Memorable moments in 8 years of writing The Dish
Megan Ogilvie shares her top dishes, answers readers’ questions
After eight years of writing The Dish column, saying goodbye closes a main chapter in my journalistic life. As I sign off, I’d like to share some memorable moments and answer some of your most-asked questions. First reader request In a lengthy and beautifully written email dated March 10, 2010, Simone Elliot asked me to investigate the number of calories in one of her favourite childhood meals — jerk chicken with rice and peas and coleslaw from the much-loved Toronto restaurant The Real Jerk. It was Elliot’s note — and enthusiastic agreement to comment on the 1,120-calorie meal — that spurred me to turn The Dish into a column that responded to Star readers’ requests. I’m so glad Simone wrote to me so long ago. Corresponding with readers has been my favourite part of this gig. Final reader request Mike Takasaki recently asked The Dish to find nutrition numbers for the Coney Island hotdog, served at the Olde Spadina takeout counter at The Rogers Centre. “It is by far the best hotdog at the ballpark and one of the best in the city,” he writes. “On their sign they list them at 150 calories, but I feel like this can’t be right.” Apologies, Mike, for not getting to your request; this would have been a good one to investigate. Those fast food references Many times Star readers questioned why I compared a popular from-scratch restaurant meal to a drive-thru staple. I believe it was the best way to give context to often large and unwieldy nutrition numbers — almost everyone has, at some point, munched on a McDonald’s menu item or grabbed a snack from Timmies. So telling readers that a 1,100-calorie container of chicken pad Thai is the calorie-equivalent to four McDonald’s hamburgers is helpful, as is pointing out that eating an entire 1,000-calorie vegan muffin is the same as devouring 14 chocolate glazed Timbits. Few of us would eat that many burgers or that many Timbits in one sitting. Favourite reader request It’s hard to pick just one among the many funny, skeptical and heartfelt appeals I’ve received. But one from Ryan Berry and his wife, Rhea Sengupta, asking about the calorie count for a shawarma pita from Me Va Me Express, has stuck with me since I first read their note dated Aug. 23, 2011. Here is a portion of their excellent request: “In this sandwich the twin forces of gluttony and deliciousness come together in a perfect unison, only tempered by the guilt/ anxiety/self-loathing/gym trips that follow. We solace ourselves by saying such things as ‘this must be better for us than McDonald’s, or ‘chickpeas are really healthy,’ or ... ‘a sandwich the size of my forearm can’t be so bad.’ How badly are we deceiving ourselves? We would love to know the dietary consequences of these awesome sandwiches”. At the time, I revealed that a shawarma pita from Me Va Me Express had 1,215 calories and 73 grams of fat — nearly double the amount of a McDonald’s double Big Mac. Interestingly, this is among the top-read The Dish columns with more than 123,000 page views since it was published in February 2012. Favourite reader reaction Again, there are many letters to choose from. But one I’ll never forget had just one word in the email subject line: A long, utterly bereft “Noooooooooooooo.” The brief note was in response to a 2010 The Dish on the saag paneer roti from the wildly popular Ghandi Cuisine on Queen St. W. In 2010, the roti contained 1,482 calories, 73 grams of fat and 3,360 milligrams of sodium. However, the reader who requested the analysis, and who enjoyed the roti as a weekly treat, was not perturbed by the nutrition numbers. I suspect many Star readers took a similar point of view. Oh, the Ziplocs Journalists are used to doing strange things for the job. But when I started in this profession I never expected that I’d one day regularly transfer recently purchased restaurant meals — whether burgers or sushi, milkshakes or bubble tea — into Ziploc bags to send to the laboratory for analysis.
Most times, I did this awkward move in the privacy of my car or in the Star’s test kitchen. Sometimes, I had to bag food on location. But no one ever questioned me. Not even the time I bought a strawberry and ice cream-topped funnel cake at Canada’s Wonderland, looked at it longingly, shimmied it into a Ziploc bag and carried it out of the park. This summertime treat (tested in July 2014) had 1,600 calories — equivalent to 51⁄ strawberry sundaes from McDonald’s. McDonald’s Part II When I started The Dish, a McDonald’s Big Mac contained 540 calories. Now, it has 520. A quick count shows that I’ve referenced this iconic burger at least 10 times in The Dish. I’ve never had a Big Mac; it doesn’t appeal. But I adore the Egg McMuffin. It’s my go-to drivethru meal (at 290 calories and 16 grams of protein) and I cheered when it became an allday menu item. Most-requested restaurant Since 2010, I have analyzed a meal from Fresh three different times. In January 2011, we investigated the green goddess bowl (687 calories). In November 2011, the Buddha bowl went to the lab for analysis (1,169 calories). And in May 2017, we revealed the black bean burrito (one of my favourites) had 643 calories. And still Star readers want to know more about this Toronto chain known for its vegan and vegetarian fare. I think the demand — more than a dozen Star readers have pleaded for additional Fresh calorie counts — shows that health-conscious diners want health-conscious restaurants to prove their healthfulness. Or, at least, provide nutrition numbers so they can figure out whether to reasonably eat a green goddess bowl and a piece of chocolate fudge cake. The great pad Thai search Star readers live in eternal hope that one day a Toronto restaurant will create a calorie-light pad Thai. Based on how many readers asked for a nutritional analysis of their favourite restaurants version, I could have given this beloved noodle dish its own six-month column run. Over the years, The Dish featured pad Thai six times. Only once did our nutrition expert deem it healthy enough for a regular meal. But that was for a salad-like version featuring raw zucchini spirals instead of rice noodles. So maybe that doesn’t really count. Short answers to popular questions about writing The Dish
What food have you never eaten again? The buttered version of movie theatre popcorn — in any size.
Do you try the foods before sending to the lab? Absolutely! And sometimes — despite obviously knowing better — the entire thing.
What is the most surprising nutrition result? There have been so many. But I loved that a generous slice of Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake has just 217 calories. There weren’t many times I could deliver good news to readers.
Simplest dining-out nutrition tip? Order any sauce or dressing on the side. Once I learned that Pizza Pizza’s creamy garlic dipping sauce had 350 calories and 38 grams of fat — about the same as a medium order of McDonald’s’ fries — I’ve never again looked at sauces the same way.
Do readers change their dining habits after hearing the calorie count? Depends what you mean. Rarely do they say that they will never eat that particular food again. Usually they figure out how to fit their favourite burger or bakery treat into their weekly diet by cutting back calories in other places.