pounds at a time for the freezer. Probably 10 pounds each of halibut, red snapper when it's available, cod in various dishes, yada. Not 60 pounds of shrimp, but we've always got some in the freezer, buy it fresh when it's available, and eat a lot of it.

So 20 pounds of salmon isn't that hard to do. It's about an 8oz chunk once most weeks. People who eat three pounds in a year just don't care for salmon.

I dunno, though, maybe we're not typical since we've got fishmongers in three different states and two countries.

I'm always amazed at how little fish people supposedly eat. I feel sure it's in their grocery stores. Although I'm not sure how my chain grocery stores can sell all of the Chinese and Vietnamese and Alaskan and everything but local seafood, if the Navarre Publix can sell tilapia, so can a store in Kansas.

[Vrede too]

Drone footage uncovers disturbing scene at a dairy farm in Wisconsin: ‘It makes me very angry’
“What we did to make our home a place for the family, it’s being destroyed.”

... According to the ASPCA, animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5% of all planet-overheating gas pollution, including massive amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, which are even more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

In addition, livestock farms (like the Wisconsin one in the video) produce 885 billion pounds of manure each year, which pollutes the surrounding air and water. And even worse, that output is not treated or regulated by any government agency.

The factory farming industry “has avoided any effective regulation and accountability for a long time,” Michele Merkel, a former EPA attorney who quit over the agency’s reluctance to punish polluting mega-farms and now works for an advocacy group that pushes for accountability, told PBS.

“You must be proud @WIDairyland @WisconsinCheese,” wrote a commenter on X.

I'm fine with margarine and don't drink milk, but I do love cheese.

[Vrede too]

What Cracker Barrel Doesn't Want Its Customers To Know

I tried the Flat Rock (Hooterville) one maybe 15 years ago. I was not impressed but can't recall why. I subsequently learned of some of the abominations described in the article and decided to never give it another chance.

[O Really]

I haven't been a Cracker Barrel in at least over 10 years, which seems to be more recent than a lot of these issues. Not to defend discriminatory and/or illegal practices, but the article reads to me like somebody with a major hardon for Cracker Barrel. Maybe a wronged employee.

[billy.pilgrim]

What Cracker Barrel Doesn't Want Its Customers To Know

I tried the Flat Rock (Hooterville) one maybe 15 years ago. I was not impressed but can't recall why. I subsequently learned of some of the abominations described in the article and decided to never give it another chance.

I imagine what you call abominations can be found in most large chains.
It sure looks like they addressed all but the duck people. Or did they - I can’t find any duck dynasty stuff on the website. Plenty of duck trinkets and souvenirs but none from the pedophile duck people.

The foreign object appears to have come in from the supplier and all southern food has always been high in calories and fat and they serve very good southern food.
Everyone serves fried pickles and fried chicken. It’s the same stuff wherever it’s served.
Some of us like biscuits and their fried apples are as good as my grandmother’s. Turnip greens, sweet potatoes and more. Where else can you get a real Tennessee ham?


I know the owner and have never known him to be racist, but individual store managers are individual store managers. It was addressed.
From the overall tone of the article, I wonder about the the context or timing of the 840 score out of 1200. While wrong for sure, I bet 1) they have improved and 2) the South can be a little slow.

[Vrede too]

I imagine what you call abominations can be found in most large chains.
It sure looks like they addressed all but the duck people. Or did they - I can’t find any duck dynasty stuff on the website. Plenty of duck trinkets and souvenirs but none from the pedophile duck people.

The foreign object appears to have come in from the supplier and all southern food has always been high in calories and fat and they serve very good southern food.
Everyone serves fried pickles and fried chicken. It’s the same stuff wherever it’s served.
Some of us like biscuits and their fried apples are as good as my grandmother’s. Turnip greens, sweet potatoes and more. Where else can you get a real Tennessee ham?

I know the owner and have never known him to be racist, but individual store managers are individual store managers. It was addressed.
From the overall tone of the article, I wonder about the the context or timing of the 840 score out of 1200. While wrong for sure, I bet 1) they have improved and 2) the South can be a little slow.

I thought that you never ever do chains Is that just fast food?

Homophobic "pedophile duck people." I think the Double D fad has run its course, and any marketing contracts have probably expired. I never watched the show, but used to see ads with them endorsing different things. It's been awhile.

I was prepared to give CB a pass and not post until I saw that some of the complaints, especially worker abuses, are from within the past 3 years.

"Where else can you get a real Tennessee ham?" - neoplacebo when he's wound up

[billy.pilgrim]

I imagine what you call abominations can be found in most large chains.
It sure looks like they addressed all but the duck people. Or did they - I can’t find any duck dynasty stuff on the website. Plenty of duck trinkets and souvenirs but none from the pedophile duck people.

The foreign object appears to have come in from the supplier and all southern food has always been high in calories and fat and they serve very good southern food.
Everyone serves fried pickles and fried chicken. It’s the same stuff wherever it’s served.
Some of us like biscuits and their fried apples are as good as my grandmother’s. Turnip greens, sweet potatoes and more. Where else can you get a real Tennessee ham?

I know the owner and have never known him to be racist, but individual store managers are individual store managers. It was addressed.
From the overall tone of the article, I wonder about the the context or timing of the 840 score out of 1200. While wrong for sure, I bet 1) they have improved and 2) the South can be a little slow.

I thought that you never ever do chains Is that just fast food?

Homophobic "pedophile duck people." I think the Double D fad has run its course, and any marketing contracts have probably expired. I never watched the show, but used to see ads with them endorsing different things. It's been awhile.

I was prepared to give CB a pass and not post until I saw that some of the complaints, especially worker abuses, are from within the past 3 years.

"Where else can you get a real Tennessee ham?" - neoplacebo when he's wound up

CB is an exception. The owner’s farm was next door to ours. Still, I haven’t eaten at one more than 10 times and it’s been 4 or 5 since I was in one.

I grew up on this kind of food and occasionally get a craving for someone else to cook it for me.
Yeah, fried food ain’t good for you. We all know that, but damn, a pounded and batter steak or chicken and mashed potatoes all smothered in gravy and some apples and turnip greens sure beats Applebees.

[billy.pilgrim]

Further explanation on chains and me

I’ll always try a new chain - once, maybe as often as 3 or 4 times, but I try to support local no matter where I am. Local is usually so much better is so many ways that don’t have anything to do with food.

[O Really]

I was prepared to give CB a pass and not post until I saw that some of the complaints, especially worker abuses, are from within the past 3 years.

"Worker abuses" in most every major restaurant chain paid for a lot of expensive toys for people in my firm.
Usually it comes down to a particular unit manager or first line supervisory type that's an asshole. Doesn't make it right, but it's impossible to control all that from corporate no matter how many policies and trainings you do.

[Vrede too]

"Worker abuses" in most every major restaurant chain paid for a lot of expensive toys for people in my firm.
Usually it comes down to a particular unit manager or first line supervisory type that's an asshole. Doesn't make it right, but it's impossible to control all that from corporate no matter how many policies and trainings you do.

Some corporates seem to do better than others. There should be a zero tolerance policy with severe consequences for some abuses.

[O Really]

"Worker abuses" in most every major restaurant chain paid for a lot of expensive toys for people in my firm.
Usually it comes down to a particular unit manager or first line supervisory type that's an asshole. Doesn't make it right, but it's impossible to control all that from corporate no matter how many policies and trainings you do.

Some corporates seem to do better than others. There should be a zero tolerance policy with severe consequences for some abuses.

Some corporates do do better than others. But it's not so much a matter of policy as it is company culture. Problem with a lot of the big companies with lots of scattered semi-independent branches is that each location is a kind of semi-culture itself and it doesn't take but one or two bad hires to ruin it. Keep in mind too, that for most of these things somebody usually does end up fired.

[billy.pilgrim]

"Worker abuses" in most every major restaurant chain paid for a lot of expensive toys for people in my firm.
Usually it comes down to a particular unit manager or first line supervisory type that's an asshole. Doesn't make it right, but it's impossible to control all that from corporate no matter how many policies and trainings you do.

Some corporates seem to do better than others. There should be a zero tolerance policy with severe consequences for some abuses.

Some corporates do do better than others. But it's not so much a matter of policy as it is company culture. Problem with a lot of the big companies with lots of scattered semi-independent branches is that each location is a kind of semi-culture itself and it doesn't take but one or two bad hires to ruin it. Keep in mind too, that for most of these things somebody usually does end up fired.

No corporate suave involved early on. idk about now.
Dan was a farmer. His wife wanted to sell antiques from an old barn of theirs that fronted on an I-40 exit ramp, so he fixed up the barn. Soon after he started selling his country ham and biscuits and on and on.
No doubt mistakes were made along the way, but they are good people.

[O Really]

One of the issues in the article was, technically, "wage theft' regarding the service charge offset. Yeah, that's wrong, but I've met very few restaurant managers who really understood wage-hour law as applicable to restaurant staff. And if I refused to eat anywhere that had ever done it wrong, I'd be pretty hungry. And it's not just the mom and pops, either. Darden (Olive Garden, Longhorn, Red Lobster, et. al.), Waffle House, In-N-Out, Ruth's Chris - all have had wage hour issues from time to time.

[Vrede too]

No corporate suave involved early on. idk about now.
Dan was a farmer. His wife wanted to sell antiques from an old barn of theirs that fronted on an I-40 exit ramp, so he fixed up the barn. Soon after he started selling his country ham and biscuits and on and on.
No doubt mistakes were made along the way, but they are good people.

Cracker Barrel was founded in 1969 by Dan Evins, a representative for Shell Oil, who developed the restaurant and gift store concept initially as a plan to improve gasoline sales. Designed to resemble the traditional country store that he remembered from his childhood, with a name chosen to give it a Southern country theme, Cracker Barrel was intended to attract the interest of highway travelers....

(Dan) Evins also worked as an aide for his uncle, U.S. Rep. Joe L. Evins, before taking a position with his family's oil company.

Evins co-founded Cracker Barrel in 1969 while he was working for Shell Oil. He opened the first restaurant in Lebanon, Tennessee, on Tennessee State Route 109....

No mention of being a farmer or his wife's antiquing influence.

Discriminatory views and termination

During the early 1990s, Cracker Barrel became the subject of nationwide controversy when Evins personally instituted an official company policy of discrimination, prohibiting the hiring of any individual whose "sexual preferences fail to demonstrate normal heterosexual values." Following massive public backlash and large shareholders such as the New York City Employee Retirement System threatening to vote out the entirety of upper management, the company reversed the policy.

For the next decade, Evins continued to spark controversy through his public and private encouragement of discriminatory practices against female and minority employees, practices which violated the company's own non-discrimination policy.

"good people"?

In July 2001, shareholders stripped Evins of his position as president and CEO of the company, replacing him with Michael A. Woodhouse, who at the time was serving as the company's chief operating officer. Evins was allowed to maintain his position as chairman of the board. The same year, shareholders forced the company's board to vote unanimously to add sexual orientation to Cracker Barrel's non-discrimination policy, with the term officially being added the following year.

In May 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) announced it had settled a lawsuit alleging that Cracker Barrel employees at approximately 50 of the company's 500 locations discriminated against minority customers, including 50 stores located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia that engaged in various discriminatory policies including racially segregated seating and service quality. In the settlement agreement Cracker Barrel pledged to implement a series of changes, including to strengthen and make public the company's non-discrimination policies, retrain and/or terminate employees in violation of the new policies, and pledged to focus on improving minority representation and civic involvement.

A few months following the announcement, the company's board of directors (with the backing of shareholders), quietly voted to adopt a mandatory retirement age of 70 for all Cracker Barrel executives and board members. The implementation of this rule prompted company founder Evins, who was 69 at the time, to announce his retirement as chairman of the company's board.

America, shareholders, gays, anti-racists, the feds and eventually the company's board of directors win! Bigot Evins died January 14, 2012 (aged 76).

[billy.pilgrim]

Oh well.
He owned a farm that abutted the interstate. I didn’t know about his other ventures, but many, if not most, had other jobs.
About 40 years ago he bought the farm next door to ours.
He was a decent neighbor.
I was long long by the 90s.

[O Really]

It's not easy to be too hard on a guy in Tennessee who has an anti-gay policy since it would be twenty or twenty-five more years before the Supreme Court got around to ruling it a Title VII violation and when it remained legal in most states for years after.

[Vrede too]

It's not easy to be too hard on a guy in Tennessee who has an anti-gay policy since it would be twenty or twenty-five more years before the Supreme Court got around to ruling it a Title VII violation and when it remained legal in most states for years after.

Thanks, I thought that it was still a state-by-state thing.

In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in three cases (Bostock v. Clayton County, Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda, and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ) that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which barred employers from discriminating on the basis of sex, precluded employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Afterward, USA Today stated that in addition to LGBTQ employment discrimination, "[t]he court's ruling is likely to have a sweeping impact on federal civil rights laws barring sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit."

"6–3 decision covering all three cases"

Perhaps bigot Evins' "public and private encouragement of discriminatory practices against female and minority employees, practices which violated the company's own non-discrimination policy," are harder to justify. This was the 1990s, not the 1950s.