Excellent and thought-provoking piece! I read 'Seduced by Story: The Use and Abuse of Narrative' awhile ago and am astounded by how pervasive it is now that I'm more aware. I appreciate the opportunity to have hard discussions about how personal narrative is wielded, especially through social media/consumerism, and as a historian of science and technology I think it's also important to recognize the uncomfortable notion of the fallibility and limitations of science. Very good job articulating the flimsy logic at play in our day to day!
Thank you so much for reading! I need to get back into that Peter Brooks piece myself- would have been a natural citation here, thank you for reminding me of it.
Thank you for this! I get so tired of pseudoscience and puritanical ideas about pleasure and virtue leading the nutritional narrative, and I really appreciate your well-sourced deep dive into these questions. (Also, they can pry my Cadbury cream egg out of my dead, sticky hands!)
Absolutely incredible work Bronwen! The bit about cherry picking indigenous and Ayurvedic practices to make more palatable for white folks… phew, what wide door this opens that I hope folks choose to walk through and do their own digging. Thanks for this!
Everyone should read (and save) this newsletter. I constantly hear pseudoscience-based comments, especially around sugar, which seems to lead towards disordered eating. So many folks in my life blame every ailment or imperfection in how they feel on something they eat.
I had an army of volunteer recipe testers helping me on my book. I got way too many comments that just made me a bit sad, mostly about sugar and bread.
when working as a pastry cook, making barely above minimum wage, I was once told I worked for "Big Sugar" and was as culpable as the Sackler family for profiting from an addictive substance.
Thank you for the depth and insights here, Bronwen, and may your chocolate egg stash be ever-plentiful. In the bean to bar community (I’m a b2b chocolate maker) Battle Sugar (hype about natural sugars, a lot of false claims, etc) is going strong. I’m sending a link to this post to my students.
Incredible piece which you position brilliantly to reflect this strange and dangerous moment in time. We ignore the turn towards fascism at our own peril! I have seen too many charlatans hawking their dubious wares to people desperate for solutions. Enough.
The desperation part is exactly right. I have so much compassion for people who are struggling to feel better and I think why the charlatans make me so, so angry
Great piece, especially the conclusion. Moderation in all things does not seem to be an American value. And nicely described in your over-the-limit snacks, a drizzle of honey, a yogurt, a Cadbury cream egg.
Excellent and thought-provoking piece! I read 'Seduced by Story: The Use and Abuse of Narrative' awhile ago and am astounded by how pervasive it is now that I'm more aware. I appreciate the opportunity to have hard discussions about how personal narrative is wielded, especially through social media/consumerism, and as a historian of science and technology I think it's also important to recognize the uncomfortable notion of the fallibility and limitations of science. Very good job articulating the flimsy logic at play in our day to day!
Thank you so much for reading! I need to get back into that Peter Brooks piece myself- would have been a natural citation here, thank you for reminding me of it.
It’s mostly good! Not entirely satisfying, but it’s a big subject.
Wow, Bronwen, this is amazing, and I've only half-read it so far. "natural sweeteners, such as granulated cane sugar" WHAT
The natural sugars thing is such a common misconception!
sorry I misspelled your name, I have a cold RN
oh my gosh no worries! the -yn ending is so common in the States.
One of my favorite pieces you’ve written! Looking forward to diving deeper into some of the books you shared.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this! I get so tired of pseudoscience and puritanical ideas about pleasure and virtue leading the nutritional narrative, and I really appreciate your well-sourced deep dive into these questions. (Also, they can pry my Cadbury cream egg out of my dead, sticky hands!)
I really wish I’d bought more Cadbury crème eggs before they left the stores 😭
Absolutely incredible work Bronwen! The bit about cherry picking indigenous and Ayurvedic practices to make more palatable for white folks… phew, what wide door this opens that I hope folks choose to walk through and do their own digging. Thanks for this!
Thank you so much for reading Olivia!
Everyone should read (and save) this newsletter. I constantly hear pseudoscience-based comments, especially around sugar, which seems to lead towards disordered eating. So many folks in my life blame every ailment or imperfection in how they feel on something they eat.
As pastry chefs we are truly on the front line of comments about disordered eating - it’s such a difficult, awkward place to be in
I had an army of volunteer recipe testers helping me on my book. I got way too many comments that just made me a bit sad, mostly about sugar and bread.
This is a BANGER of an essay. So, so good.
Thank you!!
You're a very talented writer, we need more!!
Thank you!!
Hot damn, what a piece!!!!! Psyched to share this with my family!!
Thank you!!
wow this is a great essay, thank you!!! also adding so many books to my reading list from this
Thank you so much for reading!
when working as a pastry cook, making barely above minimum wage, I was once told I worked for "Big Sugar" and was as culpable as the Sackler family for profiting from an addictive substance.
Oh my god…
Thank you so much Bronwen! Really appreciate all the thought and work that’s gone into this.
Thank you for reading Felicity!
Thank you for the depth and insights here, Bronwen, and may your chocolate egg stash be ever-plentiful. In the bean to bar community (I’m a b2b chocolate maker) Battle Sugar (hype about natural sugars, a lot of false claims, etc) is going strong. I’m sending a link to this post to my students.
I appreciate this so much!
This was a great piece - I really enjoyed reading it!
Thank you!!
Incredible piece which you position brilliantly to reflect this strange and dangerous moment in time. We ignore the turn towards fascism at our own peril! I have seen too many charlatans hawking their dubious wares to people desperate for solutions. Enough.
The desperation part is exactly right. I have so much compassion for people who are struggling to feel better and I think why the charlatans make me so, so angry
Great piece, especially the conclusion. Moderation in all things does not seem to be an American value. And nicely described in your over-the-limit snacks, a drizzle of honey, a yogurt, a Cadbury cream egg.
Thank you! And it’s so true- we tend to extremes in so many ways