At the risk of being accused splitting hairs, my orignial question did not concern the orginin of the phrase "you are what you eat".

The question was rather who coined its isotopic derivative "you are what you eat - plus a few permil".

Speaking of which, I've coined another variation on this theme: "you are what you and and drink, and where you eat and drink - plus/minus a few permil". Y'all think I can claim copyright for that? ;-)


Wolfram


________________________________
From: Stable Isotope Geochemistry [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stewart Walker [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 26 July 2007 01:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ISOGEOCHEM] "you are what you eat - plus a few permil"


The origin of the original phrase relating what you eat to what you are is traced to Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in a website http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/you%20are%20what%20you%20eat.html

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826:

"Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es." [Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are].


The website also contains some other variations.


Most recently the phrase "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are" features at the start of the Iron Chef 'cooking' program which ironically has a reputation for creating outlandish dishes - fish desserts for example.


Stewart



On 25/07/2007, at 4:52 PM, Wolfram Meier-Augenstein wrote:

Dear all,


Many thanks to all who replied to my question on who coined the phrase “you are what you eat – plus a few permil”.

Thank you for confirming in which paper the above was mentioned first and for providing the correct bibliographical reference (see below) thereby reassuring me that my brain is not completely addled (yet).

The phrase was part of the title of a conference presentation by DeNiro and Epstein and for future use (one never knows) here is the reference.


"DeNiro MJ, Epstein S. 1976. You are what you eat (plus a few permil): the carbon isotope cycle in food chains. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 8: 834-835."


Best regards,

Wolfram



At 06:51 07/11/2007 +0100, Dr W Meier-Augenstein wrote:


Dear colleagues,


Who originally coined the phrase "you are what you eat - plus/minus a few
permil"?

I have a notion it may have been DeNiro and Epstein (either in their 1978
paper in Geochim Cosmochin Acta or even earlier in a 1976 conference
abstract) but (a) I can't find my copy of this paper and (b) I still wonder
who of the two holds the copyright as it were.


Many thanks.


Wolfram




*********************************
Dr W Meier-Augenstein
Senior Lecturer

Environmental Forensics & Human Health Lab.
EERC, S.P.A.C.E.
Queen's University Belfast
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Associate Professor Stewart Walker
Degree Coordinator Bachelor of Forensic and Analytical Chemistry
School of Chemistry, Physics and Earth Sciences
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide 5001
South Australia

08 82012406
08 82012905 (Fax)

email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching 2004



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Elementary Spelling              Stewart Walker 2004