November 2, 2011 — Michael Pollan

EPISODE NUMBER: 8015 (November 2, 2011)
GUESTS: Michael Pollan
SEGMENTS: Indecision 2012 - Herman Cain’s International Affairs | The Word - Bite the Hand That Feeds You | Muffingate | Sign Off - White Castle & Beer
SUIT REPORT: Gray Suit | Light Blue Shirt | Gray/Light Blue Striped Tie
VIDEOS: Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Definitely, the fast food choice of Chicago is White Castle. (Usually pronounced, “White Castles.”) I think if we were ever to embrace a corporation as a person, we would be cool with White Castle. A meal best enjoyed after a night of binge drinking, usually on the curb somewhere. Not that I know anything about that. So it was nice to see it (him) featured on tonight’s ep, which seemed to focus on the theme of food, whether it be dog kibble, $16.00 allegedly government-procured muffins, or a bag of “what you crave.”

Nice to see food Nazi authority Michael Pollan. That home brewed beer looked rather neat and professional, in its nice little bottle there. Stephen’s interviews always seem homier or cozier with a beverage for some reason. I agree with Mr. Pollan that we have some screwed up attitudes about food these days. We like to think that no matter what we put into our bodies, nature will be able to handle it and there will be no deleterious effects. Especially as a parent I worry about what we are eating, trying to avoid the obvious no-no foods, it’s just so dang hard.

What did you think of the ep? Grab an apple and comment up.

Quotables:

From the Intro:

• “Michael Pollan has written a book called Food Rules. I am looking forward to the sequel, Shelter Rocks!”
• “Bank of America will drop its $5.00 debit card fee. Of course, that comes with a $6.00 fee removal fee.”

From Herman Cain’s International Affairs:

• “So parents, if any children are watching, please tell them how intercourse works in graphic detail, so they understand what I am about to talk about. Are they crying yet? Are you? Then you didn’t go into enough detail.”
• “Cain understands domestic issues, because he had experience selling pizza. And, he understands international issues, because pizza is Italian.”
• “If you don’t know who the president of Ubeki-beki-stan-stan is, you can just look it up in Wikipedia, which I believe is the country right to the north.”
• “Nation we cannot allow China to develop nukes. Especially, since they developed them in 1964. If we don’t act fast, they might build a wall to keep foreigners out. Noooo!”
• “He has been studying up on these issues for months. He just hasn’t gotten to the chapter on the 1960s yet. Personally, I can’t to hear about his plan to get us out of Vietnam.”
• “So stay strong, Herman Cain. If you get stuck in your next interview, remember, the answers are in the back of the book.”

From The Word- Bite the Hand that Feeds You:

• “Nation, the OWS has been going on for two months, and I’m still not sure what they want. Based on all the drumming, I am guessing they are waiting for the sax to come in.”
• “But one of the things that has got their white boy dreads in a bunch, is the so-called income gap, and it’s only getting worse. In fact, America has an income gap similar to the Phillipinnes and Mexico. Sounds bad, but it could mean we are about to see a boom in the cockfighting industry.”
• “You know the economy suck when Dawn [dish soap] is now a status symbol. A lot of people could only afford ‘Dusk.'”
• “[“Have you ever been hired by a poor person?”] Yes, I was young, it was dark, and I really needed the money for a bus ticket home.”
• “With this angry mob growing out there, I am worried that we are dangerously close to changing something. So we are going to have to throw these have-nots a bone. And that brings us to tonight’s Word.”
• “Wow, that ad was effective. Whomever came up with it, I would like to sniff your butt. [Statement that got Cain in trouble.]”
• “…then pay extra for premium dog food. [White Castle.]”

• “50 billion dollars. We’d be a lot more likely to bail out the Greeks if they had wet noses and floppy ears. [I think that’s Estonians.]”
• “Pets of wealthy American appear to have more disposable income than those of poor people. [And less likely to whizz in your yard.]”
• “So if we really want to close the income gap, there is a simple answer: the poor should become rich people’s pets.”
• “800,000 have health insurance…..[Licking own ass is pre-existing condition.]”
• “You get a roof over your head, plenty of exercise, and your meals are loaded with chunks of hearty beef lip. [White Castle?]”
• “We rich have a moral obligation to do something about the alarming rise of poor. Which reminds me, you’re going to have to be spayed or neutered. [De-occupy ball street.]”
• “Some rich people have allergies, so we’ll have to cross a poor person with a poodle, to create a desti-doodle. [Or a Portuguese water Doug.]”
• “You poor can be obedient pets, or you can bite the hand that feeds you, in which case, we’re gonna have to put you down.”

From Muffingate:

• “What was Jefferson thinking, paying 15 million dollars for Lousiana? He should have gotten the way everything else is paid for down there: by showing Napoleon his t**s.”
• “Why would the government spend $16.00 on a muffin, when they can go to Starbucks and get one for $14.00?”
• “I have been tracking Muffingate very closely, as well as Muffintopgate. When did I gain all this weight? (CN’s note: Lookin’ good, sir!)”
• “The responsible use of your tax dollars is made clear in the [Audit Report], it’s 151 pages, proving that there was no government money wasted on muffins.”
• “I believe the agency seal is scratch and sniff. Banana nut.”
• “And for all my fellow pundits out there, eager to sniff out further government waste, hopefully the Inspector General will be issuing a 300 page report, investigating rumors this 150 page report on $16.00 muffins, cost millions.”

Interview Quotables:

Michael Pollan: We have a national eating disorder. People are getting very sick because of the diet they are eating.

Stephen Colbert: What the hell do you know about food?

MP: I don’t know much about food, I’ll be honest, I’m not an expert…

SC: But you sure play one on TV.

MP: But I’ve realized at a certain point we have been listening to scientists too long, and they have really misled us, and the health claims on food products.

MP: What I am trying to do with this book is just cut through it with some common sense rules, it’s a deeply conservative book.

SC:Like tax cuts?

MP: No, I think we need more taxes on certain kinds of food.

SC:What would you tax?

MP: Soda, first thing, soda.

Michael Pollan’s Food Rules:

Food is a costly anti-depressant.

A desk is not a table.

A land with lots of herring can get along with few doctors.