Graham Crackers...what exactly are they?

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I was chomping down on a cinnamon graham cracker last night with my roomate when she decides to ask me "what is in a graham cracker?" That is a grand question! I had never thought about it, so I thought I would do some research. They began in the 1800's when a minister by the name of  Sylvester Graham decided to go on a health craze. He used graham flour which is whole grain wheat flour that has not been sifted. This provides the unique texture to this cracker. There is also honey, molasses and the occasional pinch of cinnamon mixed in as well. I am sure this was quite a tasty treat, but of course we had to modernize it and make it more unhealthy. We use a ton of butter, baking soda, and brown sugar in them. So is the graham cracker a healthy snack? It is said that it holds a good amount of fiber in it, however does the amount of sugar outweigh the good in it? I guess if you are having a sweet tooth this would be a good alternative to a cookie or some icecream. I will always enjoy putting peanut butter and marshmallow on a cinnamon graham cracker. After microwaving this combination of food, it is a delicious treat! If you would like to learn more about the history of the graham cracker check out this web page: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-graham-crackers.htm.

Veggie Tales!!

Picture from guidinglight.com

Last night as we were commenting on blogs, I was inspired by a fellow student to write about Veggie Tales. As I posted in my last blog, both tomatoes and cucumbers and NOT vegetables. Scientifically, they are both considered a fruit. This is Crazy, right? Does this mean that Veggie Tales should be changed to Scientific Fruit Tales? I love Veggie Tales-they crack me up! However, they should not change this knee slapping show just because some goofy scientists decided to label this vegetables as "fruits."

On another note, I thought I would investigate how many other vegetables (in the culinary sense) are actually fruit. As mentioned earlier, a vegetable is in fact a culinary term. Apparently there is nothing scientific about it. Pumpkin, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and even green beans are considered to be "fruit-vegetables." Simply put, this is because of the seeds in them. Most everyone thinks that these are vegetables and after many debates, some of which have ended up in the supreme court, I think we will just have to meet have way. I believe I will start calling this controversial food group fregetables.
Look here for more information on fregetables:
http://www.suite101.com/content/fruit-or-vegetable--a9756