Isgro's Wants to Break our Hearts

This morning on the radio I heard a guy from Isgro Paticceria explaining how
he HAD to use trans fats to make their cannolis or they wouldn't be crispy and
delicious. And who was he complaining to? City council, at a recent "taste test"
a councilwoman set up so that city bakers could come before the council and
whine how they needed to use trans fatty sludge to make good treats, and
therefore could not comply with the proposed city-wide ban on trans fats.

Isgro's said they tried alternatives, and nothing worked as well as oils with
trans fats. It sounds to me like they just didn't try hard enough, and they were
perhaps considering their financial bottom line more than they let on. I want to
know what they did in the old country before Wilhelm Normann came up with
hydrogenating oils in 1901? I can't believe that cannolis were somehow inferior
until Crisco came along and took them to a whole new level.

Unfortunately, while Isgro tries to get out of the ban, some very unfortunate
people go right on along raising their risk of coronary heart disease (trans fat
consumption lowers "good" cholesterol levels), and generally packing on the
pounds because they love Isgro's food and want to support a local institution. I
was one of them, and nothing used to thrill me more than a dozen cannolis
wrapped in that box with the white and green string. Now all I can think about
is how they take me one step closer to a heart attack.

Did you know that half of men who are healthy at 40 will develop coronary
heart disease by the time they're 70, and a third of women (who are also
HEALTHY at 40)?!? This is terrible! And trans fats practically pack your bags
and put you on the bus to the hospital!

Their shop was so pretty, and it smelled so nice, and the cannolis were SO
delicious... but I hate the idea of a bypass (my grandad have five of them--
thank you, greasy foods) so I'm afraid I just can't go back. (sigh)

Posted by jvoris at October 11, 2007 03:02 PM