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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
A healthy helping of intestinal fortitude
I wish all the cynics who complain the younger generation isn't doing anything to make the world a better place could have joined me at The Forks on Friday for the Great Manitoba Food Fight.
This is the annual competition wherein teams of budding food scientists from the faculties of agriculture and human ecology at the University of Manitoba duke it out to see who has created the tastiest and most marketable new food product.
On Friday, 10 teams pitched their product ideas and provided samples to a panel of judges consisting of noted food experts Judy Wilson, director of marketing and communication at the Asper School of Business; Dave Shambrock, executive director of the Manitoba Food Processors Association; and, of course, me.
I was inspired by this year's battle because all of the foods whipped up by the students were not only tasty, but also packed with benefits because they were low in fat, high in fibre, gluten-free and designed to promote the gastrointestinal health of middle-aged, overweight persons such as myself.
Frankly, this surprised me. Back when I was in university, students did not spend a great deal of time thinking about the digestive systems of older persons, because we were far too busy dealing with the vital concerns of university life such as trying to find a pair of underwear that wasn't covered in so much fungus it could skitter away under and hide under our beds, or making practical furniture from leftover pizza boxes.
Before we get to the big winner, I would like to touch on a couple of innovative student concoctions that filled me with hope for the future, such as a product called the "café melt," which consisted of spreadable cheddar cheese combined with (this is the genius part) coffee extract, so it was very much like caffeinated Cheez Whiz.
We judges agreed we had never seen or tasted anything like it in our lives. The students told us: "We chose coffee because it's a popular flavour enjoyed by many and we thought combining the two was something unique to the market."
I considered asking the students what they had been smoking when they came up with the concept, but instead just praised them for creating the world's first cheese sandwich that can keep you awake at night. It seems like a perfect product for (a) drowsy mice; and (b) busy people who like cheese AND coffee, but don't have enough time to enjoy each of them separately.
Another highlight was "brewsters," sticky snack-sized balls of malted barley, malted barley extract, egg white and sugar that were pitched as the perfect alternative for manly guys who love beer but are also watching their weight.
For the record, I believe health-conscious beer drinkers are a lot like UFOs -- you hear about them but you never see one. To say these snacks were a bit chewy is like saying Jets fans are mildly pleased the NHL is back in Winnipeg.
"I definitely could use a beer right now," is what we judges croaked quietly after swallowing one of these snacks.
The big winner was the "veggie samosa burger," a delicious cross between a normal veggie patty and a spicy Indian samosa. "I've never won anything ever," Walid Bahanshal, 25, a member of the winning team, chirped. "It's awesome!"
The good news is everyone can sleep easy tonight because the future of food looks very bright, although I personally won't be getting any rest until that (bad word) caffeinated cheese wears off.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 19, 2012 A2
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