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posted by martyb on Saturday August 08 2015, @12:54AM   Printer-friendly

One for our orange-fingered brothers and sisters:

The first real cheese powder was developed in 1943 by George Sanders, a USDA dairy scientist. (Even before the war began, USDA's research facilities had been enlisted to work toward military goals, exhorted by Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace "to consider their possible contributions to national needs as the defense program approaches the stage of 'maximum effort'." This relationship continues to this day; the USDA has collaborated with the Quartermaster Corps and later the Natick Center on topics as varied as chemical testing, fungi collection and classification, potatoes, dairy, and, from 1980 on, operation of the army's radiation food sterilization program.)
...
In 1948 the Frito Company (it merged with H. W. Lay & Company in 1961 to become Frito‑Lay, Inc.) debuted the country's first cheesy snack food, made with the same Wisconsin cheddar the army used for its dehydrated products. Frito Company founder Charles Doolin had been a military supplier, even building a facility in San Diego, where there is a naval base, to service his contracts.

According to his daughter Kaleta Doolin, "During the war, tins of chips were sent overseas to be served in mess halls and sold in PXs. This venture helped put the company over the top as a nationwide business." Afterward, new plants were opened in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City, where soon cornmeal and water were being extruded, puffed, fried in oil, and coated with finger‑licking, orange dehydrated cheese. Cheetos!

The article is an interesting read for anyone who's ever wondered where American junk foods came from.


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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday August 08 2015, @01:41PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday August 08 2015, @01:41PM (#219859) Journal

    My grocery store in Brooklyn does carry Marmite, sort of the British version of Vegemite, but they stock it in the baking aisle next to Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast.

    It is, however, impossible to find kimchi in any non-Korean store in the Tri-State area. You can find it in any regular store in the Western US.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday August 08 2015, @02:41PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 08 2015, @02:41PM (#219875) Journal

    I've relegated kimchi to the same domain as sauerkraut. If you can find someone who makes it from scratch, you're in for a terrific meal. The stuff that the wife has brought home from grocery stores positively sucks. The last kimchi I tasted was made by a lovely little lady from Guam. Alas, Kim is preparing no more meals in this life. (No, not a play on words, her name was Kim.) Damn leukemia.

    She did leave five lovely little girls behind - maybe I should go see if she taught them how to cook?