Browsed by
Day: July 13, 2013

curses, fda!

curses, fda!

so i’ve been living another lie! i think the fda has recently started requiring food companies to list ALL ingredients, even those that comprise a very small amount. which means that things that have contained DS have gotten by me because it wasn’t required for it to be listed! but i’ve been seeing a lot of ingredients lists with a big old “Contains less than 2% of the following:…” and lots of times, DS is listed.
the only thing i could find in a quick internet search is this lady’s blog who lists the “2%” rule (#1).
case in point: M&Ms. i know i had read the ingredients list of M&Ms in the past and deemed them ok. yesterday i bought a $9 party pack for monster cookies, and guess what’s listed on the ingredients as less than 2%? yep, devil’s syrup.sigh. the damage was done, as that little DS isn’t going to affect my bowels in any way, and my goal is primarily monetary. now i’m going to have to start reading the ingredients lists of foods i’d already deemed awesome.
so while some companies are changing their recipes, ie honeymaid grahams, special K, worcestershire sauce, others are now finally required to list all their ingredients. i can’t win!

book review – The Ocean at the End of the Lane

book review – The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman
I’ve read most of Gaiman’s adult books – I really liked Anansi Boys and Neverwhere, but didn’t like Graveyard Book too much. I don’t think I have ever really really liked one of his books like this one. His books are always sort of odd, not quite fantasy/sci-fi, just weird. And while this one was definitely weird and had definite Gaimanesque plotlines, it read more like a fairytale to me than his other books.
Maybe it was because it was a little on the short side, or from the perspective of a child with adult situations, or because it all slips away at the end like myths and fairytales should. Maybe it was because I personally could relate to our hero, reclusive and stuck in a book. Maybe it was because while definitely Gaiman imagination, you realize it could be written by anyone – current or bards of past. Whatever the case may be, I loved this book.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The end just killed me – when he got his kitten back, and then found it alive and well on the Hempstock farm, then walking away to have his memories slip again.
**END SPOILER ALERT**
I would tell you if you think Gaiman is a little too weird for you, or if you are a Gaiman fangirl, read this book. Perfect for either.