Post a Comment On: Occasional Ramblings

"All breads contain yeast," the person in front of me declared. "No I don't think so," I managed to say in a straight face while hiding incredulity from my voice (at least I hope I did). My friend sitting beside me expressed his agreement. I tried to explain further that there were other leavening agents aside from yeast such as baking soda and that other kinds of bread aren't leavened at all. Surely this person has heard about unleavened bread? Well, apparently not for he was vigorously shaking his head and muttering that he should know because his family is in the bakery business. I'm not in the habit of arguing with strangers however so I just let the conversation end there.

We were eating dinner beside the beach. It was pitch black outside the restaurant so I couldn't make out the ocean just a few meters from me and the sounds of the sea was drowned by a cacophony of voices in an unfamiliar tongue coming from the other table. There's no mistaking the smell of the sea breeze in the air though mixed with the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen. I was in a beach resort getting ready to eat good food and I should have been enjoying myself. Something nagged at me though. Yeah you guessed it, that business with the bread and yeast. It's bothering me even until now and I just had to write about it. I mean what is the world coming to?

As I look back, I think the whole thing started when we saw a poster advertising beer with live yeast. It was being advertised as a health drink and the print ad went on to extol its numerous supposed virtues. I jokingly remarked that it would probably give you a yeast infection. How it eventually lead to the yeast argument I couldn't quite remember.

I shudder to think that this type of... err... ignorance will become prevalent in the future generations. Just thinking about all those misinformed people makes me sad. I therefore implore everybody reading this to spread the word. Not all breads have yeast! Please, for the sake of our children.