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When the walls, come tumblin’ down…the walls, keep crumblin’ crumblin’

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Placed my bet on that 20 years ago

No John Mellencamp albums, but already had a number of U2 albums.

I’m talking about religion & despotism. Both are pretty much the same thing across the span of time—neither side knowing it of the other, because levels of each being relative in that function of time. Generalized collectivism is what’s always targeted (communism and other forms), but is really a symptom of the former more fundamental things and again, because of separation in time, space, history.

The world is changing profoundly and quickly, and the reason is very simple. I used to call it 1+1=2, and because it’s so simple I still do; and it’s also why I often don’t take a lot of time and effort to explain it to a lot of people—because both dumb and smart still have to survive, and I’m primarily interested in how the world works and evolves—everyone has to survive, always. Daily pressure. I care not too much that a smart person can’t seem to grasp geopolitical trends that simply can’t be stopped. They’re smart, often set up for relative comfort as a result and as such, their primary motivation is always to pontificate about how things ought to be. My approach, on the other hand, is primarily to offer awareness and knowledge to plain old folks—one mind at a time. They’re going to run things anyway and end up being the next batch of smart folk. Best they have sources of information if I can help in my small way.

Yea, the idea whose time has come & shit.

…And actually, smart people in the mass are typically always followers, do-nothing-much pontificators—excepting entrepreneurs, just another small group now. It’s the tiny few smart  who worm their way to the top and are the people who move stuff. They do it by means of all the dumb people, and the mass of smart people on the sidelines always have to end up playing catchup because the “dumb” people leapfrog them and become the new smart people. Been happening forever, now. I celebrate it.

I like to think in very generalized, wide scope, geopolitical terms and it never seems to fail me. “Intellectuals?” Bah. That’s the mistake honest intellectuals have been making for centuries—the idea that a popular dishonest intellectual will ever evolve in thinking, much. You always must wait for a new crop, so I say: invest in the new crop. Most will come from the “dumb” people of today, with their experiences and hardships forming their new intellectual ideas. Wash, rinse, repeat. Continuous improvement.

This process is generated from a lot of sides, the Internet and awareness to the masses now being the leapfrog that’s Tearing Down The Wall (yea, I had that album, too).

…The other day I blogged about a clear sign that walls are tumblin’ & crumblin’, how with the new thingy of the Internet, kids are asking questions they didn’t ask in any measure years ago, and that has a bottom-up effect where you now have Pat Robertson, a mainstay of religious fundamentalism, backing down on Young Earth Creationism, citing real science and admonishing his followers not to dismiss it for fear of losing their children. Some smart people couldn’t seem to take that at face value.

OK, so how about another? First, the video (source article). Watch for the most important thing, which is not what Bono says, but what his body does that he can’t help.

U2’s Bono Speaks at GU Global Social Enterprise Event from Values & Capitalism on Vimeo.

So what’s his body doing when he hangs his head in feigned shame in the palm of his hand? It’s saying: Yep, in pursuit of fame for a few decades, I’ve had to be a fucking moron because that’s what everyone else was, I wanted their company, and the fanhood they bestow.

Tell me I’m wrong.

I really don’t care that he credits George W. Bush. I always simply figured that for whatever reasons they worked together, I was not privy to any of that, neither was anyone else, and so I basically always ignored all the “analysis” of smart morons.

In closing I have a simple, modest request…a plea, or a prayer of you, actually—because I only ever pray to human beings, who can actually do real things.

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images 6
Aweful
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Horrible

Can’t we just give these kids their Robber Barons and Factory Exploitation for a while—a decade or so?

Look at it this way. While they’re being exploited for the sake of selfish profits, all you smart morons—who’ve yet to be replaced by dumb people with real life experience—have at least several years worth of high-horse pontification.

…And you can’t discount the cocktail parties with all those other pontificators with checkbooks….

Mark Sisson’s Definitive Guide to Sauces, Dressings and Toppings

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Those who’ve been around these parts for a long time know of my affinity for dressing up good food with a good sauce (see here for definitive proof). Sauces are very versatile. You can use a little, a lot, spicy, savory, whatever you want—to transform even the mundane to spectacular. One time, someone in comments even wrote a short poem about my love of sauces. Above all else, I think it’s what distinguished my brand of cooking paleo / Primal from much of what was out there, especially a few years ago.

And it evolved. Truth is, I never really consulted recipes, just started futzing around. Initially, I was trying various things to thicken them—even nut flours—and now rarely do, because taking the time to reduce and concentrate them is far superior. The result after years of such, trying this and that, the classic red wine reduction is my most go-to sauce and I have it pretty damn well perfected—even got some in-person tips from chefs Heston Blumenthal and most recently, Michael Mina, when I was privileged to meet them.

But there’s a whole saucy world out there, a lot of it too vast for me to explore in terms of coming up with new ideas, creating, improving, perfecting. I got a sense of this when I attended NovNat a couple of years back and the cook was daily making interesting fruit and veggie-based sauces in the VitaMix using vegan recipes. It’s really wide open.

And so is Mark’s latest addition to his growing library of publications in the paleo and primalsphere. As usual, Mark Sisson humbly under promises and over delivers. Since he has no real competition, he competes against himself to bring more and more.

So yea, he has a new cookbook. You don’t need to scour his blog or this blog for ideas, or any others, and you can still make the best paleo /primal compliant sauces you might desire (gluten free too)—in every conceivable format, from apps to desserts. It’s right there at your fingertips. It’s all you’ll need, right in one place.

…As usual, Mark is serious about everything he does. Remember when his first cookbook made the PCRM list for The Five Worst Cookbooks of 2010, in company with Gordon Ramsey? I never divulge the content of my personal conversations with Mark, but I feel safe in telling you that he was not too broken up about that. :)

To show you just how serious Mark is about this: in Tim Ferriss style, he’s put together an impressive promotion that runs until December 12. It’s a $1 Million promotion. Since this is FTA and as such, has a certain in-your-face acerbic readership—to mirror its acerbic in-your-face blogger—yes, OK, that’s not $1 million out of pocket. Yes, all you accountant and business savvy smart guys: that’s retail value. But even for digital stuff, he still has to fulfill, track, handle individual issues and complaints. So let’s just acknowledge the simple reality up front: promotions are promoted in terms of retail value prices, paid for in terms of wholesale and overhead.

Mkay? Got that out of the way?

This is one book I’ll keep in my library along with only a very few other paleo cookbooks.

…And finally, for those interested, here’s my 35-minute interview with Mark a couple of years ago, shortly after he published his first book: The Primal Blueprint. The focus is really more on Mark the entrepreneur than Mark the health nut, so it’s different than you might expect. Between Vimeo where I fist uploaded it and more recently, on YouTube, it’s been viewed almost 5,000 times.

Guest Post: Step Outside, It’s Good For You

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By Sarah Stevenson

Sadly, we human beings tend to spend most of our lives indoors, breathing recycled, processed air and wilting away under florescent tubes almost 24/7. We trade the warm healing rays of the sun for synthetic lighting, not realizing what we’re doing to our bodies and our souls. The simple truth is, we were designed to spend time outdoors. The feeling of cool air on our body during the winter or warm sunlight on our face in the spring communicates important information to our genes so that our body can serve us better. It can tell us when to sleep and how to eat. That, in turn, balances hormones and increases healthy weight loss.

Spending time in nature helps reset circadian rhythms—also known as biochemical rhythms—that are responsible for secreting certain chemicals and enzymes inside the body within a 24-hour period. Our bodies need the light of day and the darkness of night in order to align properly. The suprachiasmatic nucleus that controls our circadian rhythms is right above the optic nerve, receiving the info it needs from the eyes. Here are just four ways keeping those rhythms in check will benefit you.

  • A good night’s sleep: When sunlight is removed from our sight, the sleepy hormone melatonin begins to increase in our system and continues to be released until the sun reaches our eyes once again. This is how we get a good night’s sleep.
  • Appetite control: The rising of our brilliant sun tells our bodies when to secrete cortisol and we then become hungry. When the sun sinks down into the horizon our bodies begin to slow down as well. The release of cortisone is decreased and we are no longer hungry so that we can hibernate for 6 to 8 hours at night.
  • Mood boosters: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that seems to be related to the amount of sunlight people are exposed to. It is considered a “specifier of major depression” in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Not only can it flare up during the winter season, but spending too much time in synthetic light can give you the blues simply by not allowing enough exposure to sunlight. Researchers found that increased sun exposure boosts the level of the mood lifting neurotransmitter serotonin in your brain. Experts suggest going outside for 10 minutes in the midday sun.
  • Mental clarity: Running on a treadmill in a gym with headphones, with fans blasting and sweaty people everywhere is sure to help you shed some calories, but it may not clear your mind from stress. Why not take a walk at the beach or in a park? Going outside allows you to push the pause button on reality for a bit. The sun shines down on your face and clean fresh air fills your lungs. It’s a reality-based tapestry of beauty all there for the taking. In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers divided otherwise-healthy, equally-stressed individuals into two groups and sent them for a walk in 2 environments, the city and the forest. Cognitive tests were given to the participants once they returned from their stroll. Those who walked in nature had a greater ability to focus, retain information and solve problems. So head out for a walk in nature – and do yourself a favor, leave your smartphone at home.

Do you want a good night’s sleep tonight? Do you want a healthy appetite? Would you like to have a nice, balanced mood? If the answer to any of these questions is a YES then I highly suggest you step outside and take a nice brisk walk in the park or a beautiful bike ride at the beach…Trust me, it’s good for you.

Sources:

  • Cajochen, C., Krouchi, K. and Wirz-Justice, A. (2003), Role of Melatonin in the Regulation of Human Circadian Rhythms and Sleep. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 15: 432-437.
  • Beauchemin, K. M. & Hays, P. (1996) Sunny hospital rooms expedite recovery from severe and refractory depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 40, 49-51.
  • Lam, R. W. (1998) Seasonal affective disorder: diagnosis and management. Primary Care Psychiatry, 4, 63-74.
  • Lambert G.W., Reid C., Kaye D.M., Jennings G.L., Esler M.D. Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain (2002) Lancet, 360 (9348), pp. 1840-1842.
  • The need for psychological restoration as a determinant of environmental preferences (2006) Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26 (3), pp. 215-226.

Sarah Stevenson, a.k.a., The Tini Yogini, is a Certified Yoga Instructor in Southern California. She has a degree in Behavioral Psychology and teaches not only yoga classes but also life affirming workshops. She also writes for Beachbody, which provides effective and popular workout videos, including the Insanity Workout, a high intensity interval training program for total body conditioning.

Please Pay Wikipedia if You Use It: Simple. Anarchist. Moral.

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Do you just love Wikipedia as a reference? Me too. I do count myself privileged to have known Jimmy “Jimbo” Wales from way back, corresponding now & then in email in the years during which he created a local Chicago based-website when still a trader on the futures & options floors. Then Bomis, then NuPedia…which then morphed into Wikipedia. I use it so much it’s hard to estimate the value I get. And you do, too, because links to Wikipedia articles feature prominently in many of my posts—about 250 or so of them per year.

In the end, I’m firmly confident that his idea of a bottom-up encyclopedia—where virtually anyone can add to or edit—will, over time, surpass a top-down edited encyclopedia produced by your elite authorities. Yea right: they’re not selling anything. Bullshit. They trade in mind and soul, in exchange for your domesticated comfort in their Zoo Human.

Mistakes and micro-agendas are of far less concern than your elite authorities.

People here and elsewhere are always in my ear about taxes and who ought to pay what and when. Man the fuck up! Pay for what you use, whether required, asked, or not. Taxes really, are for children, but that’s a subject for another day, addressed to the nearly 300 million American children.

~~~

Dear Richard,

At Wikipedia we only ask for donations during our year-end fundraiser. That’s our tradition. We don’t think having your email address is a license to spam. We send two reminders per year. This is your first. Donate today, and we won’t send you the second. ;-)

If everyone reading this email repeated their previous donation, our fundraiser would be done today. Please help us forget about fundraising and get back to improving Wikipedia.

Did you forget why you supported Wikipedia last year? Here’s a reminder:

Wikipedia is the #5 site on the web and serves 450 million different people every month. We’re non-profit, but we still have costs like any top site: servers, power, rent, programs, staff and legal help.

Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn’t belong here. Not in Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.

When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising banners, but I decided to do something different.

This year, please consider making a donation of $75, $100, $150 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia.

Thanks,

Jimmy Wales
Wikipedia Founder

~~~

OK, Jimbo. I’m in; again.

“Protein is the New Carbohydrate,” and Why to Ditch the Low-Carb Catechism (Sorry Jimmy)

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Earlier in the year Jimmy Moore graciously invited me in for a second podcast, the subject being the perceived “impatience” the Low Carb movement was beginning to encounter as a relative mainstay of the Paleo (Real Food) movement. I had just published this: Synthesis: Low-Carb and Food Reward/Palatability, and Why Calories Count.

I wished to be a gracious guest, shoot a few points and observations, be conciliatory, and not be too controversial—something I reserve for this blog…something, over which, I have exclusive control and owe no one anything. But I’m not a jimmy moore basher, never have been, and still resist anything of that nature to the best of my ability. Why? Because he and others consistently seem to help people in real and profound ways. No interest in silly attempts  at derailing that.

…I’m not a good marketeer. Never have been. I suck, actually. Truth told, I hate trying to sell anything except in the rare circumstance where the value equation is so profound as to be obvious. In other words, if a product or service can’t “sell itself”—and you’re just the messenger—then I have little interest. Who wants to try to make a living being either embarrassed, or a sheister?

But I learned one essential thing from accomplished marketeers. The A/B test. Let’s say you want to sell something. You create a bunch of different ad copy, commercials, or even scripts for salespeople. Then you track results. The one that consistently outperforms best becomes ‘A’. That’s your baseline; and then you proceed in never ending fashion to create a series of ‘B’ copy to test against ‘A’, and when some ‘B’ consistently outperforms ‘A’, then ‘B’ becomes the new ‘A’. Wash, rinse, repeat, endlessly. Continuous improvement process. Obvious, but timeless qua rational process.

So as much as I hate to try and sell stuff that can’t manage to sell itself, this marketing process has implications beyond selling widgets, information, services. Like, life? Like, diet? Like, exercise? Like, individually construed? …And that’s essentially what I’ve done over the years since 2007 when this all began. Initially, all I really knew was LC. That was my ‘A’. But I didn’t name the blog “Low Carb X” or “X Low Carb.” I named it Free the Animal (it was named “HonestyLog” for years prior, “UncommonSense,” prior to that). I hate closed-ended stuff. Things always change and eventually, you’ll have to either become dishonest to prop up your diminishing paradigm, or dump all the hard work. Im always about the open-ended. And I just became even more open ended when I changed the tagline on the blog from something about weight & fat loss on a paleo diet to “social commentary on the human animal condition.” Wide open integration of all relevant and available facts. That’s the only deal for me.

Yea, I know…Hard to keep a loyal audience that way. Fuck ’em. Out with the old, in with the new. That’s what I always say.

…I have this frequent commenter who’s an ‘eat less move more (or moore)’ kinda guy and he pretty much hates Jimmy, loves an insane miscreant woman, etc. But, he has adapted to me over the months and he rarely goes over the line. Sometimes, often, I yawn at his stuff and he gets plenty of shit from other commenters because he basically sings but one song. At any rate, he did clue me in to a section of a speech Jimmy just gave in Australia to some LC conference or some such thing. Even LowCarb Woo couldn’t take it.

This should begin at the right spot, but if not, it’s 21:10 into the video.

So after mulling this over, here’s what I think.

What next? First, it’s carbs you can’t eat—ALL carbs, no distinction. And now, what? Protein can be just like carbs? It’s chocolate cake? Well, at least that leaves fat and alcohol. Sure, fat is an important macro in natural form that affords metabolic and hormonal benefit, beyond just energy. But it’s also not particularly nutritious in terms of essential vitamins and minerals either—the purest grass fed and pastured notwithstanding.

And so I just have to conclude that I really am dealing with a dogma here, attemtpting to explain away the obvious for the sake of the dogma itself…and perhaps, the name of the website, all the books, relationships, allegiances and alliances, etc. Yea, I know. “I told you so.” But I don’t operate like that. I lost 60 pounds doing LC in a paleosphere. Hard to dismiss. When I hit 175 with cold hands & feet in the winter, not feeling particularly great, I was still not one to lash out and proclaim that LC and all of its advocates are full of shit.

As impatient as I am to call out deserved BULLSHIT immediately, I’m the opposite when it comes to things I think don’t deserve my standard treatment. I’m a huge practitioner of discrimination and distinction in the classic sense. So I just needed to figure this out for myself, attain a first hand level of confidence, if not certainty—even if it took years, which it did.

Well, call me confidently certain. I’m going to save all I’m learning about the VHC (very high carb) way of doing things for later. For now, I’m officially classifying LowCarb as nothing more than a good diet hack. It’s certainly appropriate long term for diabetics and the super metabolically deranged, but for just normal weight loss or weight maintenance? No, and in fact, most are going to find the potato hack far superior for reasons I’ll address over the space of time. (I still do think a more meaty, fatty, LC approach is best for the obese or significantly overweight, until you stall—it’s more nutritious, plain and simple.)

So in the end, what we have is a dietary regime (LC) which has been shown in study after study to spontaneously reduce caloric intake substantially. But that’s not why people lost weight. “It’s the carb restriction.” Then, when they stall and find that eating ad libitum fatty steaks smothered in butter alongside cauliflower mashed with butter, cream and cheese, they gain weight, it’s….it’s….it’s…TOO MUCH PROTEIN!

It’s never, ever about simply eating less for whatever reason you have been satiated or motivated to do so. Conversely, weight gain in an LC environment is explained by…uh, wait, has it ever been explained? Oh, yea, just now: it’s the protein.

It is to laf.

It always comes back to evolution and the subtile science behind it; science grasped by few…and it must be said that many LCers retain the LC moniker and only court paleo because they just can’t identify themselves as evolutionists (yea, I admit: a huge problem unto itself). Remember, 40-45% of Americans not only don’t believe in evolution (that would be about 80%, I think), but believe in Young Earth Creationism.

The whole ketosis deal—now “nutritional” ketosis—is instructive, but I’ll save that for a bit. You see, everyone lives in a man-made world, the makings of which they attribute to a God, in whose image they have been made.

Thus, man didn’t create the concept of species as a classification convenience (while someone proclaims that turtles don’t evolve into dogs), God did; a handed down, unchangeable reality. Alas, sorry, but speciation is man made and in many respects is inconsistent and in some unintentional respects, arbitrary. All we really know is that in pure nature, there are cells. And there are organisms made up of colonies of cells. We also know that most cells reproduce asexually, some organisms reproduce asexually, and most organisms reproduce sexually (yippee for us!!!); and even, that some sexual reproduction is an evolutionary dead end (see mules, ligers, tigons, etc.).

In the same way that creationists have a stumbling block in terms of the concept of speciation, so they treat ketosis. Ketones are by-products of fat metabolism. The myth is that restricting carbohydrates “puts you into ketosis.” But as human organisms, we’re always metabolizing. We’re metabolizing alcohol, carbohydrate, protein and fat. All the time. Everyone is always “in ketosis.””

So what you really mean—isn’t it?—is just that you want more ketones, right? Or, to just state it FUCKING PLAINLY: you want to burn more fat?

OK, and because I’m always happy to help, here’s how:

  • Restrict carbohydrate drastically
  • Restrict protein drastically
  • Restrict fat drastically
  • Restrict food (calories) drastically
  • Restrict any combination of the above drastically

Get it? Because carbs are conveniently high up on the hierarchy of what your body metabolizes first, it’s the most obvious choice for most. And, in fairness, people love meat & fat, so there’s a palatability element. Unfortunately, the very valid hack that implies has turned into an industry that just won’t quit or restrain itself—and seems to be intent on spreading its religious-like dogma far and wide.

“”Nutritional ketosis” is a non-concept piled upon an existing non-concept.

There, I said it.

Update: Unfortunately, LLVLC Forum members seemed to have missed the message (or, more likely, didn’t read the post). It’s not about LC, Ketosis, blunting gluconeogenneis being BAD. It’s about misattribution of cause to effect. I clarify more in comments below in case that’s useful for anyone to help understand my central theme here.

A Simple Juxtaposition

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I miss the Greeks. The first true thinkers in the context of Neolithic civilization.

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Reference:

This argument was a type favoured by the ancient Greek skeptics, and may have been wrongly attributed to Epicurus by Lactantius, who, from his Christian perspective, regarded Epicurus as an atheist. It has been suggested that it may actually be the work of an early skeptic writer, possibly Carneades.

So, a Juxtaposition, the fruits of true thought vs. the consequences of unthinking and dishonesty.

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The Worst

Yea, I could have put up a ton of pics—they’re easy to find—but in the words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: “To taste the ocean needs only a single drop.”

Pat Robertson Denies Young Earth Creationism: My Take

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I think Pat Robertson is a shitbag. Always have. But he’s an influential shitbag and this is just plain old good progress, particularly when you consider The 10 Stupidest Things Pat Robertson Ever Said.

Unlike all the other vids I saw of this, this one actually has the viewer question he was responding to. And that’s the other bright light, here. First, take a look, about a minute & a half.

Here’s one of the better items of the reportage I found, CNN of all places. As to that other bright spot, the really important thing, if you ask me, is:

“If you fight science, you are going to lose your children, and I believe in telling them the way it was,” Robertson concluded.

That’s a prima facie admission that science trumps the Bible when in direct conflict and that’s huge when you think of the implications of that. Now of course, “telling them like it is” only really means that when the scientific evidence is so overwhelming, they’ll have to come along, kicking and screaming if need be. But it’s progress. America lags so far behind the modern world in all of this I’ll take what I can get.

With the Internet, this is only going to get worse for Biblical literalists. Way worse, way fast, and accelerating. I follow various atheist stuff around the Interwebs and in addition to the ever trending up term ‘aheist’ (…so the “new-atheist” books a few years back weren’t just a flash in the pan), most of what I see are young people “coming out,” writing of their experiences with family and friends.

Then there’s this new initiative: Kids Without God.

Welcome to Kids Without God, a site for the millions of young people around the world who have embraced science, rejected superstition, and are dedicated to being Good Without A God!

Yep, no god required to be a good person, and it’s not crazy to consider that basic morality will become more important and more meaningful in the absence of such authority. It certainly did for me.

Call me very pleased about all of this. After all, it’s for the children. :)

Let’s Bash Sugar, OK?

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What the hell. One of those days I just feel like putting up a few posts here and there. A little shit slung here, a bit there, call it a day.

I’ve grown weary of and now generally dislike infographics. Some are OK. I especially hate all the “let me do an infographic for your blog” spam I get, second only to all the “let me write a free guest post” spam.

This one’s pretty cool so far as they go.

Nursing Your Sweet Tooth
Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com

I guess the biggest takeaway is that if you give up your added sugars, you just bought yourself 10 strips of bacon per day. …Actually, I rarely eat bacon, anymore. Kinda just lost my lust for it and it so often just tastes so damn salty to me. I’m more inclined to use little bits now like in a salad or other dishes.

More Mostly Potato Dishes and a Rant About the Usual Suspect Paleo Pussies

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Word is, a bunch of Mark’s Daily Apple Forum folks are giving this a shot. Good for them.

Anyone who admonishes you to not go a week or two eating mostly just potatoes on the basis of whatever contrived fears abound (mostly rooted in envy that you have an actual independent mind not driven by their fears) is just stupid and dismissible out of hand.

Whether this works or doesn’t, makes you feel good, bad, or indifferent…whether you love it or hate it…is all something only you can find out for yourself. I wasn’t afraid of giving it a try and I’m not only not afraid, but in full-on welcome for anyone’s personal assessment—good or bad, bring it right out here in the open. …But at least try it, in order to speak from some authority. We’re not very kind to idiots around here; itself a liability, now, because paleo is 80%+ moron and growing moron by the day.

<rant> I’m only interested in the true 10% of fuck-you Paleos. I figure those 10% are worth far more than quadruple the 80% of paleo fucktards. BTW, paleo fucktards? That’s  the lion’s share of all the newbies over the last few years. Prior to that, we had evolutionary, in-your-face-critical thinkers with thick skin. Now paleo is totally pussy and it’s totally cool to be a fucking little pussy boy. I swear: the next little teenage girl who happens to sport a male appendage but who instead acts like a fucking little pussy victim girl—with sensitivity and feelings—on some thread here or there? I’m gonna lose it. Jesus how I fucking hate them with a passion that transcends even the rant I’m able to bring here. Or here: Paleo Pussies (blast form 2009 when there weren’t a fraction of as many).

Go away, pussies. Go away! Most of you. You are not worthy of runny shit. You disgust me. Most of you. And I do know you’re reading. You little shits-for-brains know who you are; you know who I’m talkinig about. </rant>

Alright, the few fearless who remain—because I love to help the real paleo minded, non fear-motivated whenever I can, and screw the rest to death—let’s cover another dish and I’m doing just this one, because I’ve just come to believe this may be all you need because it’s that good. Commenter Amy is the star.

My favorite way to do potatoes is so simple but always gets raves: peel a few potatoes. Slice them width-wise about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through a few times, so you get a “fan effect” from the slices. Place in a baking dish. Melt a tsp or two of butter per potato in 2 cups of beef or chicken stock, season potatoes with S&P. Pour stock over potatoes and bake at 400F for an hour, basting potatoes frequently.

The stock will reduce into a thick sauce and the potatoes are tender inside, crispy out. Leftover are great with an egg the next day.

I S&Pd after pouring the stock over, and I never, ever baste. I only did two largish potatoes and she said several. The stock was a bit much, but no matter. I just set aside the goodies in the oven that I’d turned off, and reduced the sauce on the stove a bit. I also have wild kill elk in the form of kielbasa (uncooked, uncured). I used one normal frank-sized sausage sliced the same way as the potatoes (for two people). As such, I didn’t do the butter because this has some fat (remember: tiny fat & protein, that’s the key). Tuned out great but I got no pictures. Beatrice devoured hers. I liked it so much I did it again for brunch, and this time I got photos.

IMG 1364
Before Oven
IMG 1366
After Oven

Those bits (1/4 of the frank) of elk look crispy but actually, they’re more desiccated, and once they got mixed in they took on the most amazing, delicious, gummy bear chewiness ever. And so do the potatoes on top as contrast to the more paste like ones at bottom. Delishiouuuuus!

So basically, that’s two largish potatoes peeled and sliced. I did melt 2 tsp of butter in the bottom and in exchange used only a quarter of the elk kielbasa instead of half (for one person). Lay in the potatoes, then I just added stock directly until about half up the side. Then the meat & S&P. 400F for about 70 minutes.

It was perhaps the best of the potato dishes yet. I just ate it as I was writing this. I could easily do this every day. Imagine the variations with some onion. Bacon instead of my elk. Pork Sausage? Anything, just remember: token fat, token protein. Incidentally, Kitchen Basics stock is zero fat and has 5g protein per cup. The unsalted chicken and beef is really the ideal palatability companion to this potato deal (as others have tried on my recommendation and concurred).

All right all you non-pussies, go give that a shot.