A Simple Brunch

     A week or so ago I met a friend for brunch at a local restaurant. It seemed to be a perfect Sunday for a brunch. When my friend picked the restaurant, I found myself already feeling disappointed. The restaurant name was reminiscent of what you might think the Republic of China might name their department of agriculture: Peoples Organic.
   The restaurant advertised "the simplicity of nutritious and organic food, pure water and healthy beverages." First off, I am unconvinced that simplicity translates to good food. And the pure water advertisement actually made me crack a smile. Only in America, spoiled by our vast varieties of waters fortified with vitamins and every imaginable flavor, would "pure water" be its own advertisement. It felt like an episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit where they served up tap water labeled with some exotic name. The patrons raved about it afterwards not knowing they had been had. But, I didn't want to prejudge what could be a delightful experience.
     The testing of pesticides found in apples is a good example. While apples appear to be a big offender, the USDA reports that a single apple out of over seven hundred tested may contain residue above EPA tolerance levels - and by only a tiny 2.4 parts per million. (For more, see www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/04/dangerous-demonization-our-food/). Given this statistic, I don't know about you, but my chances of dying from something other than pesticides seems considerably higher. Pesticides on my washed apples will not be the thing that keeps me up at night.
     Do I think agriculture can continue to improve? Absolutely. But any improvement is just that - an improvement, not a reason to found a religion or a political party. Each improvement has to meet the cost vs. benefit principle. In my mind, much of the craze over organics is still too much cost without a whole lot of benefit. If organics truly tasted better, even that would have tipped the scale for me. But, really they don't.
     But, anyway - back to the restaurant. I perused the menu and was intrigued by the section for "Sustainable Soups We Love" and "Earthbound Salads." But, I resisted rolling my eyes and settled on a Ham & Gruyere Biscuit sandwich and coffee. As I waited for my selection, I was entertained by a foursome with nose rings, purple hair and active acne. A little piece of Portlandia here in Minnesota. Seated across from the highly sought after restroom, I realized more than a few patrons appeared to be pregnant. I reasoned that the vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and locally grown menu options must be the draw.
      My worry that the coffee would be some organic metallic tasting bitter brew proved needless. And despite the pretentious menu descriptions and near-religious celebration of organics, the coffee was a good strong French roast and my sandwich was fantastic. Although this was not enough to convince me to buy free range chickens, stone ground mustard or even the grass fed bison, simplicity, it seems, did win the day.