Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

Gidget · 08-26-2009, 02:43 PM

Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food - TIME

Long extensive article. A must read for anyone who eats - and we all eat - so a must read for all.

Glad to discuss.

G

Susan Horn · 08-26-2009, 05:04 PM

I read it the other day, having just dined with a friend who has an organic farm in Bonifay. www.twinoaksfarm.net Am very glad that this information -- none of which is new -- is finally getting out in major mainstream publications.

The meal we had at Twin Oaks Farm was incredible. Roasted organic pastured chicken, simply prepared. Without exception, the BEST tasting chicken I have ever eaten in my life. Local potatoes, pan fried with charred onions, and a marvelous ratatouille, with banana bread for dessert and the most amazing jasmine iced tea!

I have long read that the meat from animals that are fed, raised and slaughtered well (not toxically and brutally like factory-farmed CAFO critters) tastes so much better. This meal was the strongest evidence I've yet tasted of that! It is expensive, but I would rather have one fantastic chicken dinner like this every now and then than factory farmed CAFO chicken every day.

We're going to the Eat Real food festival with friends this weekend, and while chomping our way through SanFrancisco and Oakland, will get a chance to taste some of Bill Niman's organic pastured goat and turkey meat, barbecued by a dear friend of ours -- Nick Pihakis of Jim 'n' Nick's BBQ. I am so excited I've hardly been able to hit a lick of work all day! www.eatrealfest.com (For anyone who hasn't read the Time article yet, Bill and his wife Nicolette are featured prominently in the story)

passin' thru · 08-26-2009, 05:10 PM

The film mentioned in the article, Food, Inc., is scheduled for exhibit at MountainFilm on Tour at WaterColor in November.

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

FlutterBy · 08-26-2009, 05:12 PM

Thanks for turning attention to this article! I still wonder how many more years it will be before people are truly disgusted with our current food sources and stop buying it?

It's alittle more work, but shopping your local farmers is WELL worth it. I'd sell you some of our grassfed beef from our family farm, but we are down by Ocala...

If anyone is interested in some good reads, I have a book list:

Diet for a New America by John Robbins

Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney (info and recipes for vegan diet)

12 Steps to Raw by Victoria Petrenko

The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno (info and recipes for omnivours)

No one has to up and become a vegan, in fact, I hate those labels "vegan", "vegetarian", etc. But I promise you, you will feel better if you eat organic, unprocessed, and a mostly vegetable/fruit/nut/seed diet. And you will help the planet heal from the decades of factory farming.

elenamaria · 08-27-2009, 06:04 AM

Thanks for sharing the article. Glad to see that this subject is making its way to mainstream media outlets. We're big supporters of local food here in upstate NY, and try to do the same when we're in SoWal during the winter. We live in a very agricultural area, and farm stands abound. We also buy shares of cows from a local beef farmer. We go to the farm and see how they're raised. They are slaughtered as quickly and humanely as possible.

Even though we've found that the farm stand veggies are an incredible value, and the beef is cheap even as compared to WalMart prices, WalMart still rules among the people we know here. I have many friends with small children. They and their spouses both work, and they feel they don't have the time to go to the farm stands or deal with getting 1/2 a cow and freezing the meat. Their available time allows them to go to WalMart and get everything they need in one place. And they feel like they're getting the best price on the food. They might "get" the jist of this article, but practicality and convenience (or their perception of it) still rules their behavior.

Susan Horn · 09-02-2009, 03:40 PM

Anybody here read a book called Conscious Eating? My son's college roommate-- who is doing an independent study about raw diets, nutrition, etc., this semester, and using himself and his diet as part of the subject matter -- recommended it. I have such a book jones, they are taking over the house. Trying to be more judicious in which books I buy, and which ones I order on my Kindle (genius space saving device).

Another one he recommended was Green for Life. Anybody have comments on that one?

Susan Horn · 09-02-2009, 03:53 PM

So the fellow in the photo below was making Bhel Poori, an Indian street food popular in Mumbai. He mixed it up in small batches (gets soggy if not eaten immediately) and explained the ingredients as he mixed and served it, in cones made from Indian newspapers. This was one of the newest most interesting flavor finds for me on the trip, especially thrilling for me as it was vegetarian. (Other delights were basil and almond gelatos, and a pistachio sorbet; incredible pickled veggies; Dungness crab...)

I have spent far too much time today looking for a recipe for this dish, and am now on my way to the grocery to procure the ingredients. Obsessions. May bring this dish to Sep 7 Eat-In using local veggies and herbs.

John R · 09-02-2009, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan Horn

... on my Kindle (genius space saving device).

I just read this this morning: kindle

Susan Horn · 10-12-2009, 01:29 PM

I love my kindle too. Books were taking over my house and office. But doi you know there's not a single novel by William Faulkner available via kindle?

Back to the thread -- issues of meat safety will be on Larry King tonight and thought some sowallers might have an interest....I will be eating pistachio soup with orange-scented olive oil and brown rice-tabouli with tomatoes from the yard. No meat, tonight at least.

AMI President J. Patrick Boyle to Discuss Meat Safety on Larry King Live Tonight

Gidget · 10-12-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan Horn

Anybody here read a book called Conscious Eating? My son's college roommate-- who is doing an independent study about raw diets, nutrition, etc., this semester, and using himself and his diet as part of the subject matter -- recommended it. I have such a book jones, they are taking over the house. Trying to be more judicious in which books I buy, and which ones I order on my Kindle (genius space saving device).

Another one he recommended was Green for Life. Anybody have comments on that one?

Haven't read Conscious Eating but have Green For Life and was an AVID green smoothie gal (twice daily) for quite some time. Lately, I haven't had as many as I don't have my garden (a few collards are coming in now over at the construction site in a pot) and I love to have the green smoothies with fresh picked greens.

In fact, my one and only recipe on this forum is of a green smoothie.

G

Gidget · 10-12-2009, 01:43 PM

Green Smoothie

scooterbug44 · 10-12-2009, 02:02 PM

The Scooterbug family will never be vegetarians, but being particular about what you put in your body is just good common sense.................and not as expensive or time consuming as many people <cough marketing for processed or fast food cough> would like you to think.

Eating local food, food that is in season, growing it yourself or knowing who grew it, and knowing what is being done to your meat or shooting it yourself was just normal where I grew up. That was just how you got good food and because it was actually less expensive in the long run.

And when you had a lot of one thing from a good harvest, hunt, or trip, you shared it with your neighbors - who were always happy to get "treats" that would be quite expensive or impossible to buy retail.

Gidget · 10-12-2009, 02:19 PM

Well said scooter buggie.

30ashopper · 10-12-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

The Scooterbug family will never be vegetarians, but being particular about what you put in your body is just good common sense.................and not as expensive or time consuming as many people <cough marketing for processed or fast food cough> would like you to think.

Eating local food, food that is in season, growing it yourself or knowing who grew it, and knowing what is being done to your meat or shooting it yourself was just normal where I grew up. That was just how you got good food and because it was actually less expensive in the long run.

And when you had a lot of one thing from a good harvest, hunt, or trip, you shared it with your neighbors - who were always happy to get "treats" that would be quite expensive or impossible to buy retail.

Does anyone have any success with this down here? I've been struggling with the though that in order to find a large enough plot to grow a respectable garden, I might have to move out of SoWal. Property is so chopped up down here these days, it's rare you find a lot larger than a half acre.

scooterbug44 · 10-12-2009, 03:51 PM

People are getting quite good production from smaller spaces with a variety of methods - container gardens, gardens on top of compost piles, mini-greenhouses etc.

Chandra or Susan can give you some great tips to maximize production.

I have a major black thumb, so I restrict myself to herbs, salad greens, peppers, potatoes, and experimenting w/ kitchen scraps, but luckily I get home grown veggies like zucchini, squash, beans, oranges, tomatoes from better gardeners.

Gidget · 10-12-2009, 04:19 PM

That's what we will be doing - intensive gardening and focusing on things that are grown in containers. Heck, we already are harvesting some collards and have lettuce planted and the foundation hasn't even been poured.

Scooter - that's still quite an accomplishment - all that you are growing. Good job!!