Friday, March 07, 2008

Wish you were here

I'm off work this afternoon. The snow? It's here. Huge flakes and already everything is blanketed white. Am I already snugged in for the day? Well.....

1. I'm in an old, comfortable pair of faded out jeans and a powder blue cotton/cashmere v-neck that's so soft you want underwear made from it.

2. There's coffee on, a spicy, exotic blend from I don't remember where. What I do know is it's hot and black and mui sippable.

3. The new Goldfrapp is playing. Washing over me, rather.

4. The Aveda diffuser has me enveloped in the aromas of Madagascar.

5. I'm reading In Defense of Food, which may not sound terribly relaxing or cozy, but I'm enjoying it. And so far, no cognitive dissonance, because I've been eating from nature all week. Free-range chickens and milk from pastured cows who've never known antibiotics or growth hormones. My farts smell like grass.

So, yeah, I'm probably not going ANYWHERE. Grab your book and come sit with me.

20 comments:

The Other Andrew said...

You know, I nearly bought that book yesterday. But then I thought it might make me feel like a bad, bad person. My farts smell like additives this week.

jason said...

Farts smelling like grass?

Damn, that *is* nice.

The Other Andrew said...

Oh, and I meant to say, when you're done with that sweater can I have it? I want to make underwear out of it.

Michael said...

That's the dissonance I was talking about, Drew. He doesn't lay a guilt trip, but he really details the ethical implications of the way we eat. The book stands alone, but you might read his "The Omnivore's Dilemma" first, to get an idea of where our food really comes from. Oh, and you're welcome to the sweater when I'm done. Shall I hand deliver it?

Jason, I said grass, not weed.

sam said...

the whole thing sounds just dreamy. really. i wonder what a "real" winter would be like.

will the books you've recommended change me forever? 'cause i'm trying to accumulate enough motivation to goveg.

Michael said...

I believe that Pollan is a vegetarian now, and he wasn't when he researched The Omnivore's Dilemma, if that tells you anything. He's not really preaching anything specific, though. I won't go vegetarian, because I need meat, and I don't think I can get all I need from vegetable protein. Still, after reading his books I'll definitely be more considerate of WHERE that meat comes from. Most of the time, anyway.

His nutshell message in In Defense of Food is: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

That's not giving anything away, because that's right on the cover. And by "food" he means REAL FOOD. The kind that nature provides. Unprocessed.

freakgirl said...

You really have to make an effort and have money to find organic/grass-fed/local meat and vegetables, at least where I live. Most times I'm lazy; I'll admit it. Having to drive all over New Jersey to farm stands and Whole Foods is a pain in my ass and kind of feels stupid (all afternoon in the car?).

We do what we can. I just put us on a waiting list to buy a share in a local farm (luckily we DO have Rutgers Univ nearby, which has an agricultural school). If we make the list, we'll be able to get fresh vegetables (late spring to early fall) every week from just a few miles away.

I eat way too much processed food because of the convenience. I am hoping that if we get into this farm share, it will force me to be more creative in my cooking and eating habits.

(she says as she takes a bite of pancake)

Frontier Psychiatrist said...

Although they're the kind of books I can never finish, In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma have great covers.

The Other Andrew said...

I got further interested in a lot of this stuff when I read Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" about 6 months ago. The local foods thing is hard to do, but my two local supermarkets carry a small range of organics (mostly tinned legumes and stuff, but it's a start) and we have a Macro Foods store (half organic pantry items and half cafe). I've started buying organic when I can.

Aside from the ocassional home delivered pizza my diet isn't too bad, although I probably cook too much pasta. I started eating a limited amount of meat, mostly fish, after being veg for a few years. I don't particularly feel any different for it, and when I was veg all my iron etc levels were good.

These days I like to think of meat as the ocassional guest cameo, rather than the star performer.

freakgirl said...

Our local store does carry a decent amount of organic, but the produce in our area sucks for some reason.

Andrew, one can never have too much pasta. ;) I want to start making my own. Maybe I'll do that today. yay, project!

Michael said...

Freakgirl, you do have to make an effort to find organic/grass-fed/local meat and produce. One good thing about this rural area (there has to be ONE good thing) is that there's a great farmer only 7 miles away who raises pastured cattle and chickens. He has a very successful farm store, where he also sells pork and vegetables from other local organic farmers. As you say, it costs more, but Pollan makes a few good points about that. Americans spend a much smaller percentage of our incomes on food than the Europeans, something like 9%, to their 12-14%. That hasn't always been the case. Before factory farming, we spent considerably more. And what's more important, lots of cable channels or what we put in our bodies? OK, scratch that. His other point is that the real COST of cheap, processed food to the land, our environment, and our bodies (health care costs) ends up being much higher. He says that not everyone can afford to eat like that, but he feels everyone who can afford it, should. Whew. Sorry about that. I'm still in the afterglow of the book.

Michael said...

And the co-ops are awesome, FG. I hope you get in. If anyone is interested, here are a few sites to find local growers and co-ops in your area (in the US....sorry TOA)

www.eatwellguide.org
www.eatwild.com
www.localharvest.org

TOA, my diet isn't bad either, but I think I'm going to make some changes. No more meal replacement bars, for one. I stopped those a few weeks ago. Other than those, I've been mostly eating unprocessed for the last few years. Now I think I need to see where my meat and produce are coming from, and, if possible, get them from sources that minimize the impact on the environment, while maximizing their nutritional impact on me. That said, mostly I want to slow down and ENJOY food, rather than looking at it as a means to an end. Now I have to stop eating alone so much, too. Anyone want to go out for a nosh?

FP, the covers are GORGE.

Oh, and Andrew, Pollan recommends animal foods be used just as you do-- a side dish, not the main event.

I hope I can keep this fire under me stoked for a while.

freakgirl said...

I can't believe you would even attempt to make me choose between television and food.

I don't mind spending the extra money for organic. I'm lucky enough to have the means. Really I'm just lazy. ;)

Michael, look up Alice Waters and get one of her books to read. I think you'll find her fascinating. I just wrote an article about her recently, which (hopefully) will be published online sometime soon.

The Other Andrew said...

FG, I have a pasta machine that I got as a special 40th birthday present from a friend who's a chef. And I have yet to use it... My bad. It's kind impossible to make a quantitiy for one person, bu I keep meaning to have a day of pasta making, and then freezing or drying the excess.

The Other Andrew said...

Jebus, typo central.

Michael said...

FG, I will! He talks about Chez Panisse a few times in the books, since she is a pioneer of LOCAL and FRESH. And I'm lazy, too, and cheap, so it's a challenge for me, but I'm really excited about it right now.

Andrew, have you ever made pasta? I have a few times with my friend Paul and it's time consuming. I was gonna say "but worth it", but did I mention that it's REALLY time consuming? We had pasta hanging EVERYWHERE to dry. It was very whole grain good, though.

Speaking of LOCAL, I just bought some TWO OLD HENS eggs, which come from a farm nearby, and they're so beautiful, I don't want to eat them. Green and brown and speckled...like Easter eggs right out of the bird.

freakgirl said...

I got a pasta maker attachment for my KitchenAid and still haven't used it.

I really want to, now.

The Other Andrew said...

Michael you should arrange those eggs artfully in an antique bowl, and then make sure everybody knows you've become Martha Stewart.

Yeah, I've seen the pasta thing being done and I'm aware how much work it is. I still want to do it though, I don't mind doing fiddly stuff like that if I'm in the mood for it. That's why I think doing it some time on a weekend could be fun.

FG, mine's one of those gen-u-ine Eye-talian hand crank jobs. I'd be interested to hear how the Kitchenaid one goes.

Michael said...

Paul and I had the hand crank variety, too.

It IS a fun way to spend an afternoon indoors. I wish WE could do it together. Put some music on...you'd look so cute after I put my floured hands on your face...we'd make out a little......

The Other Andrew said...

Wow, I might meed to go a do a little hand cranking of my own after that comment. :)