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Tuesday, March 16, 2021
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Fear of
needles
could harm
vaccination
campaign
■ Experts say ubiquitous
scenes of people being
inoculated could hamper
efforts to administer
COVID-19 vaccines
Julie Appleby
Kaiser Health News
Each night it’s the same. Story after
story on the TV news is about the CO-
VID vaccination effort, and they are
all illustrated with footage of needles
sinking into exposed upper arms.
Could those visuals, ostensibly mak-
ing this all seem routine, backfi re?
More than causing squeamish peo-
ple to look away or change the chan-
nel, researchers say such illustrations
could hamper efforts to get a broad
swath of U.S. residents vaccinated.
Bottom line: Many people don’t like
needles, and that could further slow
vaccination efforts as winter turns to
spring when supplies are expected to
multiply and efforts to get the hesi-
tant to sign up for a dose will intensify.
“Fear of needles was one of the
barriers that was a signifi cant predic-
tor of people saying, ‘I don’t think I
will get this vaccine,’” said Jeanine
Guidry, an assistant professor at
Virginia Commonwealth University
who researches visual communication
and conducted a survey of 500 people
in July.
And it’s not just TV news using
what could be sensitive video footage.
Disinformation spread on social
media often incorporates images of gi-
ant syringes, Guidry recently told the
National Vaccine Advisory Committee,
which makes recommendations to
federal health offi cials.
See Fear/Page 3B
Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Fasolada is a Greek soup of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables.
H UMBLE & H EARTY
■ Nothing’s more basic — but perfect for a healthy, hot dinner — than a pot of beans
Arthi Subramaniam
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A well-cooked pot of beans can be summed
up in two words — humble and hearty.
Dried or canned beans don’t need many
frills to provide warmth and comfort or extra
trips to specialty stores. Toss in aromatics like
garlic and onion along with herbs, if you have
any, and seasonings like salt, paprika, ground
turmeric or garam masala.
To bulk up the dish, please vegetarians
by adding carrots, peppers, tomatoes and/
or greens. For a double dose of protein and
fl avor, simmer the beans with smoky ham
hock. If you add ground meat or chunks of
chuck roast or sausage, you would have a pot
of chili. For a more wholesome meal, scoop the
beans over some cooked rice.
Beans are rather unique as they are
embraced by both the protein and vegetable
food groups. Regular consumers of meat or
fi sh consider them to be vegetables, according
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but
vegetarians count them fi rst in the protein
group and then in the vegetable group.
Like vegetables, beans are a good source
of fi ber, vitamins and minerals. But unlike
vegetables, they have a substantial amount of
plant-based protein.
An easy way to incorporate beans is to use
the canned version, and that is fi ne in my
opinion. Canned does not mean inferior. If you
want to reduce the sodium content, rinse the
beans in water to get rid of the gooey liquid.
Beans are canned with salt and water to
create a brine to keep them fresh. With time,
however, starch from the beans makes the
brine slimy.
If you are like me and have a stash of dried
beans, remember it is just as effortless to cook
with them. It requires only one additional
step — soaking them in water. But it is often
debated: to soak or not to soak. There are
those who swear against soaking beans in
water, saying it is a waste of time and worse,
robs them of color, fl avor and nutrients.
I staunchly belong in the other camp and
soak them, especially ones like red kidney
beans, chickpeas and fava beans, before they
are cooked. The soaking not only softens and
plumps up the beans but also helps to short-
en their cooking time. A multigenerational tip
that has been passed down in my family is to
replace the water at least three or four times,
while the beans soak, to alleviate fl atulence.
See Hearty/Page 2B
Charcuterie: If meat is
good, why not pancakes?
■ The idea of what constitutes a charcuterie is evolving
Daniel Neman
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
I may have this wrong, but as far
as I can tell, “charcuterie” is French
for “a big plate full of stuff.”
Charcuteries are one of the big-
gest trends in the food world right
now; you will fi nd them on an ever-
increasing number of restaurant
menus, and small companies are
popping up to bring them to you.
Everyone likes them, and why not?
They are big plates full of stuff.
Like so many other culinary
notions, the idea of what a char-
cuterie is has evolved and expanded
over the years, especially recently.
But the original defi nition is still
relevant: it is meat, often pork,
prepared in a number of specifi c
ways — smoked, cured, patés, ter-
rines, sausages, confi t and a couple
of deboned methods.
A charcuterie board, which is
what most people (and restaurants)
mean when they say “charcuterie,”
is a platter offering several of these
meats and preparations.
But that isn’t nearly as fun
as the current defi nition of the
term. These days, the platter also
includes a variety of well-chosen
accompaniments. Cheeses, breads
or crackers and a selection of
complementary condiments such as
preserves, pickled vegetables and
more, are now considered necessary
additions to any self-respecting
charcuterie board.
And with the charcuterie concept
now so open and free, there is no
reason to stop at meats. These days,
the only limit to a charcuterie board
is your imagination.
Do you like different kinds of
pancakes? Make a pancake char-
cuterie; your brunch guests will
love you for it. Or you could just
go full out and make it a brunch
board, with waffl es, bacon, berries,
scrambled eggs (keep them in the
skillet for that charcuterie look) and
smoked salmon with capers and
tomatoes and red onions.
I’m getting kind of hungry just
thinking about it.
You could make a board of sweet,
juicy fruits and cheeses. Crackers
and nuts would add an appealing
crunch and an always welcome bit
of salt, and a caramel dip would be
smooth and cool.
How about a chocolate char-
cuterie? Why not? Don’t forget the
whipped cream.
Bloody Mary charcuterie boards
are big now among people who like
bloody Marys. Along with vodka
and tomato juice, you’ll need celery,
Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire
sauce, cheese cubes, sweet pickles
and a special treat such as chilled
shrimp.
Did I mention the chocolate
charcuterie? It’s worthy of mention-
ing twice.
I recently made three charcuter-
ies: the traditional meat-and-cheese
charcuterie, a pancake charcuterie
and, because I don’t like bloody
Marys but do like martinis, a mar-
tini charcuterie.
Meat and cheese board
For the meat and cheese platter,
I wanted to emphasize contrast —
fl avors, textures and even colors.
The prettier the plate, the more
your guests will appreciate it.
For the meat part of the platter, I
rolled up a selection of Italian cold
cuts: Calabrese salame, capocollo,
sopressata and pepperoni, plus
some sliced chicken breast for
people who don’t like pork. I also
wrapped prosciutto around chilled
spears of asparagus, which is the
best possible application for pro-
sciutto.
I added cubes and wedges of
fontina cheese and cubes of sharp
cheddar; nothing too fancy to
overwhelm the meat, which I think
should be the star of the platter.
Mini-breadsticks and crackers
provided a backbone for the meats
and cheese, with grainy mustard to
add bite and cherry jam to soothe
the tongue with its sweetness.
Roasted red peppers are a
natural with any selection of sliced
Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
A pancake charcuterie, as prepared by St. Louis Post-Dispatch food
writer, Daniel Neman.
meat, and so are piquant gher-
kins, so onto my plate they went.
Olives are good in pretty much any
circumstance, and dried apricots
are now traditional with meat and
cheese charcuteries.
Nuts are essential. I used pista-
chios in their shell (because it is so
much fun taking them out of their
shells), almonds and sweet, glazed
pecans. I had never bought glazed
pecans before. Those things are
amazing. I’m sure they would be
easy to make yourself, but I took
the easy route because I had two
more charcuterie boards to prepare.
See Charcuterie/Page 3B