Ditto, “chicken breast, skinless” – took me straight to “Chicken: Roasted, Breasts, Boneless, Skinless, cooked”

In other words, you can’t expect a computer database to read your mind. But it’s “intelligent” enough to give you what you need, if you tell it what you want. Just like any other tool, you have to learn to use it properly.

The fact that they have such a large list is great, IMHO. Sure, there’s a lot of stuff there that I certainly don’t eat either, but other people do – so having those listings there is useful.

It’s a lot like a library or bookstore: the presence of a whole lot of books that I’m never going to read isn’t going to stop me from finding and checking out/buying the ones I want…and the last thing I want is for the librarian or store manager to stock only the books that he or she has decided – in advance – are the ones that are “good for me.”

Because they list such huge amounts of “stuff” I never eat, that the simple, raw ingredient at the base of the dish, the one thing I was in fact looking for, is drowned in the listing.

Look for a simple, raw, skinless chicken breast. Try to find it steam cooked. Good luck scrolling through the deep fried, KFC-meals, and other preparations of chicken.

Looking for a tomato? First listed is ketchup! Then tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, canned … and lost somewhere in there “tomato, raw”.

The day these listings are started with the original product and then the derivatives, I’ll try them again; not before.

Sorry, just a quick rant there

Portion size is especially a problem on the northern continent at the west side of the Atlantic (USA/Canada) much more so than in the “old countries” (Europe). Having lived on both sides of the ocean, and not just visited as a tourist, I have seen this first-hand.

I read the other day, someone from the States had been to France and understood why the French weren’t fat like the Americans … according to him, they were in a constant state of hunger from the small portions they ate. I had to laugh!

The portion sizes in France are plenty substantial enough to satisfy anyone’s apetite and hunger and keep their metabolism going. What they are not huge enough to do, is pack on excess fat from excess amounts of food (i.e. calories).

Having lived in France for 14 years, I was certainly never hungry after any meal and being in charge of the cooking at hime now that I live in Canada, I stick to “tiny, European portion sizes” which provide plenty of nutrients and calories for all.

Going to restaurants (rarely, because of price and content – salt, MSG, God-knows-whats added) I always divide the food up in half, and eat one half only. Even that is slightly more than I would have made at home!

Recently, I heard that restaurants were going to reduce portion sizes due to the rising cost of food, so that the price per meal would stay the same. I think they can lower the price at the same time, because they’ll save on “doggie-bags” for leftovers!