#21 - Jeremy Potvin | Local Gems, Eggs Benny, & That's Not Carbonara

Hello! I’m Billy Buttery And this is Food Is Culture, A Podcast!

Episode 20...I can’t believe it! I’m loving the conversations I’ve been having with all the guests and I hope you’ve enjoyed them too!

I’m excited for many more and to get a seat at many more tables, but for this episode I thought I would remix in a snack size episode. This one is just going to be some of my thoughts and things I have wandering around my mind.

Over the last year, I’ve really gravitated to podcasts and shows that are light hearted in nature. I think when we create, we often create what we need in our own lives.

I’ve needed conversation centred around love, food, shared passions, cultures, with a bit of light hearted laughter.

And I strive to keep the podcast up lifting. This is not to say I ever want to shy away from anything guests want to talk about, or to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the world.

And today I want to specifically talk about a couple things that have been weaving heavy and taking up mental space. And I have some questions I’m searching for answers to.

I’m not sure why after the year we’ve all experienced I was so in shock at the reports of the racism and uptick in violent acts towards Asians. At first I thought oh wow, what is going on on the west coast. I checked in with friends on that side of the continent and talked about it with my husband, but ultimately thought...that couldn’t happen here. But there is no denying it is a major problem we are facing all over North America.

After the white supremacy terrorist attack in Atlanta I woke up being afraid. How do we dismantle this system that has created a whole race to think they are superior? Stop White Supremacy. They are terrorists and need to be stopped.

How do we make change? How do we protect the elderly and at risk in our communities?

Microwaves. There has been a couple episodes in which they are mentioned. With polarizing views. I’ve started listening and reading more information on microwaves and I want to share a couple thoughts.

First being, studies have been conduced that show our cellphones give off more radiation than current up to date microwaves. I’m not talking about the huge yellowed microwaves from our youths. The microwave in your house right now. It gives off less radiation than the cellphone I am talking to you from.

Second, David Chang on his podcast brought up a very interesting point that majorly shifted my perspective. Energy is expensive. Why would you heat up a whole oven to bake one thing? For example sweet potatoes.

In the oven, sliced sweet potato can take up to 45 minutes to bake. Stab a couple fork holes in one of those veggies and pop it in the microwave for about 6 minutes and you have yourself a wonderful addition to your salad baby.

We’ve been mislead about microwave “zapping nutrition” but that is outdated rhetoric. Microwaves are an amazing tool for speeding up meal prep and assisting in multitasking large meals. Microwaves are spreed steamers. That’s all.

Microwaves kitchen friend or foe?...this maybe a stretch but was shaming the use of microwaves in the early 70’s also a way to shame working mother’s who needed options to serve their families hot meals each night? Maybe a stretch. Maybe not.

Meat. This is a touchy subject for some. But it’s an important conversation. Eating the amount of beef we do as a society is not sustainable. Bottom line. Full stop.

There was an interesting Ugly Delicious episode, shout out to Dave Chang again, about this. And I watched an interesting video from a plant based blogger shortly after which sort of connected some dots for me and lead me to some questions.

The blogger asked why do people who eliminate a food from their diet have to be the ones to self-identify? Such as vegan or plant based. Which I thought was an interesting point of view. Although I think it maybe odd to go around and say “I’m a carnivore” as I don’t eat meat at every meal and am working towards eating meat less daily. Also I don’t just eat meat; I eat most things. Meat, fish, dairy, veggies, I mean complex carbs are my jam. But I do think there will be a move towards restaurants starting to label themselves as “meatless” or “beefless”. The Ugly Delicious episode about steaks, brings up an interesting topic. Steak used to be a special meal. A fancy steak house signalled something. A win. A birthday. A celebration. Now every TGI-Astors-Moxie-Stone serves steak and potatoes. Nothing wrong with that, those restaurants are catering to a large pallet and customer base.

But as we become more aware of the environmental impact of our food, will there be a shift of chain restaurants serving more “meatless” or meat substitute options? Will restaurants of the future have to make it clear if they serve real meat, as in animals, as in raised for slaughter and consumption? Will, as a society, meatless...