I'll reply in more detail to all the replies on this subject tonight
or later (have to get to work soon).

   Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 02:27:23 -0400 (EDT)
   From: White Wolf <ranma@tendo-dojo.ranma.net>

   On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Harold Ancell wrote:

   > producing food.  Kill off all the domesticated animals in the US, and
   > we'd be swimming in grain.  Our food would be relatively boring, but
   > plentiful.
   > 
   > There a few details with regards to "essential" amino acids (a
   > handful are rare in plants), but fermentation technology could take
   > care of that handily.

   Wait a second...  are you saying we would drink beer instead of eating
   meat?

For example; less tasty yeast extract is another example.

An interesting anecdote I've heard is about a group of Westerners in a
Japanese POW camp during WWII.  They isolated a bacteria or fungi
(mold) that broke down the starch in rice, and then cultured yeast on
the result.  Each prisoner donated a portion of their rice ration, and
got a portion or the yeast stuff a day.  By the end of the war, the
prisoners were substantially healthier than the guards (rations got
really short as our submarines choked off marine transit).

   Hm....  tough tradeoff.  I think I could live with it.

Heh.  I seem to remember someone telling me that dark beer makes fasts
much more practical.

					- Harold