good for the soul 12
muse: to ponder; to be absorbed in deep thought
15 march 2012
www.uwa.edu/muse
mary schellhammer
use
er | m
schell hamm
"On average, we eat just 42 percent of the recommended daily intake of fruit. Eighty-two percent of food deserts are in urban areas with no grocery store in sight. If eating trends continue, three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020." (Kashi)
Facts and figures like these are some of the reasons so many Americans are choosing healthier alternatives for traditional snacks each year, such as Kashi seven whole grain cereal snacks. During the last two months, people who “liked” Kashi’s real foods also went on Facebook to like the REAL project, which donated $75,000 at $10 a “like” to support Kids in the Kitchen program in 30 communities throughout the U.S. While Kashi has already reached their projected goal of $75,000 you can still help. One organization that Kashi works closely with is HealthCorps, which targets childhood obesity by trying to teach children how to encourage their families to eat healthier and become more active. HealthCorps uses several methods of soliciting donations, including mobile giving, which allows donors to simply send a text from their cell phones and a $10 donation will be added to their bills. For more information, visit www.healthcorps.org. Another program Kashi is working with is Recyclebank. Kashi offers its customers up to 75 free points just for joining now through June 30. For more information about how Kashi is working with the Recyclebank project, visit http://www.kashi.com/events/ recyclebank. If all of this is not enough of an incentive to eat healthier and set a good example, Kashi also offers a money back guarantee and coupons from their Web site and their Facebook page.
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stainton | muse
Inside
Julia Tutwiler Library
When most people think of St. Patrick’s Day, they immediately think of beer, and what better way to celebrate the holiday than with a nice, creamy Guinness draught? Although some bars throughout America have adopted the idea of adding green food coloring to cheap American lagers and trying to pass them off as traditional St. Patrick’s Day beverages, they are anything but and would make any resident of Ireland or true beer lover cringe at the thought. With over 10 million pints of Guinness sold daily around the world, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for Guinness to be a St. Patrick’s Day essential. Guinness Stout has been a significant part of Irish history and culture for more than 250 years, dating back to 1759 when founder Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the St. James Gate brewery in Dublin, where he began brewing ales and porters. Since then, Guinness has gone on to be exported and sold in over 120 different countries and brewed in twenty-five. While most people who have never tried a Guinness draught associate it with being a heavy or strong beer due to its black opaque appearance, which is actually a deep ruby color when held up to a light, it is far from this claim. One twelve-ounce serving of Guinness draught boasts only 125 calories and 4.2 percent alcohol by volume. This is only 15 calories more than America’s favorite Bud Light and rings in at the exact same alcohol by volume as well. In addi-
tion to Guinness’ naturally being a light beer, it also retains a significantly higher amount of vitamins and minerals as opposed to most mass-produced American lagers. While Guinness is light in calories, it is also light on the palette as well, with a watery mouth feel that’s never too heavy or robust but always delicious enough to retain an excellent flavor from the fine roasted malts that give off subtle hints of chocolate and coffee. Guinness revolutionized the beer scene when it introduced its draught pub cans in 1988, containing their signature “widget,” which allowed for the cans to release nitrogen in the stout once they were opened, an element formerly only available in pubs, which gives the stout its famous cascading head effect that enriches it with a unique creaminess. In authentic Irish pubs, bartenders take special care in pouring a pint of Guinness by adhering to strict rules requiring the Guinness to be poured in a dry glass at a 45-degree angle in exactly 199.50 seconds, which entails a pause period to give the stout time to “rest” before finishing off with beautiful creamy head. So the next time you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and eating your corned beef and cabbage and someone brings you a pint of watered down green colored fizz water, opt for a Guinness instead and give everyone around you real Irish history lesson. You’ll be glad you did. After all, the old Guinness slogan says: “Guinness is good for you!”