> Between herbicides (you know the one)

Are you talking about Roundup? You'll be glad to know that it's not only still legal in the EU, but they're actually looking to extend its authorization for another 10 years. So the difference in pasta is probably coming from something else.

Do they use it as a defoliant? Pre-emergent herbicides have all season to break down. In the US we spray roundup on wheat at the end of the season to make it all harvestable at the same time. That is much closer to the minimums placed on the label, which are most likely wrong.

I don't know, it's not a subject I've followed closely. My comment was based on an article today in Le Figaro (French daily paper) [0] about how the EU proposed to prolong the authorization of glyphosate use for ten more years, since there was no conclusive evidence that it's harmful. However, apparently states still have to deliver authorizations for use themselves, and the EU calls on them to be careful about any harmful effects on "small mammals" and underground water. The article doesn't say anything about when it's allowed to be used. I've checked French Wikipedia which doesn't seem to say this, either.

[0] in French: https://www.lefigaro.fr/social/glyphosate-bruxelles-propose-...

Is there any evidence of this or do we just have social media anecdotes?

Else it just sounds like the Place, Japan meme like when Americans lose weight on vacation in Europe and claim they ate the same food/calories (how?) and also neglect to mention they walked 25000 steps.

Nobody knows what is going on. It’s certainly both. Psychosomatic people and people with real problems. We are just starting to figure out bowel and fatigue problems, and many people have both. Could be allergy, could be antibodies from an infection that accidentally to intentionally looked like elements of food, or the intestinal wall. Could be an exotic form of depression. Nobody knows.

For me I could eat wheat or drink coffee without problems, but both were multiplicatively bad. I chose coffee, but that lasted about six years and it was off the menu too. There is something about Chinese restaurant egg fried rice that just wrecks me. Popular theory is that they use some sort of filler in the eggs. Or something with their brand of soy sauce. Japanese, consumer soy sauce affects me but nowhere near this much. Tamari seems to be fine.