What TV are you watching?

[DaveReading]

Although it's not quite as good as Astrid, the new York-based English adaptation - Patience - was very enjoyable.(we've only watched the opening 2-parter)

It's been getting amazingly bad reviews but, what the heck, I'm enjoying it too.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Caught up yesterday with the Royal Institution Christmas lectures on the Beeb. Been watching these most years for 50 years I guess. Obviously much of the content is somewhat above my IQ grade but I like the demonstrations. This year they were delivered by Chris van Tulleken on the subject of food, the third one in particular gave much to be alarmed about. Henceforth I will be looking at processed food ingredients with some interest.

 

[matticus]

Caught up yesterday with the Royal Institution Christmas lectures on the Beeb. Been watching these most years for 50 years I guess. Obviously much of the content is somewhat above my IQ grade but I like the demonstrations. This year they were delivered by Chris van Tulleken on the subject of food, the third one in particular gave much to be alarmed about. Henceforth I will be looking at processed food ingredients with some interest.

I thought these were well above average in terms of quality and entertainment. They had a goat and a snake to demonstrate various weird sh... stuff, amongst loads of madness!

I'd recommend Doc Tulleken's other programmes (some are on the radio) to anyone interested in what they shove in their gob. The recent ones have been very sobering (the one about chickens is horrific :-( )

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Had Sally Wainwright been watching We Are Ladyparts, when it was on a couple of years ago, in order to write her new production Riot Women
Seemingly filmed in/around Hebden Bridge

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9xzxz4jpvo
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/riot-women-first-look-pictures

Tamsin Greig (Miss Cripslock in 'Going Postal') is amongst the cast
I can't find a trailer for 'RW' yet



View: https://youtu.be/MPqzoAjxvl4?si=vierfz9-WHdaYHMt

 

[Mo1959]

It's been getting amazingly bad reviews but, what the heck, I'm enjoying it too.

I take reviews with a pinch of salt these days. I quite often find I really enjoy things the reviewers don’t rate.

 

[Beebo]

Caught up yesterday with the Royal Institution Christmas lectures on the Beeb. Been watching these most years for 50 years I guess. Obviously much of the content is somewhat above my IQ grade but I like the demonstrations. This year they were delivered by Chris van Tulleken on the subject of food, the third one in particular gave much to be alarmed about. Henceforth I will be looking at processed food ingredients with some interest.

I’m reading his book at the moment. So will watch the lectures too.
It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society unless you are prepared to cook everything from scratch.

 

[raleighnut]

I’m reading his book at the moment. So will watch the lectures too.
It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society unless you are prepared to cook everything from scratch.

Which I do as does @Reynard amongst many others on here.

 

[Beebo]

Which I do as does @Reynard amongst many others on here.

I’m sure you can. But it’s not easy.
And you can see why some people can’t or don’t.
It would be far easier if the UPF were drastically removed from the market place

 

[matticus]

I’m sure you can. But it’s not easy.
And you can see why some people can’t or don’t.
It would be far easier if the UPF were drastically removed from the market place

In what way is it hard? If I walk into all 3 local supermarkets, the very first sections are fresh fruit and veg (+ salad).

Nobody is making me seek out the ready-made meals section, or the snacks aisle, or ...

 

[Beebo]

Nobody is making me seek out the ready-made meals section, or the snacks aisle, or ...

It’s not that simple though.
the entire food industry is doing just that.
The huge explosion in obesity in the last 50 years demonstrates that the food industry is at fault as people’s will power hasn’t changed in the last 50 years. It’s just the availability of UPF that has increased exponentially.
But this is a conversation elsewhere.

 

[icowden]

In what way is it hard? If I walk into all 3 local supermarkets, the very first sections are fresh fruit and veg (+ salad).

Time and planning. You finished work at 6, older daughter has guides at 7.30, you have rehearsal at 8, your partner has the same rehearsal. Both children are vegetarian but don't like the same vegetarian options, you aren't, your wife is on a diet. That gives you about 30-45 minutes to make 4 meals, plus you need to help with homework and make packed lunches for tomorrow for the kids.

Most people will quickly stop at the supermarket and pick up ready meals, or something quick like a pizza or pasta using pre-made pasta and a pre-made sauce.

We had freshly made meals at the weekend, it probably took 8 hours of slow cooking and then a tex-mex chicken with mashed potato took 2 hours end to end. People like the convenience of buying a meal and bunging it in the oven or microwave especially if they have other things to do. Most people are time-poor for a lot of the time.

 

[Oldhippy]

Cook fresh every day personally.

 

[icowden]

Cook fresh every day personally.

Which is great if you have the time and skill to do that.

 

[matticus]

Let's address the statement I was replying to:

It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society

Clearly this is not true.

What subsequent replies describe is:
- more convenient dining/diet options which people can find if they browse in the UPF aisles, and
- lifestyles that families have chosen that revolve around spending negligible time on eating/prepping.

UPF has become very much more available, and the corporations have become excellent at selling it to us - but that is a different point. Many of us on this forum grew up before UPF was being pushed on us, and our parents didn't expire of nervous exhaustion, or take us to foodbanks every week because they couldn't feed us.

 

[Electric_Andy]

It’s not that simple though.
the entire food industry is doing just that.

I agree - there are more factors to consider than just people's options. You have to consider peoples' behaviours and the fact that food manufacturers are deliberately making their food addictive by adding more fat, sugar, MSG or whatever. Humans are naturally inclined to crave high calorie foods so we don't starve out as a species. See also bears, seagulls, and other mammals that scavenge human waste - they're not going for the lettuce first.

This (IMHO) is why many schemes and ideas do not work, because not enough time is taken to look at how people work. They know how their metabolism works because it is science, but there is no exact science behind how we as humans think