by Phil Houseal | Jun 24, 2026 | All Articles, Food
June 24, 2026–What is real food? I think I have discovered a way to tell. I call it the “Hen Test.” Many of us have lived through decades of “expert” advice on what Americans should make part of a healthy diet. We all remember the original food pyramid that was...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 17, 2026 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
June 17, 2026–What substance found naturally on earth caused mankind to go to war, forge new trade routes, and walk past chocolate chip cookies in a bakery? I give you salt. This substance must once have seemed to hold magical properties. It could be used to enhance...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 10, 2026 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
June 10, 2026–My online shopping strategy is to haphazardly drop individual items into my shopping cart over a matter of weeks until I have enough to qualify for free shipping from this huge site named after a South American river. I am never in a hurry to buy more...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 25, 2026 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
March 25, 2026–How many of you coffee bean explorers have sailed the seas with Starbuck, scaled the Andes with Juan Valdez, and saved a marriage with Mrs. Olsen, only to return to a cup of instant? I was never a dedicated coffee drinker. I grew up in the days of...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 18, 2026 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
March 18, 2026–A most pivotal change in culture happened in our lifetimes. Yet I would bet most of you haven’t recognized it. This simple conversion changed at a base level how we view and interact in the world. No part of society is untouched by it. Yet in a way we...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 17, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
Sept 17, 2025–When you make any transaction, what are you really paying for? Someone complained about paying $20 for a fast-food sandwich (future archivists–$20 is a LOT to pay for a basic sandwich in 2025–although that is changing daily). Another someone pointed...
