[Sca-cooks] Cane vs Beet sugar

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Also sprach Philippa Alderton:
>  >      He may not be alone.  A couple of years ago
>>  some bird-watchers I know from a list posted a long,
>>  detailed note about observances they had made with
>>  hummingbirds.  Apparently they can tell the
>>  difference, and will avoid a feeder that has been
>>  filled with beet-sugar solution, but will avidly
>>  feed at the same feeder (in the same location) when
>>  filled with a solution prepared from cane sugar.  I
>>  have no idea why.  I just buy whatever sugar is on
>>  sale (not very often, as I go through it very
>>  slowly).
>
>There is a difference. I can't tell now, but I
>remember when I moved from DC to Oregon as a kid, I
>mentioned that the sugar tasted funny. Turned out that
>I'd been having Cane sugar in DC, and most of it in
>Oregon was beet sugar.
>
>Haven't had a reason to taste test in years- I just
>don't use sugar for much, but I'd be interested in
>comparing once again....

So, what this would seem to boil down to is that our processed, white
sugar is not, in fact, pure sucrose. We can't have it both ways.

Adamantius, whose sensitive palate can detect whether a single H2O
molecule has ever been part of a glass of Pepsi