Thursday, January 22, 2026

New food guidelines don’t convince me that my cheese habit is OK

Normally I would not pay attention to anything coming from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but the new USDA dietary guidelines, released earlier this month, have some good recommendations: more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unprocessed foods, unsweetened beverages, and adequate protein. 


However, the top of the new inverted food pyramid shows foods high in saturated fat: meat, cheese, and whole milk. Recommending them as prime sources of protein contradicts another recommendation to limit saturated fat, which clogs the arteries and leads to heart disease. (We can’t expect consistency from anyone in the Trump administration.)


Wednesday, January 14, 2026

This is customer service nowadays

I joined Jewel’s Fresh Pass because I wouldn’t be able to go to the store after my knee replacement surgery. Delivery is free if you spend $30 — not hard to do these days — but you are asked to tip the driver from Door Dash. I wish all vegetables and fruits didn’t arrive in separate plastic bags, but so be it. 


Every delivery but one has gone smoothly, but that one was bananas (pardon the pun). 


Wednesday, January 7, 2026

I’m underinformed about pop culture. Does it matter?

As the oldest Baby Boomers turn 80 this year, a quiz has been circulating online to test how well Boomers know or remember the pop culture of our youth. I could answer only 4 of the 20 questions. 


I didn’t do much better on Mind the Gap, a board game of trivia from four generations, which my family played over Christmas. I answered few of the Boomer questions and drew a blank on those related to later years.