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In the late 1970s and early '80s, Carl Winter played for a number of
bands in Davis while attending college. As a member of Harlequin, Bittersweet,
Copperfield and Section 8, he performed at the Antique Bizarre and The Company,
two popular watering holes downtown.
Now, the Antique Bizarre is the Mexican restaurant La Esperanza and
The Company is the site of Cafe California.
As for Winter, he received his Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental
chemistry, and is now the director for FoodSafe program at UCD. In addition
to his research, Winter teaches extension courses at UCD and informs various
constituents about both the risks and benefits of different foods.
But as much as things change, they remain the same.
After a long hiatus, Winter hungered for a return to music-making. Sort
of.
A couple years ago, Winter purchased a synthesizer and began dabbling
in covers (songs written by other bands) with a decidedly culinary twist.
Using his newest toy, he could mimic guitar, keyboard, drum and bass sounds
and compose songs that sound as if an entire band performed them.
Instead of sticking to the lyrics written by the original bands, Winter
transformed the words to suit his own purpose -- a la Weird Al Yankovic.
It began with ``Foodbusters,'' a spoof of the once-popular theme song
``Ghostbusters'' by Ray Parker Jr.
The song poked fun at consumer advocacy groups that seemingly warned
that any and all food is potentially bad for a person's health.
As Winter notes: ``The whole thing mushroomed after that.''
Since then, he has reinvented a number of popular songs to promote food
safety.
``It's a nice merger of an old hobby and my professional activities,''
he said.
Using the Bee Gees song ``Stayin' Alive,'' Winter explains the benefits
of heating burgers beyond a certain temperature to ensure safety:
``Don't want hepatitis or that gastroenteritis/ I'm just stayin' alive,
stayin' alive/ Scrubbin' off my veggies and I'm heating all my burgers up
to 185, 185 ...''
``USDA,'' sung to the tune of ``YMCA,'' praises the government agency
for keeping an eye out for the average person concerned with safety. The
reprise: ``It's fun to work with the USDA/ It's fun to work with the USDA/
They are everything/ an agency can be/ They look out for you and me.''
Other songs include ``Propane,'' sung to the tune of Eric Clapton's
``Cocaine'' and Dire Straits' ``Money for Nothing'' of the same name. (Instead
of asking for MTV, Winter, in falsetto voice, says, ``I want my Ph.D.'')
And how did his colleagues and students react to the unconventional
method of getting his point across?
His assistant in the FoodSafe program, Judy Howard, appreciates Winter's
creativity.
``The fact that he can get hepatitis and gastroenteritis in one sentence
while still keeping to the beat is pretty impressive to me,'' she said.
Ellen Hopmans, a professor of food chemistry who works closely with Winter,
was first exposed to his musical talents at the annual department barbecue
last fall.
`` `Stayin' Alive' -- that cracks me up in a big way,'' Hopmans said.
``I'm trying to teach him dance moves to go with the song, but he's a better
musician than dancer, I'm afraid,'' she joked.
He's also a better musician than singer, Hopmans noted.
``His singing could use a little touch-up here and there, but his lyrics
are the strong point.''
Hopmans said Winter's songs work because, beneath the humor, there is
a grain of truth to his words.
The unorthodox teaching method also appears popular to students who have
heard Winter's rendition. The song are memorable, so people retain the messages,
he said.
``I thought I'd educate in nontraditional ways. Songs resonate,'' Winter
said, matter-of-factly.
Now, Winter's tunes are available on about 50 compact discs that he
has produced. Dubbed ``Stayin' Alive,'' the cover portrays Winter in the
famous John Travolta disco pose. He's holding a hamburger in his hand.
A production of Spare Bedroom Studios in Davis, the subtitle of Winter's
disc is ``A Hearty Helping of Food Follies and Science Serenades.''
The light-hearted attitude blends well with Winter's personal opinion
on food safety.
``The message we often get from the media is that some things are good
for you and some things are bad for you. That seems like a bad approach
to me,'' he said.
``We get so worked up as a society that we fear food and lose sight
of the health benefits of a good diet as well as the enjoyment of food.
As long as one eats in good balance and moderation, it's OK.''
What Winter is really saying is, ``eat it.''
But that's a completely different tune.
Winter said he soon hopes to make some of his songs available on the
FoodSafety Web site at http://foodsafe.ucdavis.edu.
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