I have had some thoughts, milling around in my brain for a while. Being a mother of a demon two-year old I have not had too much time to really think these thoughts through.
Thought one: We eat like crap
Thought two: We need to be more self-sustained
Thought three: I need to say goodbye to Wal Mart for good
Thought four: I wish we could afford a hybrid car
Thought five: People are more important than things
Thought six: I cannot believe that I am thinking these things
All of these have come to a head this week, partly from a nudge from NieNie's glorious vegetarian family, and partly because I finished reading my new book to be passionate about:
Pop Quiz:
Did you know that the majority of corn grown in America is for non-corn-on-the-cob needs? It is mainly grown in America to make chemicals, high-fructose corn syrup, and feed corporate-grown cattle (who do not naturally eat corn). Oh yes, they also feed cattle ground up cattle. And ground up chicken. And not grass.
Did you know that title one of the Farm Bill, currently under consideration in Washington, mainly subsidizes commodity crops (like corn and soybeans) which are NOT generally produced by family farmers, but by big Fortune 500s? So the majority of corn, which is not for feeding America, which is grown on land that is stripped of nutrients because it is not grown in a sustainable fashion, is essentially sponsored by the US government--who wants us to eat "5 a Day" (but not more than 5 because we won't have room for things that contain high-fructose corn syrup) And did you know that our HFCS intake has increased 1000% since 1975? (So in a way, the subsidies really are going to soda pop and Oreos.)
Do you know how much fossil fuel has been used to fill your refrigerator? In mine I have a bag of Pine Nuts. ( I heart pine nuts, by the way. They come from pine trees.) MY bag of Costco Pine Nuts came from CHINA. So in order for me to get a conveniently packaged bag of pine nuts (which grow wild, in New Mexico) I had to have them shipped, on an airplane, boat, and truck, from the other side of the world. So before the next snotty celebrity tries to make you feel bad about driving an SUV, see if they have pine nuts in their refrigerator. Or bananas. Or pineapple. What about watermelon in December? FYI, watermelon is not a winter fruit. Probably shipped from California. On a vehicle that puts more emissions in the air than a SUV.
So we are going to change. Slowly, but surely. I will keep you posted on my findings, but we are going to change. Here are our new goals:
We eat nothing from farther than 250 miles away
We only eat organic, grass-fed meats
We grow as much as we can (I already have two squash poking out of the patch!)
The downsides to this are many (like the fact that IZZE comes from Colorado, which is too far, and bananas come from even farther away) but I think that the benefits of living and eating with integrity will be better. I have already found a ranch nearby that sells grass-fed Angus, and I am going to the farmer's market tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Update: This is crap. I want a Route 44 Limeade with Extra Lime. And I don't care. I am shaving my legs, getting some Sonic, and calling it a day. Screw the earth, screw the cattle, and screw trying to find local produce. If you live in Washington or Northern California, please eat doubly healthy to make up for me.
Did you know that the majority of corn grown in America is for non-corn-on-the-cob needs? It is mainly grown in America to make chemicals, high-fructose corn syrup, and feed corporate-grown cattle (who do not naturally eat corn). Oh yes, they also feed cattle ground up cattle. And ground up chicken. And not grass.
Did you know that title one of the Farm Bill, currently under consideration in Washington, mainly subsidizes commodity crops (like corn and soybeans) which are NOT generally produced by family farmers, but by big Fortune 500s? So the majority of corn, which is not for feeding America, which is grown on land that is stripped of nutrients because it is not grown in a sustainable fashion, is essentially sponsored by the US government--who wants us to eat "5 a Day" (but not more than 5 because we won't have room for things that contain high-fructose corn syrup) And did you know that our HFCS intake has increased 1000% since 1975? (So in a way, the subsidies really are going to soda pop and Oreos.)
Do you know how much fossil fuel has been used to fill your refrigerator? In mine I have a bag of Pine Nuts. ( I heart pine nuts, by the way. They come from pine trees.) MY bag of Costco Pine Nuts came from CHINA. So in order for me to get a conveniently packaged bag of pine nuts (which grow wild, in New Mexico) I had to have them shipped, on an airplane, boat, and truck, from the other side of the world. So before the next snotty celebrity tries to make you feel bad about driving an SUV, see if they have pine nuts in their refrigerator. Or bananas. Or pineapple. What about watermelon in December? FYI, watermelon is not a winter fruit. Probably shipped from California. On a vehicle that puts more emissions in the air than a SUV.
So we are going to change. Slowly, but surely. I will keep you posted on my findings, but we are going to change. Here are our new goals:
We eat nothing from farther than 250 miles away
We only eat organic, grass-fed meats
We grow as much as we can (I already have two squash poking out of the patch!)
The downsides to this are many (like the fact that IZZE comes from Colorado, which is too far, and bananas come from even farther away) but I think that the benefits of living and eating with integrity will be better. I have already found a ranch nearby that sells grass-fed Angus, and I am going to the farmer's market tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Update: This is crap. I want a Route 44 Limeade with Extra Lime. And I don't care. I am shaving my legs, getting some Sonic, and calling it a day. Screw the earth, screw the cattle, and screw trying to find local produce. If you live in Washington or Northern California, please eat doubly healthy to make up for me.
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