June 22, 2011 - Did You Know...

Did you know...

• 80% of our beef supply, 70% of our lamb supply, and 65% of our pork supply comes from just 4 companies?  (Swift & Co. {formerly ConAgra}, IBP/Tyson, Excel, Farmland National Beef)
• Detroit is the 11th largest city in America
• The unemployment rate is ~16%
• Has enough room for 2 million residents yet only has 900,000
• Those citizens live among 130000 abandoned homes
• $480 Million worth of food stamps was pumped into the area last year alone
• Only 10% of places those food stamps can be redeemed can be considered grocery stores
• As of 2007, Detroit is the only major city in America that doesn't have a major supermarket
• The U.S. food system is a $1 Trillion economic engine in our economy
• In 2008 Barack Obama was quoted saying "We can't solve global warming because I f-ing changed light bulbs in my house."  - Just thought that was funny...
• In 2010 corn was harvested on 82 million acres (27% of cultivated farmland in America)
• 43% is used for domestic livestock feed
• 15% is exported for livestock feed
• Of >45,000 items in a typical grocery store, >25% contain corn
• It takes 4000 gallons of water to produce 1 bushel (56 lbs.) of corn
• Farmers typically produce 163 bushels of corn per acre
• ... I'll do the math for you: 163 X 82 Mil = 13,366,000,000 bushels (~748 Trillion lbs.)
• Therefore 53,464 Trillion gallons of water usage...
• The average distance any food item travels from production to plate is 1500 miles
• Our food system consumes 10.3 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce 1.4 calories of food energy
• >30% of that energy is used in packaging, transportation, and retail/food service sales
• In 1810, 93% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas, and just 7% in cities
• In 1900, 40% lived in cities
• In 1950, 64% lived in cities
• In 1990, >75% of our population lives in cities.
• It is estimated that one U.S. farmer produces food for 155 people
• That means that less than 2% of the population provides food for the other 98% of us
• The big four grocery chains (Wal-mart, Kroger, Safeway, Supervalu) account for 47% of all grocery sales in America
• Only ~2% of food purchased in America comes from local sustainable sources
• The American Farmland Trust estimates that the U.S. is losing ~3000 acres per day of prime farmland
• Agricultural production accounts for ~6% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
• Agricultural production accounts for ~16% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world
• The food system accounts for 15 - 20% of total energy usage in the U.S.
• Greater than 57% of those living in low income areas in the U.S. have limited physical access to a supermarket

So what does this all mean?  Well, it means a whole lot of things.  It seems to me that the U.S. economy's constant desire to improve economic efficiency - get the most product for the least amount of money - has overshadowed what is really important to most people (i.e.: health, sustainability, our children's future, the planet's future, etc.).  The really sickening part for me and the people like me who desire a change and have gone the distance to educate ourselves on the matter, is that the economy (and government) have done all of this right in front of us... and we've voted into office the public officials who demand these problems exist!  So it's pretty much our fault (mine included).  Inaction enables action.  I encourage (I actually demand, but have no authority) anyone reading this to do ONE thing to fix the system.  Just one!  Why does doing just one thing make a difference?  I will illustrate using a rather odd analogy: when I was attending Northern Illinois University I joined the Sigma Pi fraternity and was introduced to a Greek organization sponsored event called Tugs.  It's just a giant tug-of-war competition between fraternities, but it's remarkable similar to the tug-of-war between the American consumer and the economic system (supply and demand) of the food system as we know it.  Upon first glance at a Tugs competition all you see are two teams of eight (I can't remember the actual number) huge dudes, hunkered down in trenches, grappling a giant rope, and producing an incredible force in opposing directions, with little to no movement.  But if you stick around for a couple of minutes you'll see something amazingly violent happen, and you'll soon understand how Tugs works.  What you will see is what I refer to as a blast.  One team will, in unison, rise slightly off of their perch, and then slam back down all at once, blasting the other team with a shockwave of force.  This blast weakens the other side, and leans the competition towards one side.  Can you see where I'm going with this?  If this post can influence all of you to go out and buy local, or buy from a farmers market, or introduce yourselves to a farmer and offer some free labor, or plant a backyard vegetable garden, or stop using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, or pick up a book about the subject, or (most importantly) tell someone else to read this or one of the many other sources on the subject, we can send a blast to the U.S. food system.  You see, the economics of the food system is what drives the food system in the wrong direction.  I understand that organic, and locally grown, and farm fresh food are expensive (for now) but if we don't change the market, the prices will never change.  Change the demand, and the supply will follow.  It would be awesome if the food system could just change the supply and allow demand to follow, but look at who we're dealing with: politicians, CEOs of major food conglomerates, etc.  So, like everything else that is political in the U.S., us little people have to change everything.

I want to know what you think.  I understand that this is an overwhelming subject, and the tasks ahead seem daunting.  And if that's all you have to say, say that.  But leave a comment on this post to tell me what you think, or what you're going to do/already doing, or your objections to my opinions, etc.  The food system as it is has only two goals in mind: increase supply and lower prices.  These goals disguise reality under the cloak that "we can end childhood hunger," or "we can make food more affordable."  These ideas are great and need to be addressed, but are addressed by simple economics.  Increasing supply is increasing supply.  If we increase supply of the right food, then the goal is met.  And increasing supply will lower price no matter how you do it.  So what realities are being disguised?  Below is a list of the top twelve problems caused by the food systems as it is today in no specific order:

• Declining food quality
• Compromised food safety
• Animal welfare concerns
• Water pollution
• Separation of crops and livestock
• Soil erosion and depletion
• Loss of farmland
• Energy consumption and greenhouse gas production
• Problems of food access and food security
• Diet-related illness
• Worker exploitation
• An aging farmer population

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.  And if you can, tell a friend.

May 25, 2011 - High Fructose Corn Syrup

I'm sure there's some sort of plagiarism by me copying this to my blog, but that should tell you how important this is:

5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You

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IF YOU CAN’T CONVINCE THEM, CONFUSE THEM.
—Harry Truman

The current media debate about the benefits (or lack of harm) of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in our diet misses the obvious. The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period, obesity rates have more than tripled and diabetes incidence has increased more than seven fold. Not perhaps the only cause, but a fact that cannot be ignored.
Doubt and confusion are the currency of deception, and they sow the seeds of complacency. These are used skillfully through massive print and television advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiners Association’s attempt to dispel the “myth” that HFCS is harmful and assert through the opinion of “medical and nutrition experts” that it is no different than cane sugar. It is a “natural” product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation.
Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay and more.

Why is the corn industry spending millions on misinformation campaigns to convince consumers and health care professionals of the safety of their product? Could it be that the food industry comprises 17 percent of our economy?

The Lengths the Corn Industry Will Go To
The goal of the corn industry is to call into question any claim of harm from consuming high fructose corn syrup, and to confuse and deflect by calling their product natural “corn sugar”. That’s like calling tobacco in cigarettes natural herbal medicine. Watch the slick ad where a caring father walks hand in hand with his four-year-old daughter through a big question mark carved in an idyllic cornfield.
In the ad, the father tells us:
“Like any parent I have questions about the food my daughter eats – like high fructose corn syrup. So I started looking for answers from medical and nutrition experts, and what I discovered whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Knowing that makes me feel better about what she eats and that’s one less thing to worry about.”

Physicians are also targeted directly. I received a 12-page color glossy monograph from the Corn Refiners Association reviewing the “science” that HFCS was safe and no different than cane sugar. I assume the other 700,000 physicians in America received the same propaganda at who knows what cost.
In addition to this, I received a special “personal” letter from the Corn Refiner’s Association outlining every mention of the problems with HCFS in our diet – whether in print, blogs, books, radio or television. They warned me of the errors of my ways and put me on “notice”. For what I am not sure. To think they are tracking this (and me) that closely gives me an Orwellian chill.
New websites like http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ and http://www.cornsugar.com/ help “set us straight” about HFCS with quotes from professors of nutrition and medicine and thought leaders from Harvard and other stellar institutions.
Why is the corn industry spending millions on misinformation campaigns to convince consumers and health care professionals of the safety of their product? Could it be that the food industry comprises 17 percent of our economy?
But are these twisted sweet lies or a sweet surprise, as the Corn Refiners Association websites claim?
What the Science Says about HFCS
Let’s examine the science and insert some common sense into the conversation. These facts may indeed come as a sweet surprise. The ads suggest getting your nutrition advice from your doctor (who, unfortunately, probably knows less about nutrition than most grandmothers). Having studied this for over a decade, and having read, interviewed or personally talked with most of the “medical and nutrition experts” used to bolster the claim that “corn sugar” and cane sugar are essentially the same, quite a different picture emerges and the role of HCFS in promoting obesity, disease and death across the globe becomes clear.
Last week over lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames, one of the foremost nutritional scientists in the world and Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a nutritional biochemist, a student of Linus Pauling and I reviewed the existing science, and Dr. Ames shared shocking new evidence from his research center on how HFCS can trigger body-wide inflammation and obesity.
Here are 5 reasons you should stay way from any product containing high fructose corn syrup and why it may kill you.
1. Sugar in any form causes obesity and disease when consumed in pharmacologic doses.
Cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup are indeed both harmful when consumed in pharmacologic doses of 140 pounds per person per year. When one 20 ounce HFCS sweetened soda, sports drink or tea has 17 teaspoons of sugar (and the average teenager often consumes two drinks a day) we are conducting a largely uncontrolled experiment on the human species. Our hunter gather ancestors consumed the equivalent of 20 teaspoons per year, not per day. In this sense, I would agree with the corn industry that sugar is sugar. Quantity matters. But there are some important differences.
2. HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.
High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a process so secret that Archer Daniels Midland and Carghill would not allow the investigative journalist, Michael Pollan to observe it for his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The sugars are extracted through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically novel compound called HFCS.
Some basic biochemistry will help you understand this. Regular cane sugar (sucrose) is made of two-sugar molecules bound tightly together – glucose and fructose in equal amounts. The enzymes in your digestive tract must break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the body.
HFCS also consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. Fructose is sweeter than glucose. And HCFS is cheaper than sugar because of the government farm bill corn subsidies. Products with HFCS are sweeter and cheaper than products made with cane sugar. This allowed for the average soda size to balloon from 8 ounces to 20 ounces with little financial costs to manufacturers but great human costs of increased obesity, diabetes and chronic disease.
Now back to biochemistry. Since there is there is no chemical bond between them, no digestion is required so they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people. The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin – our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.
But there was one more thing I learned during lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames. Research done by his group at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute found that free fructose from HFCS requires more energy to be absorbed by the gut and soaks up two phosphorous molecules from ATP (our body’s energy source). This depletes the energy fuel source or ATP in our gut required to maintain the integrity of our intestinal lining. Little “tight junctions” cement each intestinal cell together preventing food and bacteria from “leaking” across the intestinal membrane and triggering an immune reaction and body wide inflammation.
High doses of free fructose have been proven to literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria and partially digested food proteins to enter your blood stream and trigger the inflammation that we know is at the root of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and accelerated aging. Naturally occurring fructose in fruit is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber that doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as the free high fructose doses found in “corn sugar”.
The takeaway: Cane sugar and the industrially produced, euphemistically named “corn sugar” are not biochemically or physiologically the same.
3. HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA
An FDA researcher asked corn producers to ship a barrel of high fructose corn syrup in order to test for contaminants. Her repeated requests were refused until she claimed she represented a newly created soft drink company. She was then promptly shipped a big vat of HFCS that was used as part of the study that showed that HFCS often contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing.(i) Poisoned sugar is certainly not “natural”.
When HFCS is run through a chemical analyzer or a chromatograph, strange chemical peaks show up that are not glucose or fructose. What are they? Who knows? This certainly calls into question the purity of this processed form of super sugar. The exact nature, effects and toxicity of these funny compounds have not been fully explained, but shouldn’t we be protected from the presence of untested chemical compounds in our food supply, especially when the contaminated food product comprises up to 15-20 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake?
4. Independent medical and nutrition experts DO NOT support the use of HCFS in our diet, despite the assertions of the corn industry.
The corn industry’s happy looking websites http://www.cornsugar.com/ and http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ bolster their position that cane sugar and corn sugar are the same by quoting experts, or should we say mis-quoting …
Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has published widely on the dangers of sugar-sweetened drinks and their contribution to the obesity epidemic. In a review of HFCS in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,(ii) he explains the mechanism by which the free fructose may contribute to obesity. He states that:
“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [production of fat in the liver]. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption.”

He states that HFCS is absorbed more rapidly than regular sugar, and that it doesn’t stimulate insulin or leptin production. This prevents you from triggering the body’s signals for being full and may lead to overconsumption of total calories.
He concludes by saying that:

“… the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.”
The corn industry takes his comments out of context to support their position. “All sugar you eat is the same.”
True pharmacologic doses of any kind of sugar are harmful, but the biochemistry of different kinds of sugar and their respective effects on absorption, appetite and metabolism are different, and Dr. Popkin knows that.
David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and a personal friend has published extensively on the dangers and the obesogenic properties of sugar-sweetened beverages. He was quoted as saying that “high fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food industry.” When I asked him why he supported the corn industry, he told me he didn’t and that his comments were taken totally out of context.

Misrepresenting science is one thing, misrepresenting scientists who have been at the forefront of the fight against obesity and high fructose sugar sweetened beverages is quite another.
5. HCFS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease creating industrial food products or “food-like substances”.
The last reason to avoid products that contain HFCS is that they are a marker for poor-quality, nutritionally depleted, processed industrial food full of empty calories and artificial ingredients. If you find “high fructose corn syrup” on the label you can be sure it is not a whole, real, fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Stay away if you want to stay healthy. We still must reduce our overall consumption of sugar, but with this one simple dietary change you can radically reduce your health risks and improve your health.
While debate may rage about the biochemistry and physiology of cane sugar vs. corn sugar, this is in fact beside the point (despite the finer points of my scientific analysis above). The conversation has been diverted to a simple assertion that cane sugar and corn sugar are not different.
The real issues are only two.

1. We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history — 140 pounds a year vs. 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago.
2. High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous and filled with all sorts of other disease promoting compounds, fats, salt, chemicals and even mercury.

These critical ideas should be the heart of the national conversation, not the meaningless confusing ads and statements by the corn industry in the media and online that attempt to assure the public that the biochemistry of real sugar and industrially produced sugar from corn are the same.
Know I’d like to hear from you …
Do you think there is an association between the introduction of HFCS in our diet and the obesity epidemic?
What reason do you think the Corn Refiners Association has for running such ads and publishing websites like those listed in this article?
What do you think of the science presented here and the general effects of HFCS on the American diet?
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
References
(i) Dufault, R., LeBlanc, B., Schnoll, R. et al. 2009. Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: Measured concentrations in food product sugar. Environ Health. 26(8):2.
(ii) Bray, G.A., Nielsen, S.J., and B.M. Popkin. 2004. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 79(4):537-43. Review.

April 27, 2011 - Moe's Man For Life

Well, we had another uncontrollable attack for fast food.  Don't worry, we've permanently given up the McDonald's class of restaurant.  But even after all my research, it seems I still can't resist the overwhelming draw to the Southwest from my personal favorite host, Moe's!  Sorry to all of you religious Chipotle fans, but I just can't get behind it.  I just feel like they have a pompous attitude, and their prices reflect.  It's as if their passion for a cult following has blinded them to the idea that Americans are not as stupid as the economy predicts... but then again, there IS a cult following.  YOU PEOPLE REALIZE THAT A TORTILLA COSTS ABOUT A NICKEL TO MAKE, DON'T YOU?  Suckers!  And please correct me if I'm wrong, but Chipotle has no military discount.  Is this an establishment my money should back?  I think not.

Okay, enough rampage.  So there we were, committing our crime against better judgement.  Fully prepared to pump my children (and ourselves) full of genetically modified vegetation, hormone injected mystery meat products, and artificially flavored and chemically preserved... well... everything!  Why?  Because I'm an American dammit!  Just kidding.  Hey look, we're on a journey down nothing short of the long and winding detour from the norm.  If we didn't make the wrong decision once in awhile, it wouldn't be called a journey.  And I hope that anyone that is on the same journey agrees, and anyone inspired to join our quest is comforted and welcomed by the thought.

I was excited because Moe's added some new items to their repertoire, and it was clearly in an effort to up the zip!  And as it turned out, I was in the mood for some spice.  So when I saw "Spicy Burrito: Stuffed with marinated chicken, seasoned rice, black beans, pico de gallo, new spicy queso and new jalapeño sour cream," I was sold.  And it was AWESOME!  Elaine went with a "Homewrecker," Evan had his usual "Moo Moo Mr. Cow," and Riley was going to have a "Mini Masterpiece" until she demanded chicken ("Ca-ya chicken?!").  So we got her the "Mini" and added chicken.

But amidst all this excitement I couldn't seem to shake my disgust with... consumer product choices.  Yup, consumer product choices.  That's what I'm going with.  I can't express in a million blogs how strongly I feel about industry's poor decision to exacerbate America's food problem for the good of making a dollar.  I know that I'm not helping by purchasing this garbage, but I can justify the entertainment value of eating out.  Maybe it's hypocritical, but when you boil it all down, it's an opinion and I'm entitled to that.  I believe that the idea that "the public won't pay the extra money for real food," is crap.  We aren't given the opportunity.  And besides, if everyone was educated and realized what they were doing to themselves, realized where their food was coming from, and (most importantly) were presented with the opportunity to choose local, whole, natural foods, THEY WOULDN'T BE SO F***ING EXPENSIVE!.  Supply and demand people.  Take a class!

And then...

Elaine, with her eyes nearly out of her head, casually slides a tri-fold brochure across the table to me that contained this:

"GET. THE. F***. OUT. OF. TOWN..."

I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for my, albeit censored, profane vocabulary tonight.  I realize that I am in rare form this evening.  I can't help it.  I'm so ------- excited about this I could fart!  And I did, ask Elaine!  Afterall, there were beans- This is inappropriate.

I am so happy to see this.  This is the stuff I want to see everywhere!  Now, is it 100%?  Ah... no.  Sorry.  BUT I'M STILL F***ING EXCITED!  Why?  Because it's a start.  And dammit, if Moe's can start, YOU CAN START!  So go eat some Moe's and feel good about it.  They have my praise and, most importantly, my endorsement.

Food - Awesome!

Atmosphere - Awesome!

Service - Awesome! ("Welcome to Mooooooe's!")

Overall - F***ing awesome!

April 19, 2011 - Food Revolution

I just finished watching the second episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  I just want to say that if you're taking the time to read this, but not the time to watch that, you're priorities are out of whack!  Watch it.  It will start you down the right path.  You still need to watch Food, Inc., so all of you wimps out there need to suck it up and watch it!

I just wanted to get my opinion out there.  Dino is screwed in the head.  He needs to realize that America follows trends, and if you give them the tools they will fix the problem.  If the food is good we'll order it.  The things Americans look for in fast food are these (in order): SPEED, PRICE, TASTE!  So pathetic.  We're ridiculous.  I'm not any better though...

I'm glad that there are people like Jamie Oliver out there doing what they're doing.  I'm glad he's working the health angle, and he's really gone to America's battle ground for his conquest.  I am still concerned more with where the food comes from.  He managed to get the pink slime out of the burgers he made at Patra's, but where did the beef come from?  Was it corn fed?  How many antibiotics are in it?

Have you ever asked this about your food?

Watch the show.  Learn some things.  Then don't stop there, make some changes.  Start simple.  I'm going to learn to grind my own beef next.  I have the attachment for my Artisan Stand Mixer and everything.  Then it's on to making my own sausage.  What are you going to do?

April 18, 2011 - The Beginning

I feel bad that this is how it all has to start.  I feel bad for Circus, but they should've cared about the one thing that gives them a purpose in society. 

It's Monday night and my wife asked to go out to dinner.  One year ago this wouldn't have been an issue, but things have changed.  I would've known exactly where to go, what I would eat, and what the kids would eat.  I would've known exactly how long we would've been there, and I probably could've scripted the conversation between Elaine and I.  Not to say that we were boring or unoriginal, but we were the typical American consumer.  We were consistent.

So what happened?

We took our usual twenty-five minutes to get ourselves into the car, dealing with all of the usual distractions.  You know, shiny objects and what not.  I asked Elaine where she wanted to eat and the conversation ensued.  We used our new criteria in selecting a restaurant which basically consists of two things, (1) something one of us has never tried, and (2) something family-friendly.  I know, it should be easy.  But we live in Saratoga Springs, New York, and we're not exactly new to the area.

We found ourselves at Circus Cafe, on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, and obviously I'm not thrilled.

A lot of things came to a head for me today.  Six weeks ago I did what I believe every American should take two hours out of their busy lives to do.  I watched Food, Inc.  I've listened to my mother preach about organic foods and consumer products now for years, and that documentary finally made me listen.  I watched Inside Job, I watched Gasland, I read everything I could get my hands on, and I talked to my wife.  We talked, we got scared, we calmed each other down, we planned, and we planned, and we planned.  We've made a decision to change.

So why did we go out to dinner?  Saratoga Springs is notoriously liberal, and artsy.  Shouldn't they be making strides in step with the food revolution?  After all, we are the last ones to jump on the bandwagon, aren't we?  Food, Inc. came out in 2008, right?  Everyone's seen it, and things have all changed, haven't they?  The chicken in my pot pie couldn't possibly been an overfed, bloated, antibiotic filled, abused chicken, could it?!

The Review

Our Menu:
     Jay - Chicken Pot Pie with a side of Cranberry Sauce
     Elaine - Tortellini a la Panna
     Kids - Macaroni & Cheese with side of Apple Sauce & French Fries

Food - Poor
Atmosphere - Decent
Service - Decent
Overall - Horrible

It started out with every high mark I could've given it.  I'm being nice.  I usually go into a restaurant with a chip on my shoulder... figuratively.  It was dark, and really warm, but I read the verbage on the beginning of the menu and became intrigued.  It said that the concept was a product of the owner's love of the restaurant business, theater, and the circus.  The decor was precisely what it should've been.  The owner was commited to the concept, and I respect him for that.  But notice that the write-up never said a thing about the owner's love of food.  We were greeted with popcorn by our server who was wearing a shirt that said "Juggler."  I was continuing to respect the owner's commitment to his concept.  Even the beers on tap were consistent with the concept.

Then the food came out.

We paid $10 for less than a full box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, apple sauce, and the type of curly fries you can buy in the freezer section of any grocery store.  The tortellini Elaine ordered may as well have been Bertolli, and the garlic bread was clearly made from sandwich rolls.  My chicken pot pie lacked flavor and originality, and was far from hitting the spot.

WTF?

I don't remember if I've ever gotten in the car after dinner and said "that was horrible."  And what about that meal was consistent with my new change?  What was I thinking?

Like I said before, I feel bad that this blog started because of Circus.  But I stand by my statement that Circus, just like every other restaurant in America, should begin to care about the ONE thing that gives them a purpose in this world:

FOOD.