Saturday, July 2, 2011

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie and Job for Burger Tester

Mexican spiced pork with fries
Food Diary (July 02, 2011)
Breakfast: Rolled oats with strawberries
Lunch: Polenta with tomato coconut oyster sauce
Dinner: Mexican spiced pork with fries, rolled oats with coconut
Baking/sweets:

I wonder how many of you (especially American readers) have checked your calendar recently. July 4 is almost here, I suppose most of you knew that already. July 4 falls on a Monday and guess that, Monday is also the day for another conflicting ‘celebration’, meatless Monday. Will an exception be made? 

Today's Favourite Photo
Source: Sparklette
Blueberry cream cheese pie


Today’s Favourite Blog
Source: NZ Herald
There is a job opening for a hamburger tester. It is no ordinary hamburger of course, it is a "test-tube" hamburger. The burger is made with beef grown in the lab from stem cells. According to Dutch scientists the hamburger is less than a year away from being produced.  The burger will be grown from 10,000 stem cells extracted from cattle, which are left in the lab to multiply more than a billion times to produce muscle tissue similar to beef.

With demand for meat expected to double in the next 40 years, in vitro meat will be the only choice left, according to Mark Post, a professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. With regards to search for a volunteer the professor said "if no one comes forward, then it might be me." Note that he uses the word ‘might’ which indicates it is not definite. At least he has indicated that he might test it himself, showing at least some confidence in the product.

In 2009, scientists from the same university grew strips of pork using the same method. But it was grey and the texture was similar to calamari. If the scientists have the same luck the beef may have texture similar to fish. It will be fall off the bone, without bone and even before being cooked. 

It is a pity that the hamburgers are not available already, it could have come in handy on meatless Monday. But don’t worry, it should be available the next time July 4 falls on a Monday. By then perhaps a wider selection may become available.

15 comments:

  1. Wow. That's an interesting job...would you do it? I'd be happy to taste test that cream cheese pie, that's for sure :)

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  2. Yeah, the idea of meatless Monday will be lost on my household. Have a happy Fourth!

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  3. The pork and the cheesecake would make a delicious 2 course meal there! :)

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  4. Meatless?! Good grief! Nope, no way, not in this household. Our friends call us a family of "meatarians". Beef with the same texture of fish ... hmm, doesn't sound too appetizing, I actually like the coarse, grainy texture of beef. The Chinese tend to over-tenderize beef when they cook it and I dislike the gooey, slimey texture that the tenderizers do to the meat.

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  5. Your pork looks divine... The meat experience reminds me of the French comedy "L'Aile ou la Cuisse" with the very famous actor, Louis Funès. There is a factory where they produce false, ready-to-cook chickens, salads made out of rubber etc. ;-)

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  6. Parsley Sage: I probably would not do it, though just like you I would happily test the cream cheese pie. I suspect many others would be keen also for this one!

    yummychunklet: I suppose exceptions can be made, after all July 4 only comes once a year

    Lorraine: Yes, though unfortunately I only ate one physically, the other I ate wit my eyes:)

    ping: Same here, I prefer grainy texture. It makes you feel you are eating meat and not sausage, or lab meat! Instead of meatless Monday you can have meatless July 4, since it only comes once a year:)

    Sissi: thank you, it tasted delicious:) It seems the French conceptualised the idea long time ago but never proceeded with it. Perhaps they sold the idea to the Dutch!

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  7. The blueberries cream cheese pie look so YUM!

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  8. Im not a huge meat fan, and I know at the party they're going to they will probably have mostly pulled pork...so I will probably still partake in meatless Monday! That pie looks totally delicious

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  9. Cream cheese pie looks so inviting!!! Yumm :)

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  10. wow I love that blueberry cheese pie!!! So inviting!

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  11. oh my, i've never seen blueberry cheeecake before! and that layer of blueberries is at least 1 cm high!! lol. :)

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  12. That slice of pie is just beautiful, and making me very hungry.

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  13. I love the looks of that blueberry cheesecake!

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  14. That Mexican spiced pork looks so tempting, It looks so juicy and tender.

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