The Best of P&TY: Dora’s Secret
It’s a little silly that a simple post about a can of soup is one of my favorites. But this is the point: no matter how you eat (vegetarian, omnivore, whatever) everyone, everyone deserves to eat better that this. Especially our children.
Don’t you agree?
Originally posted: October 7, 2010
I feel so bad when the girls are sick, and not just because I have to pick up soggy tissues that I inevitably find in totally inappropriate places. Like Gigi’s underwear drawer. Lulu’s jewelry box. My coffee cup. Good until the last drop.
I feel worse about the droopy eyes, the heavy mouth breathing and the hacking cough. And then there’s Dora.
I have a lot of problems with Dora.
She has no fashion sense. Pink shirt. Orange shorts. Yellow anklets in white orthopedic shoes. Accessorized with a purple backpack full of the most random assortment of useless items a seven year-old has no business having, including duct tape, maracas, a space suit and a ladder. That’s not normal. But Gigi thinks it is and our Philips head screwdriver, harmonica and ear muffs are currently missing.
It also unnerves me that Dora is permitted to just roam around the town, mountains, troll bridges, beach and outer space with a talking monkey. Yo, Mami and Papi? Spring for a babysitter or at least get your girl a GPS, because I pretty much want to light that map on fire every time he sings “I’m a map…I’m a map…I’m a map…I’m a map…I’m a MAP!”
And Dora needs to stop teaching my children to yell at the TV. “If you see the Wishing Wizzle’s crystal, yell ‘CRYSTAL’!” Actually don’t yell in my living room. Ever. Unless it’s on fire and it’s not due to a burning, talking map.
But Dora’s worst offense comes in a can, and then she has to go and lie about it. The girls have been 100% vegetarian for almost two years now and don’t ever ask to eat meat. But they do ask for Dora soup. And because of this, I’ve had a hard time saying no to a can of chicken noodle soup when they are sick.
It just got a whole lot easier.
I knew “mechanically separated chicken” wasn’t a good thing. But it wasn’t until Gena tweeted a link to this story that I knew how bad it really is.
That dear friends, is mechanically separated chicken.
That is the result of a machine scraping clean every ounce of chicken meat off of the bones and putting it through a high pressure sieve. Then, sources say, “because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia…because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.”
Sorry, Dora, but you are a liar.
There’s no way that can be healthy for kids.
Luckily, I have a soup that is almost as easy as opening a can. And though there are no Dora-shaped noodles, it’s also “pink guts soft-serve”-free.
Roasted Squash and White Bean Soup
- 1 medium onion, in large chunks
- 2 c. roasted winter squash (golden nugget, kabocha, butternut, pumpkin, etc.)***
- 3 c. organic vegetable broth
- One 15 oz. can white beans (cannelini, Great Northern, etc.), drained and rinsed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 t. curry powder
- 1/4 t. garam masala
- salt and pepper to taste
- additional spices to taste, i.e. stevia or sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
- optional soup toppings: crumbled tempeh bacon or vegetarian sausage, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, etc.
***If you have no time for squash roasting, you could even just sub a 15 oz. can of pumpkin and then just saute your onion in a pan on the stovetop
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare onion and squash for roasting by cutting and seeding squash and peeling onion and placing it cut side down on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
This is a Golden Nugget. It is an oriental pumpkin, much like a kabocha. It is delicious. I also have no tools in my backpack that could possibly get the skin off, so I leave it on.
Roast for 40-50 minutes, until onion is starting to brown and squash is starting to caramelize.
Resist the urge to grab a fork and call that dinner. Think about the children.
Scrape the squash into a blender, along with the onion and remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
Transfer soup to a large pot and heat through over medium high heat.
Adjust seasoning to taste. I added a little cinnamon and nutmeg to ours.
Served up with some homemade bread with Earth Balance? Irresistible.
A quick and easy soup for my sick hija that doesn’t have “chicken bone Laffy Taffy” in it. We did it!
“I’m Mama Pea…Mama Pea…Mama Pea…Mama Pea…MAMA PEAAAAA!”
I think I need to go vegetarian after seeing that photo of the chicken. Seriously, how is campbells still in business?
Loving your blog…. and ewwwwww! That is seriously disgusting. Thanks for sharing it though. I don’t know that you can buy that in our country (thank goodness) but I’ll be on the lookout.
That mechanically seperated chicken is to date still the most disgusting thing I’ve seen! I’ve made your soup for the family a couple of months ago. Delicious! Hope you’re having a fabulous holiday!
That makes me want to throw up. And I had already read the story. And watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. No chicken nuggets for our family!
Ugh….I hate seeing that picture! I was literally putting a spoon of oatmeal in my mouth when I scrolled down and saw it…haha.
oh this is so disturbing! isn’t it crazy that it can be allowed in stores without the true labeling?!?!
I am a huge proponent of fresh food and being able to recognize all the ingredients of the food I am eating.
Hahaha LOVE this. I agree with your assessment of Dora… but have you ever seen Caillou? That script has to be written under the influence of some SERIOUS narcotics.
I can not stand caillou . he is whiny and annoying and treats his sister like crap. and his mom and dad never discipline him appropriately. ugh.
My five year old son has only watched Dora a few times. I am with you. I tell my husband, any show that encourages — nay, DEMANDS — my child to scream does not get played in this house.
LOUDER! I CAN’T HEAR YOUUUUU!!!!
lol your dora story is spot on. and that chicken thing grossed me out soo much n i dont even eat the stuff! i wanna show my parents this is what there eating but theyll flip i bet or think oh well like most of america.
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/msm.asp
Why is she always yelling? I’m not going to be bossed into speaking Spanish, young lady, and Abuela does not want her name shouted in her ear. Oh yeah, Dora and I go way back, and it isn’t pretty. That chicken soft serve is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad I’m a vegetarian and that 99% of the soup in my house is homemade. Hey Dora, how do you say TURN THE CHANNEL in Spanish?
Oh my gosh. That chicken picture may be one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen.
Aaaaand now “D-d-d-d-dora! Dora the explorer!…” is going to be stuck in my head all day – better that than the image of that chicken!
Holy sh_t you just changed our life.
My daughter isn’t even 2 and already obsessed with Dora. She screams “Dora” at the top of her lungs all the time and makes me sing the map song at least twice a day. If you haven’t seen this comedy clip about “The Map” by Brian Reagan, it’s hilarious!
http://comedians.jokes.com/brian-regan/videos/brian-regan—dora-the-explorer
This looks like a DELICIOUS soup! I’ve had an acorn squash hanging out on my counter, getting lonely, for a while now. I know what I’m going to make with it
I feel the same way about Dora– and mechanically separated (well, actually all) chicken. Especially after seeing that photo. Ugh.
What about mechanically separating that map?
Wow, thanks so much for sharing this. NEVER AGAIN will I buy one of those cans!!!
I’ll also be giving that Dora the side eye from now on!
That soup looks wayyy better than chicken goop.
Thanks for this! I’m not vegetarian, but I only eat meat on rare occasions, that’s well prepared and from reputable sources. That picture reminded me why. That isn’t food.
Ugh…i”m officially grossed out and a good reminder why I no longer eat meat. We need to share more info like this – who wants to eat that?!
They do something similar with ground beef. Except instead of chicken, it’s an ammonia-washed beef-particle goo. Yep, that’d be those hamburgers they serve kids in school as well as most of what you’ll find in the supermarket. Mmm… beef goo fillers.
That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you!
I am going full on veg starting Monday – with the Engine 2 peeps. And incorporating your amazing recipes. I’ll keep that chicken taffy in my head for life now.
Hope you’ve have a Maui-velous time on your trip!
Oh man that is soooo gross. Thank goodness for not eating meat! The soup on the other hand looks amazing – I am ALWAYS down for squash soup, but have never though to add beans to it, which would definitely up the protein content. Can’t wait to try it out!
That picture of the”mechanically separated chicken” makes me want to vomit every time I see it. EW.. that is just AWFUL!!
Wow if that pic doesn’t convert non-vegetarians I’m not sure what will…that’s disgusting! I had no idea and thank you for “exposing” them. Your soup looks so much better and almost matches Dora’s shorts (:
“Crystal!!!!!!”
love this soup so much better then those canned soups!! this is motivated us to try making our own soups! thanks!
I missed this one the first time around, I appreciate the repost. But I was just saying the other day that if I see that pink goop one more time…(it has been posted way too many times on facebook.) Makes me want to vomit. It also makes me want to vomit the manipulation they do on kids through advertizing. I have never seen Dora but I hate her already!
Mechanically separated chicken? Really? Why do people eat this stuff??
Thanks again for the awesome alternative. It’s delicious!
Oh man, marketing makes me beyond angry. How we ever got the *idea* of mechanically separated chicken… well, that’s beyond me. And disguising it as a “healthy” option? Riiight.
Your soup, on the other hand, looks delicious. Warm, inviting, and real – the way food should be.
Love this blog! Very humorous! Can’t wait to read your book! Thanks for the pictures! You are a great teacher!
ok, so i got the link to the article with this picture of the MSC just right before i looked at your blog—nastiness…
my husband still loves his meat–high quality–i’ll give it to him….he eats a steak maybe once a week and fish the other times (or so he tells me)…
we have not had mc donald’s since we’ve been married (at least the kids and i haven’t–albeit that one time with grandma when they were itty bitties and i won’t count that–because i have a ‘whatever happens at grandma’s, stays at grandma’s–but now the girls are of age where they tell me EVERYTHING…)
at least my husband is supportive in my vegan efforts with the kids–they are vegan M-F…on the weekends some fish, and thankfully my husband makes the steak optional, and i don’t push my agenda (but i won’t touch it)….
ok, my point——-
he forwards the email of the blog with this image of this pink meat soft serve (not sure which you got your image from) to our girls–they have very monitored email access to their family and closest friends…ok, that’s all good—but the rest of the blog had, well let’s say, adult innuendos (not photos), something to the effect of ‘boners’….
then he tries to recall the emails…
too funny….
i told him what the girls asked me today, and he was put at ease knowing he wasn’t corrupting the girls–rather it’s their friends at school…
always love your posts–you are quite the inspiration
AHH that chicken!! CREEEPY!
Oh ewwwwww…..really, ignorance IS bliss. That chicken photo. It just might turn me off of chicken forever! Definitely off of canned soup. I think there are several in my pantry that are going straight to the food bank asap.
EWWWW…that picture of the “chicken” just totally grossed me out! My family has been vegetarians for 4 years now, and it’s things like that that tell me we made the right decision. Your soup looks delicious! Yum!
Ack! I’ve seen a picture of that “chicken” before. Great post!!!
This is so disgusting…thank you for re-posting. It totally reinforces why I went/wanted to be vegetarian. I will now need to wait at least an hour before I think about making dinner. It just makes me so sick thinking about what the food industry does to our food and that so many people don’t know and/or care about what they are eating…
I just made the soup using the shortcut method of canned pumpkin, just because I had a can in the house – it’s really tasty! Made my sore throat feel better! I drizzled a little maple syrup on top and next time I will add some toasted walnut pieces, too. Yum!
Nice! I hope you feel better
This is the next soup I want to make. I just made your carrot and ginger one out of the book and it is so delicious!
That is my FAVORITE!
Sigh* It takes all of two seconds to figure out that that picture is a hoax- I guess people will believe whatever they want…
it is NOT a hoax photo.
My MIL got HRH the Dora and the Enchanted Forest DVD for Christmas. Up until that moment, I had believed that I had a better than stereotypical relationship with my husband’s mother, but clearly I was mistaken.
I have to tell you – what frustrates me is that even with stories such as this, books that convey the terrible conditions in slaughterhouses, etc., my husband will still look at me and say, “Oh, but I love chicken McNuggets.” I think I’m going to need to get him tested for brain damage. Right after I’m done being sick.
Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes (um… reciPEAS) with us – they are so delightful!
Oh, I feel your pain on the DVD. And the McNuggets. He’ll come around (hopefully?).
Although mechanically separated chicken IS super gross, that description isn’t actually entirely factual…..
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/msm.asp
i like your soup better.
and the next time someone says “Could they have some soup – it just has a little bit of chicken in it” I know what to say. many thanks!
Oh yikes
I’m NEVER buying Campbell’s soup ever again. It is veryyy rare that I buy it anyway, but now I’m never buying it again. I feel terrible because I did buy a bag if Tyson chicken nuggets as a last resort dinner for when my husband has to feed our son because my husband cannot cook whatsoever…I think I’ll toss them and prep some of this soup for when I’m gone instead 
I made the soup thick and used it as filling for home made ravioli. Yum! Thanks for the recipe.