Simplicity Gone Awry

I'm a simple person. I enjoy the simple things in life. I prefer simple designs. I write in simple sentences. I speak in simple terms. And, most of all, I appreciate simple food.

Some view simple as boring, uninteresting, basic. I disagree. When something is in it's simplest form you can truly appreciate its worth. There's no noise, no clutter diverting your attention to what is real.

Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest minds of all time, had this to say: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

So, my question for you today is: Why, oh why, do food makers feel compelled to throw every ingredient imaginable into simple food?

This morning, unsatisfied with my (new) routine of fruit for breakfast, I decided to pick up a muffin from a local coffee shop. The server graciously shared the muffin menu for the day: bran, carrot, oat, banana, and so on.

Since experience has taught me that a muffin is never simply a muffin, I had to determine which were plagued with raisins (yes, I'm a raisin hater). Honestly, I don't get the obsession with raisins? Most times, they're thrown in as an afterthought, with little to no rhyme or reason.

Is it to ensure consumers get at least one of their daily servings of fruit? Let me tell you, when your fruit is lathered in butter (if it's even that nowadays) and covered with sugar (or HFCS), it doesn't count.

Or, and I'm leaning toward this one, is it that food makers use raisins as detractors, so we eaters can't actually taste the poor quality of their food?

I asked my helpful server if the bran (my favourite) had raisins. Of course it did. As did, the oat and banana. I was disappointed, but then saw the carrot. It was topped with walnuts, so I had a little hope. By this time my server, annoyed with my petulant questions, was helpful no more and barked: "nuts, no raisins!"

Guess what I found when I broke into the little carrot cake? Yup, raisins - loads of them. Along with incredible amounts of walnuts, carrot pieces and spices.


Even though I dissected the raisins from the cake, there was so much going on in that little muffin that I didn't know what I was eating.

With food, as in life, less is so very much more!

Breakfast in the Park

This morning before heading into work, I decided to take a moment for myself.

Before I proceed, let me first say, I'm not one who has time in the morning for such leisure. I am of the belief that time works against me. No matter how early I awake, I'm usually flying out the door half clothed, half make-up'd with an armload of essentials like house keys, shoes for the office, and of course, my pre-breakfast snack.

But, this morning was different. I was recently promoted to a new role at work and today was officially my first day on the job. Plus, and this part makes me just giddy with excitement, as a result of my new role, I've been transferred to our brand-spanking-new office near Bryant Park in Manhattan.

I awoke excited and didn't mind having to descend to the ovens that house the trains that take me to work. And I felt my excitement grow as I ascended the station steps nary half a block from my new office tower.

Once at street level, I felt New York City bless me with an energy that I've missed for the past 15 months while working in Queens.

So, this morning, it being a bright and cool fall morning, I decided to prolong the good vibes before I become, once again, my usual curb-enraged speed walker.

I stopped at 'Wichcraft for a healthy breakfast. Born from chef mastermind Tom Colicchio, 'Wichcraft elevates the sandwich (hence its namesake) to a new level by offering wholesome, local products and creating gourmand-friendly fare.

Over the past few years, the chain has expanded its menu options to include Coffee & Pastry, Soups & Salads, and Ice Cream.

In Bryant Park, 'Wichcraft has segregated its offerings into portable-looking huts that are scattered around the park. This morning, I went to the Coffee & Pastry stand and ordered a Greek yogurt with granola and honey. I then took a seat at one of the bistro tables to enjoy my breakfast while watching the tail end of a bocci game.

The honey was richly sweet and it balanced the sourness of the creamy yogurt. The granola added a great crunch. But, they added an incredibly healthy helping of plump, juicy raisins to the mix. This wouldn't be a problem if I enjoyed or even mildly liked raisins, but truth be told I can't stand these shriveled, would be, could be, should be grapes.

I ate around the raisins as best I could, but in the end, I had to give up and I headed into the office. Maybe not a completely satisfying start to this new chapter, but a healthy one nonetheless!