Photo of the Week – 3/18/09 – Maria the Pig
You may recall that in a post a few weeks ago I challenged the concept of a rooster in every kitchen. I just didn’t get the relevance of roosters in most of our lives. In the comments, reader Mike wondered what my preferred livestock might be instead and, without hesitation, I said it would be a pig. Thanks to my honesty I’ve now received this adorable little pig as a gift for my kitchen. In this picture you see her on the hot seat, hoping not to make it into the frying pan or oven. But today she occupies a happy spot on my kitchen windowsill, standing as a much better representative of my cooking and kitchen than a cocky rooster would.
Am I Elitist for Choosing Good Food?
I like good cheese - does this make me an elitist?
This week’s “60 Minutes” program on CBS featured a profile on one of America’s pioneering chefs, Alice Waters. She’s best known for her restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, which specializes in cooking fresh food, grown by local farmers. She has done a lot to increase our awareness of the importance of supporting the small farmer. Since then, she has written numerous cookbooks, and recently she has begun a new project called the “Edible Schoolyard” in a Berkeley middle school. In this project students are taught to grow and cook their own vegetables, and in the process they learn to appreciate fresh produce and whole foods.
If you watch the segment, you take away two messages. The first is that the food Alice Waters cooks is really delicious and special. The second message is the impression that she’s an elitist. Unfortunately, as a spokesperson for the so-called “slow food movement” she doesn’t do nearly as well as she does as a chef and cookbook author. Her manner of speaking is intelligent and very refined. Her style is gentle. Her opinions are strong. And for the typical American that thinks fresh, organic food is a bunch of nonsense, she comes across as an elitist. Even Lesley Stahl, the correspondent on the story, asks leading questions that makes Waters’ style of cooking seem inaccessible to the masses.
During one portion of the segment Waters cooks a breakfast for Stahl in her spectacular kitchen. Of course Waters doesn’t imply that everyone should have a kitchen like she does. However, showing that kitchen adds to the impression of her as an elitist. If you read the comments below the story, you’ll see that many of the show’s viewers despise what they’ve seen, and they don’t feel the message can relate to their lives. Some even go so far as to pick on this 64-year-old woman’s figure, saying that her good food isn’t really good because she isn’t skinny.
Just why is the media is so obsessed with debunking a movement that can only lead to our living healthier lives? Why would they give an example of one food comparison – organic grapes at $4 per pound vs. conventional grapes at $1 per pound – making it seem as though organic food will always cost you 4 times as much, when it simply isn’t true? It’s not just this segment, either. Take, for example, this new “interactive piece” from Woman’s Day. It’s supposed to allow you to compare supposedly “better” food and the cheaper alternative. Except, where do these numbers come from? Take the frozen vs. fresh blueberry comparison, at $5.49 vs. $10.47 for 12 ounces. At my local supermarket, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, I have never paid that much for frozen blueberries. And neither have I paid that much for fresh blueberries in season. Furthermore, there’s nothing wrong with frozen blueberries if you’re using them to cook. As you can see, it’s all relative.
In the end, I believe we need people like Alice Waters who show us the ideal. Then we need that to be supported by the media showing us how we can make that happen in our own lives, not dismissing it as something only attainable by celebrities who we are encouraged to dislike.
A Sad Tale Where Greed is Bad for the Bees and the Trees
Is Our Greed Worth the Price?
Here’s a story about the bees and the trees. It’s just one of many tales relating to our industrial penchant for overdoing things.
Once upon a time bees did their thing, happily buzzing around, pollinating whichever flowers hit their fancy, and making honey. And once upon a time California farmers grew almond trees and sold their almonds to the world. Time went along and the almond farmers became successful. Scientists told us how healthy almonds were for our health and, shucks, they taste good too. Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and protein. We learned that they could be a healthy snack, and we ate more and more of them. California farmers became so successful they now sell 90% of the world’s supply of almonds.
Meantime, those little bees were doing their best to keep those trees pollinated. But the efforts of local bees weren’t enough, so farmers began to rent hives to help out those busy boys. Without the extra troops, trees would produce only 10% of their current yield. So many bees are required, they truck in 20 billion every February.
Those bees need to be plumped up for the work ahead, so they’re fed corn syrup, sugar and pollen substitute, and pesticide is used to keep away the mites. After that their only diet is almond trees instead of the diverse feeding that nature intended. These poor little bees no longer feel very well. Just as corn syrup isn’t particularly good for humans, neither is it good for the bees. Just like we need a diverse diet for maximum health, so do our fuzzy little friends.
Recently scientists have been puzzled and horrified by an epidemic that is killing off 90% of the population in a hive that has been affected, called Colony Collapse Disorder. Although they don’t know for sure, some suspect the poor diet is a possible cause.
There is a sad piece of justice to this tale. This farming practice has become so successful that in recent years there has been a glut of almonds, forcing prices down to half their former high. A true tale of killing the fatted bee.