Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by SpyMalaysia

E120 Carmine or E120 Cochineal

SpyMalaysia — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:27:20 +0800

E120 Carmine or E120 Cochineal is a food additive made to make those yummy desserts appear red in colour.

I do wonder how many drooling consumers of these tasty products would be as keen to wolf down that delightful red coloured cake if they knew it was made using this food additive that is derived from the insides of the Cochineal Beetle?

Since January 2011 it has been compulsory in the US to disclose on food labels whether this beetle has been used:

http://halalmedia.net/beetles-artificial-c...-disclosed-fda/

Would you still happily give your kids a red coloured ice cream without first inspecting its ingredients?

Malaysian Restaurant Websites

SpyMalaysia — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:35:51 +0800

There's always a lot of talk on here about cafes/restaurants/food (obviously!) but what is your experience of Malaysian restaurant websites?

Do you know any that have great design or content that impressed you?

Many local restaurants still do not have websites & nearly all use social media especially Facebook to promote their eateries. Facebook is great for retaining existing customers and uses a different method to acquiring new clientele than conventional search does.

My view is many eateries are missing out on potential customers by not providing an SEO optimised web site extolling the cuisine, services & food they provide.

Food bloggers are tuned in enough to know that certain words can realise hundreds of hits every day & page 1 of Google reveals many restaurant reviews amongst the various search terms.

A website is not a 'must have' for every eaterie but it can be part of the jigsaw that helps people to formulate opinion before they visit anywhere.

What's your view?

Fear Factor - The Restaurant

SpyMalaysia — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:12:05 +0800

If you noticed a restaurant opening in your local shopping mall with a theme copying the famous bug eating exploits of reality TV shows such as Fear Factor how would you react?

A - No way would I set foot in there it's disgusting!
B - OMG thats gross, but I got to go in there one time & try something so I can boast to my friends
C - I'm open minded enough to get over the initial shock & give the place a chance
D - If the chef gets the menu right then this will be a healthy alternative eaterie with good nutritional value

Did you know:

Because of the worlds expanding population the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) are aggressively campaigning to promote insects as a viable food source.

However

Universal acceptance of entomophagy is a long way off as people who regularly consume insects do it more out of necessity than desire.

So far restaurants with an entomologic menu are considered fads & tend to easily garner free press publicity because they are so different.

As the world population increases we can expect a similar increase in volume of 'food experts' extolling the nutritional value of bug eating & its many health benefits.

So what's your view on eating bugs? Could you stomach it?

Big Fat Food Reality - So Palm Oil Is Good For You

SpyMalaysia — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:28:12 +0800

Just watched (a repeat, last week) an interesting program on the Asian Food Channel called 'The Big Fat Food Reality' & it had a focus on the health benefits of Palm Oil.

It was interesting to see the bad press palm oil got in the 1960's from big food manufacturers steering customers towards more processed oils such as the hydrogenated oils that were very cost effective to manufacture & had a long shelf life.

Hydrogenated oils have now beome the villain of the piece as they are more commonly associated with trans fats so things have gone full circle in the scientific community with some studies promoting oils such as palm oil as a healthy alternative.

Many people I talk to still have a low opinion of palm oil as a healthy alternative for frying food, so I am interested in other forummers opinion on this oil.

Do you use palm oil for cooking food?
Do you consider palm oil to be a healthy option for frying food?

nb.....I have no qualms about using palm oil for cooking.