tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post2604235745857478770..comments2023-09-09T08:27:00.533-07:00Comments on FoodVibe: The Real Cost of FoodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-3389405696152924562008-12-11T11:21:00.000-08:002008-12-11T11:21:00.000-08:00Hi Seth, I have read your blog with interest and a...Hi Seth, <BR/><BR/>I have read your blog with interest and agree with you wholeheartedly about how much is food worth.<BR/><BR/>How much is an animal's life worth? I think we take it for granted.<BR/><BR/>It's sad: food prices are kept down by over production, feed lots, intensive farming; perhaps prices should be increased by under production, or even better, just get it right production.<BR/><BR/>What happens to the hidden waste, the 50% of the lamb, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables that are unsold? Quietly snucked away, we don't want to see all the lambs and chickens slaughtered in the name of capitalism--their only claim to fame the "reduced now" price on them as their use by date came up.<BR/><BR/>There is a sad immorality in this.<BR/><BR/>If you kill it for food you do it respectfully, and you eat it. To kill an animal disrespectfully and then not eat it is...?<BR/><BR/>In Australia our fish stocks are under pressure (thanks to the Japanese) but I know that half of what I see displayed will never be eaten. It's a real shame. I don't know the solution, a little bit of shortage may not hurt though, we've been living in a fool's paradise I feel--the sadness of buying two chicken drumsticks on special, for a measly dollar, and one of them turns out to be broken at the bone, shame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-51556139715084642412008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:002008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:00Hi Danielle, Thanks for your comment. I like your ...Hi Danielle, <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comment. I like your Twinkie analogy. Think about it, though. What's the <I>real</I> cost of a Twinkie? If you count the discomfort to your body, the fatigue, the general ill-health--a Twinkie is quite expensive.Seth Pollinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06759557722849508076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-42912852234299499302008-12-04T11:00:00.000-08:002008-12-04T11:00:00.000-08:00Hi Jen,I never answered your questions about the p...Hi Jen,<BR/><BR/>I never answered your questions about the pears. What did I do with all of them? I brought them to my dad's place in Brigantine and basically shoved them down everyone's mouth for three straight days. I personally ate two per day. Then I went home and made a pear chutney.Seth Pollinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06759557722849508076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-36642138751682129792008-12-04T09:36:00.000-08:002008-12-04T09:36:00.000-08:00Hey Seth,Really great post. I couldn't agree more!...Hey Seth,<BR/>Really great post. I couldn't agree more! <BR/>Our society is not used to paying the true price of food as a result of subsides. I worked at a market as a temp over the holiday where a twenty pound turkey was a mere twenty dollars. It was disappointing on many levels: one, that we have modified and transformed the turkey into a meat-producing-machine so full of dangerous growth promoting hormones...and two, that people EXPECT prices to be low and disregard the true cost of food.<BR/><BR/>I can't help but wonder if the government played a larger role in providing American's with health care, there would be increased support for legislation friendly to the local/organic farmer and less for refined corn etc. products.<BR/><BR/>A Twinkie will most likely cost less than an apple. How did our priorities get so distorted?daniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04219058664606518958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-30042495080114528752008-12-03T00:52:00.000-08:002008-12-03T00:52:00.000-08:00Excellent post, Seth. I read Pollan's article and ...Excellent post, Seth. I read Pollan's article and am glad to hear that Obama did too.<BR/><BR/>It is disheartening to see how such basic societal needs (food, health, education) have become big business in the US. Big food companies have just about as much lobbying power as the big pharmaceuticals, which is a big reason why eating local and organic is so expensive and therefore perceived as elitist.<BR/><BR/>I imagine a smug government official facing his staff of aides who have come to inform him that the people have no real food to eat. 'Well', he responds, 'let them eat McDonald's.'Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022401996874102751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-25421244572563280982008-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:002008-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:00Seth, I really enjoyed this post by you - still lo...Seth, I really enjoyed this post by you - still looking at the different links which are jam packed with information! <BR/><BR/>But yet, I think real food is what's required - and a return towards some level of self-sufficiency.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142455765679163616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-70939693871334386642008-11-24T05:29:00.000-08:002008-11-24T05:29:00.000-08:00Jill: Nice to see you here. I was wondering if you...Jill: <BR/><BR/>Nice to see you here. I was wondering if you would stop by. I know Pollan's writing and ideas are dear to you. <BR/><BR/>Seth:<BR/><BR/>This is a call to action indeed. <BR/><BR/>I recently looked into the kosher grass fed, locally raised, humanely slaughtered meat options in NYC and found them to be almost nil. I figured as much.<BR/><BR/>Then Stephanie from www.youarewhatieat.blogspot.com hooked me up with a great organization run by a friend of ours up here in the Riverdale section of The Bronx: www.mitzvahmeat.com <BR/><BR/>Maya, the person who runs it, is actually a talented pediatric neurologist who focuses on food and diet options as an alternative to medication based treatment. We even took Zev to see her for a while. Good stuff. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately the wait list is really long and she is running into some snags with the slaughter houses she uses so it'll be a while for us to get on the list, if ever.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime I'll be enjoying my factory-farm raised meat, full of filth, antibiotics and hormones galore.<BR/><BR/>I've got a great recipe for avian bird-flu gravy if anyone wants.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01789326770112163847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-52053388117361092872008-11-24T02:51:00.000-08:002008-11-24T02:51:00.000-08:00What did you do with all those pears?What did you do with all those pears?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-52508297865869607312008-11-23T16:55:00.000-08:002008-11-23T16:55:00.000-08:00Wow! I want to learn more about this. I'm intrigue...Wow! I want to learn more about this. I'm intrigued. I want to eat "real food". My mouth is watering.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-28052920092449509182008-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:002008-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:00Hi Jill,The Whole Foods here in Philadelphia offer...Hi Jill,<BR/><BR/>The Whole Foods here in Philadelphia offers organic, free-range chickens from Lancaster, which is a mere 1 1/2 hour drive from Philly. Only thing, Whole Foods first sends the chickens to Massachusetts for "processing." The chickens are then sent all the way back to Philly for sale. Quite a carbon-footprint, for a "local" bird. (Whole Foods doesn't designate the chickens as local, but still.)<BR/><BR/>That said, Whole Foods has its place. The store offers a positive voice for both the local and organic movements. Many small-farmers in the Philly region survive because of Whole Food's generous support of local agriculture.<BR/><BR/>Still. <BR/><BR/>One telling fact: I work at Whole Foods (major disclaimer) and I hardly ever shop there for produce during the late spring, summer, and early autumn months. I always, always prefer local to organic, and we have abundant local produce during these months. <BR/><BR/>Then, winter. And I have to shop at Whole Foods--that is, if I want organic fruits and vegetables.Seth Pollinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06759557722849508076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-69845473349967512302008-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:002008-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:00Pollan's article is quite interesting, and his boo...Pollan's article is quite interesting, and his book, Omnivore's Dilemma is even more so. He delves into why local and sustainable are so important. Organic has become an $11 billion dollar industry. Sure, organic farming is preventing tons of nasty stuff from being put out into the fields/food/our bodies, but many of the large-scale methods are very costly in other ways. Pollan also visits the "free-range" organic poultry farm from which he buys his chicken at Whole Foods. Chickens (and turkeys) are kept indoors for 5-6 weeks so they don't catch an infection. Then two small doors are opened at either end of the huge chicken structures so that the chickens, could, in theory, take a walk on the grass outside for their remaining two weeks of life. Only, they don't. So the free-range chickens we are buying are really just chickens with a choice. And much of the organic food at Whole Foods now comes from the large, industrial organic farms instead of local ones. It's just too expensive for them to deal with 20 small, local farms. And if something is out of season, then Whole Foods has to import it - a huge carbon footprint - to have a wide variety at all times. I am not panning Whole Foods - it has saved me since I cannot eat dairy right now - but it's important to not just blindly assume all that is green is good. Pollan talks about the stories on the labels at Whole Foods and how we want to buy into the stories...Supermarket Pastoralist. He's right. I want a free-range bird...but I am highly unlikely to research if my chicken actually ever took a stroll.<BR/><BR/>I prefer to buy local - even if it's not always organic. Many local growers use organic practices but cannot afford the certification. And many others don't need heavy duty chemicals because their farms are so small they can use better farming techniques.<BR/><BR/>I am also excited by the fact that our president-elect might actually be interested in how this topic affects many others (and yes, surprisingly, after 8 long years, reads!) I don't think most consumers, even those who try to buy organic or shop at Whole Foods or the like, really think beyond the shelf. This is an issue that needs to become as mainstream as buying organic and focus some attention on the outdated USDA policies that has enabled our food economy to be a corn-driven, diesel-fueled industry. Because really, like everything else, it's all just about money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36541745.post-80415530510173337102008-11-20T13:01:00.000-08:002008-11-20T13:01:00.000-08:00Wonderful analysis of Pollan's article, Seth. And ...Wonderful analysis of Pollan's article, Seth. And isn't it amazing that Obama even read it and commented on it? I'm still pinching myself (that is because we have a president who READS!!).<BR/><BR/>You know I am in agreement with you about this. I don't find it elitist or obsessive to think carefully about everything I put in my mouth. I still get made fun of all the time, and that's fine. For me, it's more important to be conscious about my food than to choose to forget what I know out of convenience or feeling judged.<BR/><BR/>The bigger class issue here is availability. There are areas where the choices are so limited (like where Mark lives, for example) and the average family would have a very hard time making the 2 hour trek to the city to stock up on healthy and local foods. It's not only expensive (both in cost of food and gas), but time consuming.<BR/><BR/>You are so right that in a hyper consumer-driven economy like ours (that is currently failing), our purchasing power has more weight than ever. As Wendell Berry said, "eating is an agricultural act" too. Therefore I believe those of us who have access, should be using our spending power to change the agricultural landscape back from Walmarts to farms.<BR/><BR/>You already know what I'm having for Thanksgiving!Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654323733976734078noreply@blogger.com