Molecular Gastronomy

This is my topic today after just finishing off a lovely sandwich for lunch in the time honored traditional way-for me that’s turkey between 2 slices of whole wheat slathered with mustard. By molecular gastronomy I mean chemical foods the polar opposite of clean eating (meaning eating foods with the least possible or no processing) which I am trying very hard to do. Clean eating is difficult because it seems other than growing my own food there is very little out there untouched by chemicals in some way, either through processing or by pesticides or other chemicals during the growing. That said molecular gastronomy involves using chemical reactions to produce meals from chemical compounds and cooking alone, compounds like maltodextrine, citric acid, or allyl isothiocyanate. Simply put, the idea is food doesn't have to be grown, an alternative to home grown food with the same nutrients and constituent parts can be made completely out of chemicals in a lab. Hampton Creek’s food scientists are working to perfect a perfect egg (without the hen) and their first product, an egg free mayonnaise called Just Mayo is already being sold at Whole Foods in the US and in Europe. Bill Gates recently endorsed them and his foundation also funds another company called Beyond Meat in California that is experimenting with new technologies to turn plants into new foods that taste like beef or chicken. There is even a company called Nu-Tek Food Science in Minnesota that’s producing salt with only a fraction of the sodium in regular salt. I am not sure about all the worry over sustainability in the future for our planet’s burgeoning population, maybe these scientists should focus more on the present with the threat of global warming and the dangers from chemicals we are adding and have already added to our soil, water, and hence our food supply that is supposed to sustain us right now. I don’t think the chemical cuisine of the future sounds very appetizing at all.