The beauty of epoxidized soy bean oil

We all know that British food is bad -I think that stereotype is a stereotype of itself (an icon of itself, so to speak). I'm actually not quite sure I agree, simply because I have a strange affection for Brussels' sprouts. In my opinion, Brussels' sprouts must be about as close to the perfect food as you can get -even if they are completely overcooked from frozen, they are still tasty. And I don't want to catch any of saying "Ewww"!

But what I find astonishing about British food, based on my recent trip to the supermarket, is the amazing range of potato chip flavors. Now, I know this isn't the most original observation of the culinary craziness of the Brits -we've all heard about ketchup-flavored and mushroom-flavored crisps. I just want to highlight the recent expansion of potato chip flavors to include such things as "roast beef and Yorkshire pudding" and "pad thai". It's as if they are trying to come as close as possible to the idea of non-food food that was so popular during the 50s and 60s: potato chips are nothing but the carriers of a complex mix of chemicals that make you think you're eating something that, at least in some places (i.e. on the Isle of Lewis), is not actually available. I'd love to be able to eat some actual pad thai, rather than encountering the exotic in a serving of sweet-and-sour pork served with French fries at the Chinese restaurant.

While we're on the issue of complex chemicals, I'm also amazed by the detail with which foods and other supermarket items are labeled. We all know sausages contain all kinds of things that wouldn't be sold at the butcher counter by themselves, but I found it hard to pick up a package of something that was described as containing "beef connective tissue". And who knew that something as seemingly simple as plastic wrap actually contains, in addition to polyvinyl chloride, "plasticizers, epoxydized soy bean oil, anti-fog agent, stabilizer, additive." One has to wonder what that nameless additive may be after all the detailed descriptions before it -crack? DDT? Embryonic stem cells? It's a mystery to me!

In any case, my quest for an edible black bean sauce continues, and until then, I've picked up a gargantuan bag of Brussels' sprouts to last me for the week.