# The four axes of food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650 "2014-08-15T23:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/21 "2014-08-17T23:26:44Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I hypothesize that _no single food item on earth (!)_ rates highly in all four categories (H, T, S, and C). I also feel the need to point out that carrots would seem to blow this hypothesis out of the water. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/22 "2014-08-18T00:09:50Z")
I’ll submit homemade chili. True, it requires cooking, but you can make a giant pot of it all at once and freeze small portions to be eaten over the next week or two. It’s definitely tasty, if you use the meat sparingly it’s not too expensive, and depending on how you make it it can be very healthy. I’d say H=4, T=5, S=3, and C=3 or 4. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/23 "2014-08-18T00:20:52Z")
I like the four axes. Nice idea! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/24 "2014-08-18T01:06:46Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > I also feel the need to point out that carrots would seem to blow this hypothesis out of the water. Are they really super-easy to grow? As far as fresh vegetables at the supermarket, carrots aren’t very expensive, but on a per-calorie basis, there are plenty of cheaper foods than carrots. Tastes vary, of course, and I wouldn’t put any carrots I’ve ever eaten as higher than 3 on tastiness, but that’s just my opinion. But you may well have shattered my hypothesis! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/25 "2014-08-18T01:07:48Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I like the four axes. Nice idea! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/26 "2014-08-18T02:13:44Z")
Carrots will also compete favorably with weeds. In fact, they are a weed, or wildflower if you prefer: Queen Anne’s Lace is just a wild carrot that’s more than a year old. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/27 "2014-08-18T02:42:36Z")
First, I think I’d score on a 1-10 score, rather than 1-5. That way, there can be some recognition that say… Taco Bell is more healthy than say… a pile of bacon, and that while fresh fruit can be expensive in general, it’s not in the same league as say… a USDA Prime NY Strip. I’d think something like homemade chicken vegetable soup would score really highly- it’s healthy, it’s tasty, it’s cheap, and it’s actually relatively speedy if you don’t make your own stock. I’d figure it would rate in the 3s, 4s and 5s, depending on how exactly you define those things. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/28 "2014-08-18T07:40:20Z")
I think some seafood should probably also score highly on all 4 axes - mussels for example - cheap, quick to prepare, healthy, highly enjoyable to eat. ETA: I see **Shalmanese** already made this point - and I agree on insects too. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/29 "2014-08-18T09:13:59Z")
Granny Smith Apples tick all boxes. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/30 "2014-08-18T09:28:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I think some seafood should probably also score highly on all 4 axes - mussels for example - cheap, quick to prepare, healthy, highly enjoyable to eat. > > ETA: I see **Shalmanese** already made this point - and I agree on insects too. At least where I’m at, even the cheapest seafood (usually catfish or tilapia) is more expensive than some meats like chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/31 "2014-08-18T13:26:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Are they really super-easy to grow? As far as fresh vegetables at the supermarket, carrots aren’t very expensive, but on a per-calorie basis, there are plenty of cheaper foods than carrots. Tastes vary, of course, and I wouldn’t put any carrots I’ve ever eaten as higher than 3 on tastiness, but that’s just my opinion. > > But you may well have shattered my hypothesis! On a per-calorie basis, you’re probably right. Carrots are quite cheap here, compared to other vegetables, but certainly not as cheap as some other sources of calories. But, assuming you need more than calories, and assuming you love carrots as much as I do, it seems reasonable to me! As for growing them, I’ve done it before but don’t remember them being especially easy or hard to grow successfully. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/32 "2014-08-18T13:30:48Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Granny Smith Apples tick all boxes. Clearly there’s some subjectivity in some of these judgments - most notably the ‘tastiness’ vertex. I’d sooner have a more aromatic variety of apple such as a Cox or one of the russets. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/33 "2014-08-18T14:32:19Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > [Fuck Grapefruit](http://xkcd.com/388/) Some issues with that chart. How do seedless grapes rate less tasty than seeded grapes? How do lemons, oranges, and grapefruit have three different difficulty levels? Because people seem to want to slice a grapefruit and then try to spoon it out? There isn’t any reason a grapefruit can’t be eaten like an orange. Except, you know, the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/34 "2014-08-18T18:39:35Z")
Pasta with red sauce. I can whip up a good red sauce in about 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/35 "2014-08-18T18:50:30Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Pasta with red sauce. I can whip up a good red sauce in about 10 minutes. I don’t think the ‘healthiness’ rating would be any higher than 3. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/36 "2014-08-18T19:05:19Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I don’t think the ‘healthiness’ rating would be any higher than 3. Why not? Unless you go nuts with it, there’s nothing particularly unhealthy about it at all. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/37 "2014-08-18T19:07:48Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Why not? Unless you go nuts with it, there’s nothing particularly unhealthy about it at all. Right, but there’s nothing particularly healthy about it either. Cheap pasta is just starch. Cheap tomato sauce has lots of sugar. Not terrible for you, but not great – hence the 3, IMO. You can do homemade whole-wheat pasta, and homemade tomato sauce, which will be healthier, but then the ‘cheapness’ and ‘easiness’ scores go down. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/38 "2014-08-18T21:13:27Z")
I’m on ‘team carrot’ on this one. And for those who think that the cost/trouble of home-growing disqualifies them…but them in the store. Quick, easy, and dirt cheap. Really, I think quite a few root vegetables fit in this category. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/39 "2014-08-18T21:27:12Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Right, but there’s nothing particularly healthy about it either. Cheap pasta is just starch. Cheap tomato sauce has lots of sugar. Not terrible for you, but not great – hence the 3, IMO. You can do homemade whole-wheat pasta, and homemade tomato sauce, which will be healthier, but then the ‘cheapness’ and ‘easiness’ scores go down. I thought that **Paintcharge’s** 10 minute red sauce was homemade, not a jar of Ragu. And pasta in moderate quantities isn’t any problem either. You end up with a plate of carbs, vegetables and healthy oil (assuming they used olive oil). I don’t see the problem, other than you could add some protein to make it more balanced. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650/40 "2014-08-18T21:42:35Z")
Eggs? I collect a few every morning and they are tasty used in many ways. The health aspects vary according to what research you look at, but for me, a guy on Lipitor, I could eat eggs daily and have perfect lipid numbers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-axes-of-food/695650.md?page=3)