Sometimes Our Dog Eats Better Than Us, Too.

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jul 21, 2008 3:15PM

It would be so easy for us to poke fun at yesterday's Sun-Times article where web editor Kirsten Miller volunteered herself for a blind taste test between prepared meals from Whole Foods and selections from a gourmet dog food service in Lake County and preferred the dog food two out of three times. It's just enough to say that Miller took one for the team, although she did volunteer Neil Steinberg first. (What? Paige Wiser wasn't available?)

As someone who regularly bakes peanut butter treats for his dog, we found our interest piqued. So we sent Miller an e-mail to get her take on the taste test. Specifically, we asked Miller if she went into the taste test psyching herself into choosing the gourmet dog food. Miller replied, "I was mostly worried that I WOULD pick the dog food. I certainly didn't want to be the person who said she preferred fancy dog food over a fancy grocery's food."

Miller said that she pitched the idea as a way of determining whether someone could tell the difference between Doggie Delivery's noshables and similar products sold for human consumption (Doggie delivery uses base ingredients commonly found in standard food for humans). She did admit to some post-traumatic feelings after the test. "I couldn't get around the thought that I had eaten dog food and I felt sick to my stomach the rest of the afternoon."

Miller credits reporter Stefano Esposito for throwing her off her game by choosing turkey from Whole Foods, which has a different consistency and flavor, to go against the dog food, which was made from ground beef. "Perhaps the nugget of wisdom from all this is that I have a strong preference for beef, not dog food," Miller said. [S-T]