[Hugh R]

Its interesting to see how sugar is made. 40 y/o I did inspections for the EPA in Louisiana, they would bring the sugar cane into a nasty dirty plant, shred it, and soak it in boiling water vats and then take the shredded cane called "bagasse" and run it through a few presses to squeeze the residual sugar out of the bagasse.

I remember a one armed guy with his left arm torn off and his left side of his face basically gone with a gallon can of grease tied around his neck and him using a paint brush, with his remaining arm, to coat six foot spinning gears that were unguarded (tells you why he lost his arm and 1/2 his face).

They'd take the crystallized brown sugar (sugar-in-the-raw) and move it across dirt lots with front end loaders and then dump it into barges that were full of cat-sized rats.

Refined sugar (white) has at least been bleached which sort of kills the rat poop and other vermin residue.

I laugh when people say brown sugar is more "natural" or some such nonsense.

That said, I enjoy ice cream and chocolate cake as much as anyone. Ever taste unsweetened coco? It tastes like dirt.