I've been meaning to watch the film for a while now, but only today did I notice that it's available for instant play on Netflix.
The content isn't new, but it's well done. I hope the concepts reach people who didn't already know that our food has become too corporate, a big business that thinks about profit above the health and welfare of the nation.
I turned off the film and started baking my own bread. But as I was baking, I couldn't help but think back to a family interviewed in the movie. The producers showed a family drive through a fast food restaurant and order $11.75 (change approximate) worth of food for four people, two adults and two children. The premise was that they couldn't afford vegetables, even though they wanted them, and they didn't have time to cook a real meal most nights.
And of course they can't afford to eat the way they want. The food movement isn't just about eating better food, it's about changing your way of life. Sure, some people are already on the band wagon, I'm not the only one cooking my own bread, but if food reform is going to happen, we can't just keep going to the supermarket.
My Thanksgiving turkey cost $75. That's right, WAY, WAY more than the $.48/pound my aunt paid for her turkey from her local supermarket. We both got around a 16 pound bird but her bird cost less than $10. I'd like to think that my bird tasted better, but really, it probably didn't taste that much different.
But I'm not just paying for taste, and organically fed food does usually taste better in my opinion, I'm paying the true cost of my meat and I'm paying for the knowledge that my food was fed healthy ingredients and well respected during it's life on the farm. I can't say the same for mass production.
But what about the family that can't afford more than $12 a meal? They've got a few choices. One would be to not eat meat, shocking, but always an option. They otherwise could decide that it's worth saving up for and make it a feast. But either way it requires a life change and it requires planning ahead. Without change we'll still get fed, maybe life won't change all that much, but we'll still be feeding into a system that's broken, and sooner or later (hopefully much later) a broken food system will bring a broken food supply.
2 comments:
About that $12 a meal: I'm one who likes to complain about how much money it costs to feed the family. But (and this is a biggie), I don't truly have that kind of budget constraint. Truthfully, we buy steak and shrimp, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and other high-end meats for our table, at least a couple of times a week.
But if I did, I could do a whole lot better than fast food for $12. Yes, even veggies. Unless they live in a huge downtown without many grocery options, there are plenty of lower-cost veggies at the grocery store, and plenty of lower-cost grocery stores.
For $12, I could probably buy even pre-packaged, pre-cut frozen stir-fry veggies (for the variety), a chicken breast or two (or thighs! Or even a whole bird and save some for later), and rice (the old-fashioned, half-hour kind, not the boil-in-bag convenience stuff). Probably even throw in a bottle of pre-mixed sauce. And there's dinner for 4, veggies, meat, and starch included.
No, not organic. Yes, some convenince foods. I could do better if I was buying veggies (bell pepper, onion, carrots, celery, peas, broccoli) and sauce ingredients (orange juice, honey, spices, soy sauce) that would be used across multiple dishes.
Or go the easy route: loaf of bread, jar of peanut butter, jar of jelly, and a bag of baby carrots (and probably have $ left over for a 2-liter of soda, for your sugar fix). Really, folks, fast food is not the only option when you're short on cash. Its not even a good option.
I support the organic movement, and do try to buy (and grow) some foods locally. But we also ahve to resist the mass commercialization of foods that make them "conveninet". "Boil-in-bag" rice that makes 2 meals for the same price as a bag of dry rice that would make about 15? Is saving 20 minutes (while the rice just sits and soaks) really worth that much?
I can't agree with you more. Pre-packaged foods are easy to make, but what a waste? But it's the way of life that has to change. If you've never cooked before, which is what I suspect from this crew, you have to devote time to figuring out a better way of life.
Every American I know has peanut butter in the kitchen. They know very well that a PB&J sandwich is way under $12, but it would take time and prior planning to make it work with their schedule. AND, it wouldn't have meat, something that we tend to associate with health, even if it isn't necessary to get meat in every meal.
I went to the grocery store today, but only had a $10 bill with me. I shop in Boston, the most expensive area, and our local store is a Whole Foods. Everywhere else I'd have to take public transportation or drive, exception Foodies which is even more expensive.
I bought:
1 cup bulk Quinoa
3 cups bulk popcorn (I just ran out)
1 package yeast (also just ran out)
1 package Swiss cheese
1 onion
6 Brussels sprouts
I bought these with the understanding that I have already stocked at home:
Peanut butter
Flour
Sugar
Turnips (that's right, the mystery veggie that came with our weekly box)
Spinach
Fruit
Butter/Oil
I intend to make at least 3 meals with this mixture of food. Considering I'm cooking for 2, not 4, that's six times the meal for about the same price (turnips and spinach were $2 each).
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