Corn

Corn seed about to be sold to farmers for this year's crop has been contaminated by small amounts of a genetically engineered variety of the grain that prompted massive recalls of food and crops last year, government and industry sources said Wednesday. Seed companies detected the contamination while testing their stocks to make sure the seed was free of the modified corn, known as StarLink, which was approved only for animal consumption because of concerns about its safety for humans.

Dear SOS: Could you please get the recipe for the vegetarian pozole served at the Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo? It is delicious. RICHARD COHEN Los Angeles Dear Richard: Pozole, a wonderfully flavorful Mexican stew, is normally made with pork, but the Big Sky's vegetarian version has a rich chile-infused tomatillo and tomato base. For breakfast, the cafe departs deliciously from tradition and serves it over cornbread with a poached egg on top.

THE best tool for removing kernels from an ear of corn is a good set of teeth -- a technique that's acceptable only for eating, of course. For recipes, there are dedicated tools, but do they do the job any better than a kitchen knife or box grater? We put two to the test. First, the tool you need depends on the dish you're making. For recipes that call for whole kernels, such as salsas, salads and relishes, you need a device that cuts cleanly. Or a knife. For recipes such as chowder, souffles, puddings and creamed corn, you want a gadget that will scrape the kernels from the cob, so that their milk is released.

Thousands of Mexican farmers, some herding cows, flooded into the capital and set a tractor on fire to demand government protection against U.S. farm imports. Final trade barriers to agricultural products in North America were lifted this month under the North American Free Trade Agreement, opening Mexico for the first time to tariff-free U.S. exports of staple foods such as corn and beans. Farmers complain the government is not doing enough to protect them from competition from subsidized U.S. goods.

Whether ensconced in a banana leaf or corn husk; full of pork or sweet corn; the tamale is probably the second-most-canonical foodstuff in L.A. (behind our beloved street-cart taco, naturally). At the L.A. Tamale Throwdown, vendors representing regions across Mexico will ply their wares and win you over with recipes gleaned from generations of abuelitas who surely knew best. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Rose Hills, 4255 Browne Ave. L.A. 3 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. http://latamalethrowdown.

The French study published last week on genetically engineered corn and tumors in rats was, at the very least, not something on which public policy should be based. There were problems with the sample sizes, issues about the types of rats used and questions about why, if the genetically engineered corn was the culprit, rats that ate a lot of the corn did not get as sick as those that ate more moderate amounts. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the study, though, is the effort made by the researchers to ensure that the first wave of coverage of their study would include no criticism of it. As Reuters reported: "In an unusual move, the research group did not allow reporters to seek outside comment on their paper before its publication in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and presentation at a news conference in London.

Re "Food or fuel?" editorial, Feb. 26 It is unfortunate that there are no engineers among our presidential candidates and few among our politicians. The obvious solution to global warming, smog, rising gas prices and our dependence on oil imports from the unstable Middle East is to radically reduce our use of combustion to power our vehicles. Less than 20% of the energy in the gasoline that we pump into our cars actually moves the car. The Automotive XPrize competition, to be kicked off on March 20 at the New York Auto Show, will introduce new, zero-emission technologies.