Me: “Can you ask?”
Ok, I feel much better now. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/2 "2005-01-01T23:05:16Z")
Yep. I gave the heck up and learned how to bake bread from scratch. Ha! Now I can 100% whole wheat when I want. I can have 100% whole oat bran! I can have 100% whole grain spelt with steel-cut 100% oatmeal, dried cherry, pecan and cinnamon bread ! But I can’t have them long. Grocery store breads linger around the joint for weeks, but homemade breads seem to go away in 48 hours. I recommend finding a place to sell you health-foody type flours.
---
### Author:  [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/3 "2005-01-02T03:04:55Z")
I had a clever post, but it lost steam partway through.
You’re picky, but quite specific about your bread.
Go You! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/4 "2005-01-02T03:12:37Z")
I know what you mean. When I order a sub, they always ask me, “White or wheat?” This gets on my nerves. Because they are BOTH wheat! Wheat is NOT the opposite of white, you idiots! It is the alternative to corn, oat, rye, or potato! I do not say this aloud, however. I just say “white” (as you noted, there is little difference between the two anyway) and go my merry way.
But it still gets on my nerves!
---
### Author:  [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/5 "2005-01-02T04:11:05Z")
> [@Wonko The Sane](#):
>
> You’re picky, but quite specific about your bread.
Actually, for me, it’s not a nitpick. Processed flour does not treat me well. And, imho, adding more whole grains would benefit just about anybody who eats a typical modern American diet. Many folks who do want to add whole grains think they’re getting them when they order or buy “wheat” bread, and they’re being ripped off. The processed foods industry is well aware of what they’re doing – else they would not use the food coloring and other agents, and sprinkle a few oats and seeds on top, to make the product resemble whole grain.
---
### Author:  [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/6 "2005-01-02T04:30:13Z")
It’s an old article, but informative: [Bread Buying Guide](http://www.cspinet.org/new/bread.htm)
From the article that links to the guide:
> [@](#):
>
> Breads with “Stone Ground Wheat,” “Cracked Wheat,” “Wheat Berry,” or “Multi-Grain” in their names may or may not be whole-grain. Wonder Fat Free Multi-Grain bread, for example, is mostly refined white flour. There’s more yeast than any of the other grains. Pepperidge Farm Light Style 7 Grain has more corn syrup than six of its seven grains. The grain present in greatest amount is refined white flour.
**Sample\_the\_Dog** , it would be nice for their customers, if the “high-end” sandwich shop you went to actually trained (and/or manager’s encouraged training) their employees to _know_ their product, not just make freakin’ sandwiches. But, hey, it’s probably pretty close to minimum wage. I’ve worked with people who figure they’re not paid enough to care enough to give any more than the bare minimum. :mad:
---
### Author:  [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/7 "2005-01-02T04:49:48Z")
Maybe it’s just Australia, but I don’t know of anyone who could not tell the difference. I haven’t even heard of this “wheat bread”.
Breads either white, wholemeal or whole-grain. What I don’t get is why whole-grain and wholemeal are more expensive? You’re putting less effort into making it, right? I prefer wholemeal or wholegrain as well.
---
### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/8 "2005-01-02T04:55:20Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#):
>
> **Sample\_the\_Dog** , it would be nice for their customers, if the “high-end” sandwich shop you went to actually trained (and/or manager’s encouraged training) their employees to _know_ their product, not just make freakin’ sandwiches. But, hey, it’s probably pretty close to minimum wage. I’ve worked with people who figure they’re not paid enough to care enough to give any more than the bare minimum. :mad:
I’ve worked plenty of minimum wage jobs, and not one trained me for more than a few hours. Several of them just kind of tossed me in. And nobody is going to put in much more than the minimum for a job that offers no chances of advancement, no future at the company, no real way to excell and no benefits and minimum salary (heck, it’s hard to do a job if you are hungry, cold, have crappy shoes or don’t have a real home- all the things that happen on minimum wage.) If you want service, you have to pay for it. Vote with your feet and tell these corporations that you are not okay with a minimally-trained, disposable workforce.
---
### Author:  [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/9 "2005-01-02T04:57:25Z")
> [@even sven](#):
>
> I’ve worked plenty of minimum wage jobs, and not one trained me for more than a few hours. Several of them just kind of tossed me in. And nobody is going to put in much more than the minimum for a job that offers no chances of advancement, no future at the company, no real way to excell and no benefits and minimum salary (heck, it’s hard to do a job if you are hungry, cold, have crappy shoes or don’t have a real home- all the things that happen on minimum wage.) If you want service, you have to pay for it. Vote with your feet and tell these corporations that you are not okay with a minimally-trained, disposable workforce.
I am in complete agreement with you. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/10 "2005-01-02T05:45:39Z")
Agreed w/ the above re food service jobs. (I’ve held many of them myself, from cooking to serving to bartending.) What struck me about the Sandwich Guy was that he didn’t even seem to comprehend what I was asking. If he had, his first response should have been, “I don’t know. Let me check.”
(Btw, he did ask a manager when I asked him to – none of it was whole grain.)
I lay the blame primarily at the feet of the processed foods industry, which invented this “wheat bread” designation as a marketing ploy intended to fool people who are actually trying to do the right thing. But I also blame the restaurants, cafeterias, caterers, and other businesses who buy the stuff and promote it.
::sigh:: So much for that resolution to be a less critical, more compassionate person. ☹
---
### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/11 "2005-01-02T07:52:33Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#):
>
> Maybe it’s just Australia, but I don’t know of anyone who could not tell the difference. I haven’t even heard of this “wheat bread”.
> Breads either white, wholemeal or whole-grain. What I don’t get is why whole-grain and wholemeal are more expensive? You’re putting less effort into making it, right? I prefer wholemeal or wholegrain as well.
What is the difference between wholemeal and wholegrain?
---
### Author:  [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/12 "2005-01-02T10:28:08Z")
I have such a hard time convincing my wife that Amy’s Organic products that use “Organic Wheat Flour” are not using Whole Wheat Flour, they’re using organic wheat processed into white flour. If it was whole wheat, it would say “Organic Whole Wheat Flour”
Some breads termed “whole wheat” are plain white breads with some of the flour whole grain for color and texture, they’re not 100% whole wheat. You have to watch that ingredient list.
---
### Author:  [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/13 "2005-01-02T10:34:16Z")
Never go to Montreal, where the colloquial terms for bread are “white” and “brown”
---
### Author:  [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/14 "2005-01-02T10:47:21Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#):
>
> What is the difference between wholemeal and wholegrain?
Wholemeal = ungrained brown bread
whole-grain = white or brown grained bread
---
### Author:  [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/15 "2005-01-02T11:01:07Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#):
>
> Wholemeal = ungrained brown bread
> whole-grain = white or brown grained bread
Grained? Ungrained? Huh?
I tried doing some searching and could only seem to come up with references to candy, leather, and wood.
Y’all sure talk funny down there.
---
### Author:  [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/16 "2005-01-02T17:45:12Z")
This is news to me. I pay very little attention to what I eat; breads in my universe are divided into the following:
[ul]
[li]White bread[/li][li]Sandwich bread[/li][li]Weird health-nut bread[/li][li]“French bread,” which includes all breads sold in unsliced loaves[/li][/ul]
That said, since you made it very clear to your coworker what you wanted, yeah, he should have gotten it. If I were in his shoes, I’d have made you write it down as soon as you started getting really specific about it.
---
### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/17 "2005-01-02T17:53:04Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#):
>
> Maybe it’s just Australia, but I don’t know of anyone who could not tell the difference. I haven’t even heard of this “wheat bread”.
> Breads either white, wholemeal or whole-grain. What I don’t get is why whole-grain and wholemeal are more expensive? You’re putting less effort into making it, right? I prefer wholemeal or wholegrain as well.
It’s more expensive because the flour and the bread both go bad more quickly than white flour and bread, because in addition to the germ, they still contain many of the oils from the grain. The baker or manufacturer (I shudder to call most store breads “baked”) has to buy smaller batches and keep them refridgerated, or they go rancid on him. Once made, the bread has to be shipped to stores and sold more quickly. These things make it more expensive to produce and distribute.
---
### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/18 "2005-01-02T18:24:58Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#):
>
> Wholemeal = ungrained brown bread
> whole-grain = white or brown grained bread
Uh, thank you for answering. Unfortunately, I can’t extract any additional info from your answer. ☹
“ungrained” – does this mean ‘not made from grain’? As in, no wheat, rice, barley, oats, corn, etc? If so, what is left that is IS made from?
---
### Author:  [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/19 "2005-01-02T18:46:49Z")
> [@jackelope](#):
>
> Breads in my universe are divided into the following:
> [ul]
> [li]White bread[/li][li]Sandwich bread[/li][li]Weird health-nut bread[/li][li]“French bread,” which includes all breads sold in unsliced loaves[/li][/ul]
Ah, Memphis. Land of the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Oh, how I love those. \<\\> I try to be good, but I do have my weaknesses.
---
### Author:  [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589/20 "2005-01-02T23:35:46Z")
‘Grained’ bread – I suspect that’s brown bread with lumpy bits in it. "Ungrained’ bread – I guess that’s brown bread sans lumps which may or may not be whole wheat. Wholemeal flour is whole wheat flour but that doesn’t mean that all brown bread sold here is actually made with whole wheat flour. We’ve got white bread coloured with caramel, masquerading as healthy available here too.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheat-whole-wheat/282589.md?page=2)