[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20500]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      LOW-FAT, LOW-CALORIE CUISINE

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, today at the weekly Thursday Republican 
Lunch group, Lifestyle Advantage from Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 
in collaboration with Dr. Dean Ornish, served a gourmet, low-calorie, 
virtually no-fat, lunch with the following menu: Tuscan Vegetable 
Minestrone, Roasted Vegetable Lasagne, Caesar Salad, Apple-Raisin 
Strudel, Vanilla ala mode with caramel sauce.
  As explained by Ms. Anna Silberman and Ms. Marlene Janco, Executives 
of Lifestyle Advantage/Highmark, the lunch contained approximately 450 
calories compared to about 850 calories with regular ingredients.
  There was real enthusiasm among the 27 Republican Senators who were 
very complimentary about the taste, elegance, and healthy content of 
the cuisine.
  When one senator was being served the apple-raisin strudel with 
vanilla ice cream--actually ice milk--topped by caramel sauce and was 
told it was fat-free and low-calorie, he replied:
  ``Next they'll want to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge.''
  When assured that it was fat-free and low-calorie, he was very much 
impressed. Other senators marveled at the tastiness of the caesar 
salad, especially contrasted to its ordinarily high-caloric content. 
The Tuscan vegetable minestrone had a special quality with roasted 
vegetables. Again, the roasted vegetables in the lasagne made it 
especially tasty.
  The Capitol dining service is now considering adding to the regular 
menu on both the House and Senate sides low-fat, low-calorie tasty 
cuisine as demonstrated by today's lunch.

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