the friday feed: stonehenge with a side of ketchup

Last Saturday, on a very blustery day (compliments of Hurricane Amy) we visited Stonehenge, known as "The Stones" to the locals. The winds weren't as pronounced in the city of Salisbury as they were when we arrived at the historic site. (Tidbit: Salisbury's population is 47, 236, perhaps what you think would make it a town, but it has a cathedral, and that what gives it the city designation). We asked a taxi driver what he would charge to take us to Stonehenge. He proceeded to tell us about the strong winds and intermittent rain, already figured we wouldn't roam around for too long, and worked out a deal to drive us to and from The Stones. Wise man, lucky us. Stonehenge filled us with awe. It was constructed in stages starting in 3000 BC to 1500 BC with some of the stones being transported from Wales, 140 miles away. Stonehenge's purpose is a mystery, but the stones' alignment with the summer and winter solstices suggests it was a ceremonial or religious site. 

After our visit to Stonehenge, our driver took us back to Salisbury, and we had a little over an hour before catching our return train to London. We walked around looking for a place to eat and settled at a fish and chips restaurant. The food, fresh out of the fryer, hit the spot after battling the fierce winds. My son-in-law got ketchup to put on his chips and after squirting a generous blop on his plate, he nudged me and said, "Look at the ingredients in this ketchup. No additives." 

We arrived home from our wonderful holiday on Thursday, 11:00 pm (23:00), tired with bodies trying to figure out what time zone we're in. I couldn't sleep for a while so in the wee hours of the morning, I thought about England's Heinz Ketchup and went to my fridge to look at the American label. The Heinz ketchup sold in Great Britain is generally considered healthier than the American version due to stricter food regulations, resulting in a simpler ingredient list, higher tomato content, and no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It's a less processed product. The US relies on HFCS and corn syrup as sweeteners, which are cheaper but highly processed ingredients. The American public is beginning to make noise about the unhealthy additives put in foods which then transfers to our bodies which then can cause all kinds of health issues. It's time to cut out the junk and keep with just the good stuff.

You must be thinking how did she manage to pair these two totally unrelated topics...

Stonehenge to ketchup?

Ancient stones to processed food?

Blame it on jet lag.