What about GMOs?

I read this article recently on GMOs.

I thought it was very well written and neutral, considering what strong viewpoints are had on either side. You've got the die hard fellow hippies who believe that GMOs are evil, evil, evil , then you have the others saying they're progress and will help feed the world. I used to be totally in the former group, and even now I lean more towards that. GMOs are relatively recent, we don't know their long term effects on human bodies or the environment. They are mostly controlled by Monsanto, who I think we can all agree are an evil corporation who are all about greed and money. They patent their seeds and sue farmers, they hide evidence and encourage monoculture crop growing - none of which is good for the environment or people (especially farmers). Furthermore GMOs reduce biodiversity of the food we eat as well of the animals/plants in the ecosystem.

However, in the hands of responsible ethical scientists, GMOs could be used for good. They could be grown in places where they wouldn't contaminate non GMO crops. They could be used to create nutritionally superior food for starving countries (eg golden rice) or to create trees/plants that improve the ecosystem . If we knew what genes were altered,, and there was more accurate information and less deception, maybe we could accept the potential for some genetic modification to help society and the world as a whole ; the current overpopulation of humans, pollution, factory farming etc is surely in need of change.

I still avoid GMOs because of my corporate anti-sentiment, as well as the fact I have no idea what the genetic modifications actually entail and what their long term health effects are, as well as ethical issues (eg I avoid non organic meat as most is fed GMO soy which is grown on massive mono-culture farms which are created by destroying rainforest in the amazon). But I understand that in an ideal world, where GMOS were handled by ethical, progressive scientists, and used with certain regulations and rules to benefit society, I would be much more accepting of them. Unfortunately that's not the current situation. Who knows, maybe things will change. But for now, I'm doing my best to stick to  local veggies and organic meat!

Sauvage

Gahhh blogging fail. Ok I've sorted my life out. I think so anyway. I've had a crazy weekend of birthday celebrations. Before that it was travel and a festival interspersed with going to hospital like a good medical student. Now, it's detox time. It's get my life in order time. It's achieving time. And importantly, it's blogging more time!

I hope someone missed me ^^

I thought I'd kick things off with a little restaurant review of basically the first 'Paleo' restaurant in Europe. It's called Sauvage and it's in Berlin. I went there for a few days to visit a friend, and since we both kind of follow paleo principles we decided to check it out. And I'm am SO GLAD we did. It was incredible! One of the best meals I've had, and knowing it was healthy was just the (refined sugar free) icing on the (gluten free, low carb) cake! Sauvage follow Paleo principles in their cooking - so no dairy or grains in any menu item. Desserts are sweetened with natural sugars (like honey). Meats are organic/free range. It's all about fresh, organic and made from scratch.

We went on a balmy Friday evening. Inside it's fairly small, but intimate with lovely ambiance, but outside (where we sat) is where it's at! The outdoor tables are on a quiet residential street, and although a bit dark, it was perfect on that evening. I ordered a main course and dessert. For mains it was some kind of mutton ragu with olives and yucca mash with nutmeg. The meat was tender and flavourful, bursting with Mediterranean flavours, while the mash was creamy, smooth and slightly sticky. It's hard to describe if you've never had yucca before, but if you're a fan of starchy foods like potato or yam, you'll love the stuff! I got addicted to it on my South American travels. Dessert was a lemon mousse with fermented berries. It was basically a lemon curd, which I assume they used coconut oil in instead of butter. Oh man, it was beautiful. The tart berries perfectly offsetted the creamy lemony goodness of the curd. I also tried one of their homemade spirits (can't remember which) but that also, was amazing.

I love that this restaurant is all about local, organic, fresh food, and everything is made from scratch.  That's true sustainable commitment. It was a bit on the expensive side (but totally worth it, and what you'd expect for this kind of quality) and the entire experience was wonderful. ALSO, I cannot forget to mention the toilet. THAT was pretty cool in itself! There were candles, and ornaments and it smelt good, more like a shrine than a toilet. Who'da thunk it?!

If you're ever in Berlin, check this place out!

Contact information

Pflügerstrasse 25, 12047 - Berlin

Tel: 030/53167547

reservations(at)sauvageberlin.com

I'm sharing this with Real Food Wednesdays! Check it out for more real food posts