Lewis's dashboard

A comment on the question "Why is there hydrogenated oil in some of your products?" in Trader Joe's:

I can just imagine the deliciousness. In another ten years we'll probably figure out that hydrogenated oil was staving off some disease we didn't know about. – Lewis, on April 06, 2009 08:31

Lewis replied on April 06, 2009 08:17 to the question "Why is there hydrogenated oil in some of your products?" in Trader Joe's:

I think industry often balks at having to disclose real information to consumers when there's any chance doing so will hurt their bottom line, and unfortunately they have a bizarre amount of influence over the agencies that regulate them. While the "food" industry has widely complied with new requirements and consumer demand regarding trans fat, they have also practiced heavily in regulation-shaping and distortion. Suddenly every nasty bit of food with "0 grams trans fat" on the label is healthy and wonderful--consumers, feel free to go back to sleep.

Anyhow, I think I noticed that Trader Joe's eliminated the partially hydrogenated oil from the frozen beef taquitos, and now they taste like crap. You really can't win.

I do feel a certain amount of sympathy for companies that are scrambling to reformulate their products without partially hydrogenated oil while retaining the flavor that made people want them in the first place.

Lewis replied on April 06, 2009 06:58 to the question "Why is there hydrogenated oil in some of your products?" in Trader Joe's:

That's not exactly accurate, Julia. While there are low amounts of trans fat naturally present in some foods, there is no such thing as naturally occurring hydrogenated oil. The word "hydrogenated" implies a process--hydrogenation. Whereas naturally occurring trans fats typically have some beneficial health properties, synthetic trans fats have none, placing them in two different classes entirely.

What's more, when companies state "0 grams trans fat" on the label, it only means that there are less than 0.5 grams per serving. For instance, Benecol Light Spread contains 0.3 grams per serving, which the company refers to as an "insignificant amount." If 0.5 is significant, there's really no way 0.3 is insignificant, especially considering the fact that the recommend daily amount is essentially none--the proposed (but tabled) FDA warning label read: "Intake of trans fat should be as low as possible."

It also isn't uncommon for companies to simply reduce the serving size so that they can claim 0 grams. It's pretty likely that the FDA will be addressing this issue in the near future, as there is rising concern that consumers mistakenly believe that "0 grams trans fat" products are safe or healthy, probably because companies ubiquitously market them as such.

A comment on the problem "Reinstate the price match guarantee" in Amazon.com:

I've been looking for that exact type of service for a while now. Thanks Alex! – Lewis, on December 18, 2008 07:04

Lewis started following the problem "Reinstate the price match guarantee" in Amazon.com.

Lewis asked a question in Amazon.com on December 18, 2008 03:02:

What's with the insufficient packing material?

Oh Amazon, you used to do books so well. Other online retailers shipped books loose in boxes, but you nestled them inside plastic shrinkwrap against a piece of cardboard, ensuring they arrived in good condition. You don't do that so much anymore. Today, for instance, I opened a package to find two books dinged and creased to hell and back by a Bundt pan. If I wanted books in used condition, I'd go to a used bookstore and pay a lot less for them. Please do a better job packing books; after all, they are your bread and butter.

Lewis started a conversation in USPS on September 22, 2008 21:47:

Super-fast customer service!

I was honestly preparing to report a problem (read: rant) when USPS surprised me by responding to my contact form-submitted complaint in 10 minutes, and issuing a refund in 20.

What happened is I used a beat-up flat-rate box I had lying around for non-flat rate shipping, causing it to come back to me marked insufficient postage. I found it really obnoxious that the type of box I used superseded the actual service selected--it's just a box, for crying out loud, not a shipping label replete with meaningful numbers.

However, more pressing was the addressee waiting patiently for the package, so I decided to re-ship straightaway and fight with the post office later.

Nothing is worse than having to put in a lot of effort over a few dollars, so it was a true pleasure to have my issue resolved in a matter of minutes.

Thanks Dwight @ USPS!

A comment on the problem "I love how they just toss the leftover sushi." in Whole Foods Market:

I've visited California. With all the tasty edibles available I probably wouldn't shop Whole Foods as much as I do in southeastern PA. Still, that grilled chicken salad I mentioned is as good as anything I had in San Francisco. There are plenty of duds in their selection, and it can be obnoxious when you land one of them, but I'd be in hell if I had to shop at a traditional grocery store out here. – Lewis, on August 14, 2008 03:30

Lewis replied on August 13, 2008 21:04 to the problem "I love how they just toss the leftover sushi." in Whole Foods Market:

Medium-grade cafeteria food? I've been addicted to a Mediterranean grilled chicken/two kinds of olives/feta/red pepper/red onion salad at WF since the spring. I don't know what kind of delicacies you're used to chowing down on, but Whole Foods has plenty of things to like. In Pennsylvania, 98% of the grocery stores want to sell you ice berg lettuce with shredded carrots and canned vegetables at their bars, and even at more progressive stores like Wegmans they still use hydrogenated oil like it's going out of style. Whole Foods isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than no Whole Foods.

Lewis started a conversation in Whole Foods Market on August 13, 2008 19:33:

I composted my first salad bar container today.

While I'm not completely in love with the new compostable salad bar containers--they don't store some food well for more than a day or so--I think the trade-off is entirely worth it, and I just wanted to commend you for being willing to make it.

Lewis reported a problem in Pownce on August 12, 2008 18:08:

Pownce Desktop 0MB File Size Limit

I primarily use Pownce Desktop/Adobe Air to send files (non-pro). The max file size used to be 10 mb, then jumped to 100 mb, and has been at 0 for the last couple of months. What's up?

Lewis started following the problem "Netflix to break homes by eliminating profiles!" in Netflix.

Lewis replied on June 19, 2008 17:30 to the problem "Netflix to break homes by eliminating profiles!" in Netflix:

Netflix seems to have something against its customers' efficient use of its services.

Because they gave me access to a ton of movies that Blockbuster had no interest in providing, I plan to stick with Netflix through thick and thin, but I'd really like to see an actual reason for the elimination of profiles.

Lewis replied on May 07, 2008 06:29 to the question "365 spring water: a question for people everywhere" in Whole Foods Market:

Cool, thanks! I'm still a little curious about where water from different sources ends up after it's bottled, but a list of them would be great. Either way, I'm happy over here knowing I can get Crystal Geyser at 365-brand prices.

Lewis replied on May 05, 2008 03:42 to the idea "How about donations instead of filler items for free shipping?" in Amazon.com:

I like this idea, but I think many online merchants offer free shipping as a way to encourage shoppers to spend a bit more, like "Hey, we'll give you free shipping if you make it worth our while." If they don't bring in those few extra dollars per order, the cost effectiveness of free shipping might go out the window.

Lewis asked a question in Whole Foods Market on February 08, 2008 05:03:

365 spring water: a question for people everywhere

Recently I noted that 365 spring water is bottled by CG Roxane (which equals Crystal Geyser, a water I happen to like). It appears that Whole Foods uses at least a few different bottlers for the 365 brand, including two CG sources (Benton, TN and Salem, SC) and Wissahickon in Hamburg, PA, which is near me.

I have two different sized bottles in front of me, one from Benton and the other from Salem (both from the same store).

If you happen to be drinking 365 water, tell me where it was bottled (I'm just curious, not greenraged).

Lewis replied on December 20, 2007 05:26 to the problem "Netflix has no way to mail me a mailer" in Netflix:

But I wanted to send mail to my girlfriend for free...

Lewis replied on December 20, 2007 04:21 to the problem "Netflix has no way to mail me a mailer" in Netflix:

I like the "roll your own" mailer PDF idea a lot. I do wonder if there might be some kind of potential for abuse with users printing (and perhaps altering) a postage-paid envelope.

If you had no mailers at all and customer support was unwilling to help you, one solution would be to claim that one of the mailer-less titles was lost in the mail. When they send you a new title with a new mailer you return all but the one you claimed was lost, returning it later in its own mailer so it doesn't raise any flags for your account. Or just return them all at once, because they probably won't notice anyway.

Lewis shared an idea in Netflix on December 19, 2007 17:53:

Netflix should have mood lists

I have about 500 titles in my Netflix queue, and my movie- and TV-watching moods shift regularly, so I often find myself searching through my entire list for something I'm in the mood for, digging up info on titles I've already researched, and generally wasting time. It would be nice if Netflix allowed its users to privately tag and categorize titles. I might tag The Matrix as science fiction and action, or Cowboy Bebop as anime and science fiction. Then I could log into Netflix every couple of weeks, simply change my current mood, and Netflix could ship me titles from one mood list at a time.

Lewis started following the problem "Netflix has no way to mail me a mailer" in Netflix.