Things have felt a little dull around here lately. I'd be lying if I said I'm not contemplating quitting blogging. I mean, who doesn't every three months? After a certain point, it's all been said and usually better by someone else. There's some good noise out here, but it's still loud, you know? It's nothing we couldn't live without and replace with too much crafting. But, alas, what would I do with all these thoughts in my head? ("Why do the Duggars have a Johanna and a Joy-Anna? It's the same name!")So I thought I'd get a little controversial to wake my blog up. Let's talk euthanasia. OK, not that controversial, because the more intellectual topics tend to get less comments. I'm not saying you're not smart, I'm just saying ... look, the Duggars!
In light of the Thanksgiving holiday that is upon us, I thought I'd talk a bit about food. Specifically, vegetarianism and organic food.
Will your turkey be free-range or subbed with tofurkey? Mine will be replaced with mashed potatoes, but only because I'm not a huge fan of turkey or meat as starches taste better. It's nothing ethical; it's just that turkey can taste like barf sometimes.
I like fresh and healthy food. I will never eat a Slim Jim. But I'm not particularly particular about where my food comes from, sometimes out of laziness and sometimes out of ignorance, but mostly because I don't have that personality (or budget) that can obsess about my foods' origins. Lots of my friends and family do, and I love them. I'll eat their organic bananas with glee, but it will taste the same as my regular banana, and I won't feel like my life is being extended. I won't feel smarter. I won't feel safer.
I'll even suggest this: lots of people eat or don't eat certain foods to be cool. I mean, Whole Foods makes me feel hip, too. Other people do it because they are paranoid about death, and I'm, like, your tofu patty will not save you in a car crash. The rest are just trying to make a good decision for themselves and their families, and I respect that. In some cases and foods, I even agree. But as a whole, I'm not totally convinced. I've read enough research to know that more people get sick from eating easily spoiled organic food than ingesting pesticides. And I know that there is not a high level of control in labeling organic food.
As for vegetarianism ... just not my thing. I don't eat a lot of meat by taste preference, but I'm not against it as a whole. I think animals should be treated humanely, but I am not of the mindset that animals are the same as humans. I wish. Then maybe the dumb geese around here would fly somewhere for winter.
Reference all the great books you want that will open my eyes about how my food is raised, sprayed and slaughtered, but it probably won't help. First, those books rarely have a love interest. Second, they are boring. Third, I don't have time to read all the books that would open my eyes. Fourth, bug eyes are ugly.
But what about you?
Do you eat meat?
Do you buy organic?
Why?
And why should (or shouldn't) I?
p.s. I'm taking the Turkey weekend off, so try to generate some sort of comment fight if you can to keep yourselves occupied. May I suggest veal?
p.p.s. I am quitting blogging ... on those days when I don't have anything to say. I think quality always trumps quantity, except when it's costume jewelry. Plus, I have a novel to write. Stephenie who?
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31 comments:
I agree with you on the organic/vegetarian stuff (just not the meat. I love meat. Mostly chicken, but I like all kinds.)
I was at a friend's house and she was going on and on about how she only buys organic foods. I was about to puke while silently thinking, "So THAT'S why you are facing foreclosure." (insensitive, I know).
I don't want to eat pesticides any more than the next gal, but I haven't seen anything yet that convinces me that the "organic" label means much or is that much better.
Happy Thanksgiving Mrs. Dub. (And have you heard of the turducken? Anyone? What's it like?)
Happy Turkey Day, Mrs. Dub! :)
While I do enjoy me some turkey, I actually prefer ham :P but I'm also with you... the mashed potatoes are definitely my favorite!
As far as organics go... I totally agree. I hear they're so much better for you but I haven't heard such a strong arguement for them that has actually made me switch over. I'm totally ok with eating the pesticides that I do. Is that bad?! lol.
I am from a (non-organic) farming community, and I'm telling you, those people are super healthy. I have been reading up on organic, and it seems like there's no great consensus. Some people say it's much healthier to go no pesticides, some don't. Mostly, the labeling standards are so lax that you really could be paying twice as much for Kraft.
For my family, the most important thing is to know what's going in our body. I know it can be time consuming, but I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is eat less processed food and more fruits and veggies.
As for the meat - bring it on. I do try to get meat without hormones - the jury in my head is still out on that one. I also like meat that hasn't been frozen, but that's just because I am a Whole Foods snob.
No strong opinions on the meat or organic thing. I eat what I want,that's it. But I do feel strongly about the Johanna/Joy-Anna issue. I think that every time I see that show...it's the same name! Don't those kids get confused enough with all the "J's"?
i'm not trying to generate a fight, but i kind of have hard feelings against vegetarians. everytime robby and i eat an awesome hamburger or steak, he always says something like 'man! vegetarians are idiots!' and i agree. meat is too good to give up and i wish i could live and let live, but there is always a little part of me that thinks vegetarians and vegans are just high-maintenance and want attention (except my cousin who never talks about it with people and doesn't let people put themselves out for her; she's the best).
on a side note:
when i worked at my dad's doctor's office for a year, there was a cartoon stuck on the bulliten board where i worked. it was a picture of a super old guy with his skin hangin off his bones, sitting in a doctor's office. the doctor came into the room and said: "ya know those 20 years you added to your life by exercising and eating healthy? well, this is it."
i don't want to live past 80 if i can help it. that's when i see the value of life diminish exponentially.
I have totally turned into a Whole Foods/organic snob, but that's because where I live, the "regular" grocery stores are just as expensive as WF, so why not? I'm also obsessed with organic milk due to its superior creamy taste and extended fridge life. Try it. You'll never go back.
As for vegetarians, I'm not one (but grew up around them, as did you), but I have no problem with them. Whether vegan, Halal, Kosher, yeast-haters, what have you--I try to respect others' dietary codes because I expect them to do the same for me (i.e., WofW).
I was a vegetarian for 6 years (thanks to the Morris Center)but started eating meat when I got pg with #1. I think I eat more healthful now. I also do "lo-carb" which makes people mad too. And I feel like I eat more healthful now.
I try to eat organic when I can afford it. Especially meat&diary. But even better than that I like growing my own garden and buying local food. I just like knowing where it comes from, I like being as self-reliant as possible and I like to support the little guy.
Why eating/not eating certain foods makes others mad, I don't know. But it does. Honestly, I don't care what anyone else puts in their mouth, unless you're my kid and you just ate a lego.
I don't eat a lot of meat, but it is because meat tends to make me feel sick. I am not sure why, but it does. My hubby grew up in a butcher's home- so we will always be a meat and potato kind of family. As for organic, I don't really know. I mean I buy organic, but I don't specifically seek it out. I go to Trader Joe's because I like the stuff there.
Yes I eat meat. Organic even. Like, shot by my dad who HUNTS and owns several GUNS. Slaughtered by us, for FHE and frozen in our freezer to be eaten all year.
But, now that I am away from home, I just buy the frozen stuff at the store. And no, it's not free range or whatnot.
No I do not buy organic. Like you we have a budget to live by and me and my siblings and our generations for a long time have not eaten ORGANIC and been fine
Of course, I want to have a garden to grow my own veggies so as to be more organic and also to start canning and being more self reliant. But, we have to move out of our apartment for that to happen. I also try to be more hippy in other areas...cloth diapers, extended breastfeeding, co sleeping, homeopathic drugs, etc, etc. But, whatever.
I was a vegetarian for about 13 years because the thought of chewing and swallowing an animal made me sick. (Kind of how the idea of eating a dog makes most people cringe.) It was very inconvenient to have an aversion to an entire food group, so I've willed myself to eat poultry and fish now. I'm sure hamburgers taste really good, but I'm afraid I would puke if I ate one. And that most definitely would NOT taste good.
My hubs is really for animal rights and likes to argue vehmently about it.. whilst eating a steak. I am a vegetarian because I like fruits and veggies. Meat sort of makes me want to puke. It just doesn't taste that great (unless deep-fat fried or breaded). I do eat fish occasionally. And dairy products and eggs.
I think organic is overrated. By local. Wash it. Then you're good. Or grow your own. Then you're really good.
There simply aren't enough checks in place to define organic/free range and make it worthwhile. For instance, watching a show recently that defined free range as opening the cage door for a minimum of 1 hour each day so the turkey (chicken) has the opportunity to go out and wander the range if it wants to do so. It doesn't mean that it did, just that it can. And poof, it's a free-range turkey.
I think we're pretty balanced on our meat consumption. More poultry than meat and not all the time.
For thanksgiving - It's a frozen turkey. Less chance actually of having things grow before it gets home and properly defrosted.
Last note, having had a child with cancer and compared notes with other parents and what their children ate (face it - you try to find a cause) - organic food didn't hurt or help. Neither does non-organic produce with all it's pesticides. There were plenty of parents who had their children eating uber healthy diets and their children still got sick. Completely anecdotal, but there you are.
The only thing I've ever seen a really good argument for is a balanced diet where most of your vitamins and minerals are coming from the food you eat.
i eat meat and don't buy organic. i'm reading a book about it, too, and it's boring me to tears. animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver. don't read it.
p.s. i would like you to bring up a similar HTT re: tap water and bottled water. am i still the only human on the planet who drinks (and likes) tap water? i feel so lonely.
happy turkey day, mrs. dub!
p.p.s. how did i not know about these duggar folks before just wikipedia-ing them? incredible!
p.p.p.s. i do think organic bananas taste much cleaner than regular bananas.
My budget does not allow me to splurge on organic foods. If it's cheaper - sure. But as others have said, the regulations aren't very strict. I do look forward to the day when we are done with apartment life and I can have my own garden.
I love meat and couldn't imagine not being able to eat it. Not that I eat large quantities of meat. I'd say 2 or 3 my dinners a week have no meat in them.
I feel good about what I feed my family because we eat a variety of foods and eat very little processed foods.
I found your blog through Emily - my husband and her husband are friends from BYU and I knew your husband in my Enclave days. So now maybe you feel like you know me or maybe not!
Anyways, in reaction to your post - my husband and I are trying to eat less meat. It's just in line with the Word of Wisdom and it's better for the planet. It takes a lot less space to grow fruits and veggies to feed people than it does to raise meat to feed people.
I enjoy a Whiskey River BBQ Burger from Red Robin when I'm pregnant - but I think I enjoy my black bean burger just as much. Maybe I should invite melmck and her husband over for some, so they can feel some love for the vegetarians of the world!
My opinion is buy local whenever you can and eat less meat!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Joy-Anna? I guess there are only so many girl "J" names. If you're going to have a million kids, you'll need to step outside of the J.
I do buy some organic. But not because I seek it out, because we have a lot of farmers where I live and a lot of access to inexpensive fresh organic produce. Also, we have a lot of fruit trees on our property...bananas, oranges, mangoes, sour sop, guavas, etc. But not all produce is grown here. The other stuff...I just buy what's available in the grocery stores.
I guess I buy pretty healthy fish too. I mean, I live on an island. Whatever is caught that day is what I buy. But I don't buy fish that often...I'd rather eat it at a restaurant. No preparation and just as fresh.
I likes me some meat! Beef, poultry, lamb..whatever. We're having turkey and ham tomorrow! (It's Wednesday where I live.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm way too cheap/lazy to go organic. And I like meat way too much to be a vegetarian. The end.
I was TOTALLY anti-vegetarians & thought they were crazy until I read the book Skinny *itch." aside from the language, it was a surprisingly good book with a lot of truth to it (eat more veggies, less sugar, no processed food, exercise more, etc)... the book really got me thinking. I'm all for eating meat that has lived in clean conditions & been slaughtered humanely & packed up RIGHT away before it starts rotting etc, but you (well: I) really have no idea where the meat in my grocery store comes from.
I went vegetarian last year & felt great. we started eating more veggies, beans, whole grains, etc... & we felt great! but then Thanksgiving & Christmas came around & it just got too hard to be creative & not offend the in-laws etc that I caved & started eating meat again...
we are currently eating meat VERY OCCASIONALLY. (I'm preggers & buying raw meat makes me want to barf, but eating a hamburger always sounds good - dilemma!) so I guess I am a WISH-I-WERE/TRYING-TO-BE-vegetarian. even my meat-eating, elk-hunting, BBQ-loving husband agrees: we all feel so much better eating less/no meat. it's just really hard. this is a meat-eating society!!
as for organic: I buy organic produce when I can. the way it's grown is better for the environment & it's gotta be better for our bodies not to be eating chemicals/pesticides. sure, we all grew up fine eating "regular" produce, but they are using so many more pesticides, etc to get our food growing bigger & faster; that can't be TOO good, right? we joined a local organic farm where we paid for a share of fruits/veggies from the farm & picked them up weekly. it was great! everything tasted SERIOUSLY so much better & we ate more veggies & it was A LOT CHEAPER than buying all that stuff at the store - organic or not. plus it was great to be supporting a local farm!
p.s. I plan on reading the china study soon, which is the biggest study on nutrition/food out there I guess? & see how I feel about meat & such after that.
...anyway! sorry for the novel. happy Turkey/Tofurky Day to everyone!
Please don't stop blogging...I've actually shot iced tea out my nose laughing at some of your posts:) all the while saying, "So true...so true."
Anyway, on the organic thing...I read a book a couple years ago called "Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability" that rocked my world. It's a really quick and easy read, but explains some of the reasons to buy organic. I'm not an extreme environmental type person, but I think as we make good choices for ourselves those choices help the earth at the same time.
Oh, please don't stop blogging! But I'm actually glad you said that so I know I'm not the only one who goes through "cycles" of blogging.
Anyway, organic/non-organic. I think it's also mostly a fad. I think most people shop at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods b/c that's hip. Everyone is on the green train.
I shop at Food Maxx. I buy ground turkey. I buy lots of fruits & vegetables. I buy chicken. I feel it's just as good as what I could get at Whole Foods.
To me, it's kind of like bottled water. You know they fill it up in a faucet, lol.
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hey M-Ware, I just had to tell you that my family drinks tap water. I buy some bottled for storage purposes, and convenience, but on an everyday basis, it's the good old fashioned tap for us.
Right now all I can think about is the pecan pie I have sitting on my counter. I don't seem to care where the food came from when it is laced with butter and sugar.
Ideally, we'd all eat local/organically grown foods. But that would be boring. I like mangoes, and they don't grow here in VA. I buy organic when I can, but don't obsess over it.
That tofurkey looks gross.
Just for my two cents I have to say in our family every meal is a choice. I'm a vegetarian (12yrs- before it was cool), my husband is not, my daughter makes her choice (usually goes with Daddy's food) my son - well when he is old enough he'll make his choice. (Secretly I hope our children decide to go vegetarian- it would be way easier for me). But all in all we try not to be a high maintenance family- just a healthy one. I have to give my husband a lot of credit we respect each other's choices, but he eats vegetarian far more than I think he realizes. He is all for respecting our planet, which in a lot of cases means less meat.
As far as organic- nope, we go local. Although let's be realistic local has to be flexible because bananas and avocados aren't grown in the Chicago area...unless I'm missing something.
When organic became cool- and the regulations on labels were lessened - it pretty much ruined it for me
PS When it comes to our daughter's choices- she has to try it. We are very careful not to say negative things- e.g. Husband can't eeeuwww at Brussel sprouts and I don't gag at meat...
ok, I am going to find out who the "duggars" are....
I do like Whole Foods for their deli/prepared foods, even though I don't buy them. I just like to wander around the deli counter and look at all the AMAZING looking food. I also like their house brand mint flavored mineral water, but I think you can get that at Target now. Now, Trader Joe's, don't get it. What is the hype over TJ's? I've walked in there twice this year, make my way through in like 2 minutes, and walk out without anything, feeling good about it.
You make me laugh Mrs. Dub. You are my current fave.
Who knew when I moved to Japan I'd be moving in amongst a ward full of "really close to being Vegetarians who only eat 10% animal protein daily".
Seriously--I was planning to start a dessert group to make friends and this is what I end up with?!
Anyway, the leader of the healthy pack is actually my now good friend and she gave me the book
"Disease Proof Your Child" --which really is very interesting and paradigm-shifting but still not a novel so it's taking me 4 months to read. It claims that if you modify your family's diet, you can virtually eliminate ADD, Chronic Ear Infections, and other common childhood elements--as well as protect them from Heart disease and cancer in the future. Pretty bold claims, yes?!
It's helped us to eat healthier but I think I'll always stick to the "moderation" plan--because even good health can be taken too far.
P.S. I'd be very interested to hear Mommom's take on this book! (Dr. Joel Furman is the author.) If she's even heard of it, and if so, what she thinks of it.
Dude, I'm waaaaay to smart to answer this. Who are the Duggars? But if I were... I'd say "balance" that is my answer for most fanatical ideas.
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