While I was in Mexico with Midtown, the 25 of us all took turns sharing our story of how God has rescued us and how He continues working in our lives. I had never shared it orally with a group of people before, but it was something that I prayed about and I knew I needed to do it. After all, I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am/was, as it only gives me an opportunity to show how amazing God is and how He has always been there, shaping me to be more like Him. So, here is more or less what I shared with them. I hope as you read that you can get a glimpse of what God has done in my life, and what He can do for you. And yes, it's long. But that's par for the course for me.
So, I grew up with Christian parents who each came from Christian families. My parents both worked in the church, and as such, I was always at church. We went to First Baptist Church in Honea Path, a small town in Upstate South Carolina. As such, we knew everybody, and everybody knew us.
When I was a child, I heard all that I was told about Jesus and sin, and I knew that becoming a Christian was something that I needed to do. I'm not sure if I really, honestly desired it...but I knew I should. I prayed in my bed one night, asking God if I could be a Christian. I repeated that prayer for several nights, making sure God heard me, so that I would be sure to have become a Christian. (Oh, the inner workings of a child's mind. :P For those of y'all who haven't grown up around Christianity, asking multiple times is completely superfluous.)
So, I mean, I guess you could say I've been a Christian since then. I was eight or nine. My father baptized my brother and me on Christmas Day, 1994, when I was nine. But making a public profession of faith and being baptized are only the beginning. Yes, I could have died then and known that I was going to heaven...but I am, in fact, still alive. God's still working on me, shaping me more like Him. So, my story continues.
My biggest struggle (and I know I'm not alone in this) is my pride. I always strive to be the best. I have to at least look good on the outside. No mistakes. People need to know who I am. Growing up a minister's kid in a small town, I had to be perfect. I was top of my class. There was no stumbling for me. (Please note that all of this was my own doing. My parents NEVER pushed me to be like this. It's just always something I've subjected myself to.)
I mean, imagine how devastated I was when I got stopped for speeding coming home from work when I was a senior in high school. I just knew my parents would disown me (even though they had always told me that no matter what, they'd still love me...this brain of mine can be fairly convincing sometimes). I never told my mother, and I only told my father because I needed to see if he thought I should go to court or just pay the ticket. You know how I told him? I left a note in his mailbox for him to find later and call me. (My parents were divorced by this point and he was living in the next town over.)
But no matter how hard I played the part of the perfect little Christian boy, I always had my struggles under the surface. My pride always got in the way of actually admitting to those struggles, though. I was always "fine." Nothing wrong. I hadn't yet discovered the liberating feeling that confession brings. Let me describe a little bit of what was going on in my mind.
I'm pretty sure all that little boys want to do is grow up to be men. Unfortunately, somehow I had convinced myself that the whole idea of being a man was strictly limited to what was on the outside, the physical self. A man was someone who could have a five o'clock shadow, had big pecs, and had a nice tan. Well, if you don't know me, I'm pasty white, I finally shaved my entire face my last day of being a freshman in college, and I have the boniest shoulders ever. I was always the youngest person in my grade, and I was a late bloomer at that. So, I was discouraged when I started seeing body/facial hair on other guys at my high school and compared it to my body.
My observing other guys' bodies led to a curiosity of the male image, and it eventually manifested itself in lust. My mom had gotten a computer for us at home (this was probably about 1998 or 1999...I remember we were one of the first people around to have Windows 98!). I soon discovered pornography. As a slight computer nerd, I knew all the tricks to make sure nobody found out. I'm not sure if I always only looked at the all-male sites, but that turned out to be my addiction. I later discovered masturbation, and before I knew it, I was drowning in a heap of sexual sin.
I fought--alone--throughout high school and college. Remember my overarching battle with pride? There was no way I would've confessed any of this to anyone. I convinced myself that I was alone, that nobody else could possibly be dealing with this. I mean, once I got into college, I heard of other people who maybe had struggled with pornography...but never homosexuality. During this whole time, I knew I still had God with me, but this was just the thorn in my side that I solely dealt with privately...wondering why in the world He 1) put it there and 2) wouldn't take it out.
I started wondering what God's point of view on my whole situation was. I knew from the Bible that confession was good, but I just couldn't bring myself to doing that. I read Every Man's Battle, which was good...but it still dealt with men who were struggling with lust for women. But what about me? Was there hope for me? I was involved in a reality TV message board at the time, and I did bring myself to confess to one of the Christians on there (as it was about as anonymous as it could be)...but his response sent me further into despair, as it basically said, "Whoa...that's pretty bizarre...this sort of stuff could only be cured with some serious prayer and fasting and intense counseling," among other things. Not the loving response I wanted. (And besides, that involved my actually doing something about it. I wanted a pill to take or something.)
This was about the time that more people in popular culture were coming out as gay, and several denominations of Christian churches were deciding that openly gay men could serve in the church. I desperately tried searching the Scriptures to see what was there... Should I give in? Is it okay? Should I still fight though I keep failing? Am I destined for hell because I struggle with this? I would try anything to try and keep myself from failing again, including keeping a written log of when I stumbled in the hopes that that would motivate me to not do things. (I later decided that that was a dumb idea, and so I stopped.)
Growing up in a Christian household and being constantly surrounded by God's truth at church, though, ultimately helped to protect me. In my darkest moments, I somehow never forgot that God was there with me, and that my giving in to homosexuality was not the answer, that God had a better plan for me. I'm sure I prayed many times for God to "make me straight," but just a year or two ago, a dear friend of mine shared in his own story what he had learned...that exchanging homosexual lust for heterosexual lust was in the end still lust. Both are equally sin. My prayers through this whole time should have been that God make me more holy, and that, assuming He had a wife out there for me, He develop in me a holy attraction for her. (I'm not saying that if I had prayed that starting years ago that things would have gotten better, faster...I'm just saying that when my friend told me that, it really stayed with me, and I'm glad God used him to teach it to me.)
Now let's go to 2005. I'm about to work at the a Christian youth camp for the first time. (This is where I met the girl who would eventually become my beautiful bride.) I beautifully painted my application to be a counselor, answering all the questions like they wanted me to and using great Bible verses to back up everything. I just never happened to mention the personal struggles I was dealing with, because I knew that I wouldn't be accepted otherwise...and besides, I told myself, I was doing a good job of keeping my sin to myself, that it wasn't affecting anyone else...so I really didn't need to admit to it. (Ha.)
In the staff training retreat the spring before we worked, we were all sitting around in a circle once, and we agreed to all share some deep, personal struggles. This way, if a kid came up to us during the summer, we would know who to send the kid to so s/he could talk to someone with similar experiences. There I was, in that room full of people I grew up considering "Super Christians" since they were camp counselors. I was now in the same ranks as them. I sat there and listened as these "Super Christians" confessed struggles with porn, drugs, alcohol, and other things. I was floored. "Really?" I thought, "These people actually go through some serious stuff, too?" As the weekend progressed, I found myself *not* judging these people for their baggage. It was one of my first experiences in true Christian community. The thought began formulating in my mind that maybe, just maybe, I could admit to my struggles and that people wouldn't judge me as much as I thought.
So, the first step in solving a problem is admitting that you have a problem, right? I went home after that weekend, and I sent an e-mail to the staff, apologizing for not sharing during that time, but stating that one of the things I most struggled with was admitting what I struggled with (see: my constant battle with pride). Around this time I blogged to my blogging audience (of about seven) that I had been struggling with some things (still keeping things good and vague). From that point, I began feeling a wave of emotion from other people saying "It's okay. We'll still love you. We're praying for you through whatever it is you're going through." It was comforting...but I still knew that I had to come clean.
At some point late in 2005, I decided I had had enough, and that I had to just get it out. As it seems writing is the easiest form of communication for me to express the inner me, I wrote a blog post (which I still have if you're interested) that explained my struggles with porn and homosexuality. I wrote this late at night, praying that it was the right thing to do. I hit "Publish Post" and went to sleep terrified.
The next morning. Open inbox. Expect nasty e-mails full of disgust, hatred, and judgment. ... Find nothing of the sorts. When I got up and found the amount of love that had been shown to me by my friends, I was so relieved. A giant burden off of my back. Finally, the joys of liberation through confession.
And remember my fears of being alone in my struggle? I had always read the verse in 1 Corinthians that no temptation is unique to you, that it's all common to man...but I never believed that until I found out that one of my closest friends at the time was dealing with the *exact* same thing as me. To talk with her and hear her struggles was mutually encouraging I believe. We both realized that, yes, we have junk, but we have each other to help us through it all. My confession also led to some great talks with some of my other really good friends. I recognize that confession might not always turn out quite so pretty, but I thank God for the experiences He allowed me to go through following my coming clean.
I wish that were the end of the story, but confessing doesn't mean the end of the sin. After all, we won't experience total victory until we're with Him in Glory. Yes, I found myself an accountability partner, and we talked for a few months, but that fizzled out. I still succumbed to temptation after this. But at least I had a new perspective.
I had the opportunity to speak in front of my church one Sunday. I based it around the Casting Crowns song "Stained Glass Masquerade," talking about how everyone likes to put a pretty face on at church and pretend nothing's wrong. I talked about how I myself struggled with things and that confession was amazing. My dad said he would come to church that day, which scared the mess out of me because this would mean he would hear that I had been struggling with something. So, I felt it only fair that I send him a copy of the blog I had written, explaining everything. There was no condemning from him upon reading it, only love. And while I know my mom would also show me nothing but love, too, I still have a hard time exposing who I am to my family. In fact, the first time my mom has heard any of this is right before I published this post I'm writing now.
In 2006, when I was filling out my application for a two year overseas missionary program, I didn't hide anything, deciding that was best. I told them my whole story. They had some questions for me, but I answered them honestly. I told myself that I would rather be rejected for being who I was than be accepted for pretending to be who I wasn't.
Some previous experiences had led me to believe that being a missionary for two years was where God was leading me, so when I received the e-mail letting me know that I had not been accepted, it was quite the blow. I guess it was my first real negative experience related to my being honest, and it really shocked me. They said that they felt I needed more time to wrestle with these sin issues, and that after more time, prayer, and counseling, that it might be such that I could reapply. (I've always been afraid of that "counseling" word, because that implies you have a problem...and as a prideful someone who likes to portray a perfect image, counseling meant that image couldn't exist. Still to this day, the only counseling I've had was premarital counseling with my wife.)
I was upset at the organization, and I have to admit that the wound still isn't fully healed. The guy who was my accountability partner also got denied acceptance into the program for some things he was dealing with. I was confused as to why God would lead both him and me to believe that this was where He was leading us, only to slam the door in our faces. But, it's in times like these that we just have to trust that He has thoughts and ways higher than our own.
My struggle with sexual sin continued, it's just I wasn't hiding much. I still needed a focus shift, though. I'll never forget something that our camp pastor, who ultimately preached at our wedding, said during a training for a leadership weekend retreat we were hosting. He asked basically how long we were going to keep the focus on how sinful we are instead of looking to the cross and how holy God is. You see, when the focus is on us and our sin, we're being very self-centered instead of God-centered. So, I stopped trying to get better, and instead began trying to preach the Gospel to myself and to remind myself to focus on the Love expressed on the cross.
By this point, my wife and I had started dating (and broken up and started dating again). We were actually dating during the time that I had the door shut on the missions opportunity, and she was always a very godly support to me during this time. She always knew about my struggles with sexual sin, but she never ran. (She is such an amazing woman of God.) In fact, let me pause for one brief second to tell you something that our pastor said during our wedding. He joked with me, saying that that day, I was marrying way up. (I believe that 100%.) He then went on to explain to us and to everyone there that when Jesus came to rescue us and gave His life on the cross, that He married way down. (I then began to cry (again).) He saw who we were, and despite our baggage, He stretched out His arms and professed His love to us on the cross. As such, we will one day get to share with Him in the Wedding Feast that will never end. (I am eventually going to transcribe his sermon, as I am convinced that's the best sermon I ever heard...and it was at our wedding!) :)
So, anyway, back to Tiffany. We dated and eventually got engaged on November 9, 2009. Though we often talked about Christ, talking about how God has worked in me through my struggles wasn't exactly the top of the list of things I wanted to talk about. I mean, she knew about it, so I didn't figure I needed to bring it up; however, when we started pre-marital counseling, the pastor who was doing it encouraged me to man up to the awkwardness and just air out a lot of the things that needed to be said. So, Tiff and I finally got our hands dirty and fully addressed these sins of mine. It was a very healthy conversation, and it helped us keep in perspective that we were both going into marriage as two sinners who are desperate for God's grace, and that we needed to fight for each other in our pursuit of holiness.
Wrapping up (finally), here I am. Married still. By the grace of God, we do have a beautiful relationship. There are times I have slipped a little, and I wish so hard that all of the temptation would go away, but Satan is relentless. (But God is more powerful.) Struggling with same-sex attraction and being in a heterosexual relationship is definitely challenging, but then again, struggling with anything and being in a heterosexual relationship is also challenging. Heck, just being in a heterosexual relationship is challenging enough! But, I am learning more and more to love myself, to love Tiff, and to love others as Christ has loved and still loves us.
Through it all, I have learned what I misinterpreted as a kid. I have learned what true, biblical masculinity is about. It's nothing about what's on the outside, but it's manning up to God's standard for us in His Word. I've also learned to truly believe David's words in Psalm 139, that though I sometimes have questioned why God made me the way I am, I can now say, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well."
So, that's my story. I hope through it that you not see me at all, but that you rather see an amazing God who works mighty things through sinful creatures such as myself, and that He continues working in me. I'd love to talk with you if you have any questions or comments. I can't say I've enjoyed every step of my journey, but looking back and seeing the beautiful picture God has painted, I can do nothing else but worship Him and cry "Hallelujah."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Related to the Bible
To begin looking at some stuff, I feel an appropriate start is with the Bible, the physical Word of God that we get to read. Christianity puts a lot of emphasis on the Bible and what it says, so we need to be sure that the Bible is historically reliable. What are things that you have issues with? Want to know more about? Have a hard time accepting? Here are some things for me...feel free to add to my list.
-How can we trust the Bible since we don't have any original manuscripts?
-What if the manuscripts that we do have aren't exact copies of the original?
-What if the manuscripts don't match each other?
-Are the authors of each book who they say they are?
-What if the books were written a long time after the events written in it occurred?
-What about events for which the purported author was not around (or alive)? (e.g. Creation, private conversations, etc.)
-What if multiple accounts of the same thing don't align? (e.g. The Gospels, Samuel vs. Chronicles, etc.)
-Did historical events in the Bible actually happen?
-How does the inability of another language to express exactly the original language hinder the message? (e.g. Jesus spoke in Aramaic mostly, but the NT is in Greek, and then we read it in English)
-How did books get selected to be in the Bible?
-To what extent do books not selected to be in the Bible reflect biblical truth?
Obviously, addressing these things isn't going to be the most expedient thing. Feel free to join me in searching. We all need to be searching for truth.
-How can we trust the Bible since we don't have any original manuscripts?
-What if the manuscripts that we do have aren't exact copies of the original?
-What if the manuscripts don't match each other?
-Are the authors of each book who they say they are?
-What if the books were written a long time after the events written in it occurred?
-What about events for which the purported author was not around (or alive)? (e.g. Creation, private conversations, etc.)
-What if multiple accounts of the same thing don't align? (e.g. The Gospels, Samuel vs. Chronicles, etc.)
-Did historical events in the Bible actually happen?
-How does the inability of another language to express exactly the original language hinder the message? (e.g. Jesus spoke in Aramaic mostly, but the NT is in Greek, and then we read it in English)
-How did books get selected to be in the Bible?
-To what extent do books not selected to be in the Bible reflect biblical truth?
Obviously, addressing these things isn't going to be the most expedient thing. Feel free to join me in searching. We all need to be searching for truth.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
"Not Saved By Faith"
Those were the words on a slide during a presentation by the Christian speaker and apologist Josh McDowell during a talk at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics in Charlotte yesterday.
Heretical? If taken out of context, yes. And he said he was scared of people taking it out of context...so please don't do that here. He went on to say that having faith doesn't save you. Jesus saves you. You can't just say "I have faith," because many people have faith. It needs to be faith in Jesus, the Jesus that was prophesied about in the Old Testament, walked the earth 2000 years ago, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day.
But all this faith is rubbish if we don't know about this Jesus in whom we put our faith. After all, we're staking eternity on this. C. S. Lewis once said, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
So, what do we know about Jesus, about the Bible, about God, etc.? I know I've read things before, but I definitely need to review them, look at new things, and critically examine it all to see the veracity of it all. Christians should not gloss over things and just pretend/hope they're true. After all, the Bible never talks about having "blind faith." Child-like faith, yes, but not blind. (I need to think more on the difference between those two. Any insight from you all is appreciated.)
This doesn't mean you have to have a Ph.D. in Apologetics to analyze things or discover things. I definitely don't have that. But what I want to do is take a look at some of the things that are out there, "evidence," if you will. This evidence leads to knowledge and understanding, and once we have that foundation, we know that there is something on which we can place our faith and build our trust. (Taken from Greg Koukl's talk this weekend.)
Josh McDowell said yesterday that God doesn't use faith to create truth, but rather He uses truth to bring about faith. We see this in John 20.30-31 (and in many other places in the Bible), where signs from God (or in this case, Jesus Himself on Earth) were done so that we may know Him and believe in Him.
So, I invite you, whatever you believe, to join me in attempting to find out more about what could possibly be "of infinite importance." I'm sure I'll have bumps along the way, and I definitely welcome questions/comments from anyone. I can't promise to have all the answers, but perhaps answers isn't what it's about anyways. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the artist Grace Hartigan: "I cannot expect even my own art to provide all of the answers – only to hope it keeps asking the right questions."
Heretical? If taken out of context, yes. And he said he was scared of people taking it out of context...so please don't do that here. He went on to say that having faith doesn't save you. Jesus saves you. You can't just say "I have faith," because many people have faith. It needs to be faith in Jesus, the Jesus that was prophesied about in the Old Testament, walked the earth 2000 years ago, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day.
But all this faith is rubbish if we don't know about this Jesus in whom we put our faith. After all, we're staking eternity on this. C. S. Lewis once said, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
So, what do we know about Jesus, about the Bible, about God, etc.? I know I've read things before, but I definitely need to review them, look at new things, and critically examine it all to see the veracity of it all. Christians should not gloss over things and just pretend/hope they're true. After all, the Bible never talks about having "blind faith." Child-like faith, yes, but not blind. (I need to think more on the difference between those two. Any insight from you all is appreciated.)
This doesn't mean you have to have a Ph.D. in Apologetics to analyze things or discover things. I definitely don't have that. But what I want to do is take a look at some of the things that are out there, "evidence," if you will. This evidence leads to knowledge and understanding, and once we have that foundation, we know that there is something on which we can place our faith and build our trust. (Taken from Greg Koukl's talk this weekend.)
Josh McDowell said yesterday that God doesn't use faith to create truth, but rather He uses truth to bring about faith. We see this in John 20.30-31 (and in many other places in the Bible), where signs from God (or in this case, Jesus Himself on Earth) were done so that we may know Him and believe in Him.
So, I invite you, whatever you believe, to join me in attempting to find out more about what could possibly be "of infinite importance." I'm sure I'll have bumps along the way, and I definitely welcome questions/comments from anyone. I can't promise to have all the answers, but perhaps answers isn't what it's about anyways. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the artist Grace Hartigan: "I cannot expect even my own art to provide all of the answers – only to hope it keeps asking the right questions."
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Couponing or Eating Well/Locally/Seasonally? Yes, please!
Ok...so, you probably can browse through the archives on my blog to note that me and couponing used to get along great. I would go to the store and come home with tons of food and personal care items for next to nothing.
Then, you'll notice my posts after that all deal with eating food that is local, organic, seasonal, slow, etc. My attitudes towards personal care and cleaning items have also shifted, too.
I think many people don't like the idea of couponing because they notice that a lot of coupons are for a lot of processed food, or are for household products that contain a lot of chemicals that they may not want in their home.
So, if you prefer fresh food and/or you're mindful of whom you support with your dollars, are you just destined to spend exorbitant amounts of money at the health food stores? Do you have to throw couponing out the window?
Well, here's what I think. I think you can coupon and bring home quality ingredients. You just have to keep in mind a few tricks, and you may have to unlearn a few things.
First, let's deal with produce. Most couponers know that produce is one of the hardest things to coupon, so let's examine if/how you can trim back here and still bring home quality ingredients.
1) Your grocery store is probably NOT the cheapest place to buy produce. Just for comparison, my Publix has one kind of tomatoes *on sale* for $1.69/lb. Normally, they run about $2.39 or so. We have a locally-owned produce market that sources from local farmers, and they also sell other produce from outside the area (pineapples, bananas, lemons, etc.). At this market, tomatoes are *always* $0.99/lb. Also, lemons and limes are only a quarter each, as opposed to somewhere along the lines of $0.50 or $0.66 at Publix.
2) Organic produce will also probably be cheaper at local outlets. I think I saw an organic cucumber at Publix for $1.69 or so the other day. I regularly get organic cucumbers from a local farm at my Saturday all-local farmer's market for $0.50 or $0.75 each. I even scored one week and got organic red peppers for $0.50 each! No coupons required!
3) Grocery stores always have most every vegetable. Some may see this as an advantage, and others may not think so. If you're making a strawberry shortcake in October, you're not going to find strawberries at your local farmer's market, but Publix will have them probably. So, as I said before, you're probably going to pay more for the produce itself, but at least you'll be able to make your dish.
4) Though grocery stores do have most every fruit/vegetable most every day, I guarantee you that fresh produce will taste much better when bought in season from a local farmer. If you can learn how to eat seasonally, eating the mess out of strawberries in April, peaches in August, and apples in November, not only will you be able to pay less for the produce, but you get to enjoy this produce knowing that they picked it when it was ripe. A lot of produce in the store is picked way before it is ripe so that it doesn't go bad by the time they get it out. This means, however, that you have to do without fresh watermelon in February and squash in December (except you don't really, if you plan ahead and can/freeze what you can). But at least what is available at the time is cheap and tastes great. It can take some adjusting, weaning yourself off of certain foods, but in my opinion, it's totally worth it.
So, needless to say, I have for the most part abandoned the produce section at my local Publix and have instead given those dollars to my local farmers. It helps my budget out, I get to enjoy better tasting food, and I get to support local agriculture, which is something that I personally am passionate about. (I just have to give up certain foods at certain times.)
But what about meat and dairy? Those are also notoriously hard to coupon. If you look towards local farmers, though, prices are much higher. Ground beef goes down to $1.99/lb sometimes at my Publix, but the lowest I've ever seen ground beef at my local market is $5.00. Milk at Publix is about $3.19 or $3.39/gallon, and the lowest I've found from local cows is $4.89. Seafood, poultry, and other meats also are cheaper in the store as opposed to local farmers.
While the taste of the two may not be too different, the difference comes from what happens before the products reach the shelves. I know that my local farmers treat their animals well, giving them a humane living environment, and feeding them food they were designed to eat. Essentially, to get a fair price comparison, you need to compare the local farmer's price with Publix's Greenwise (or whatever your supermarket's healthy brand is called) line. There, you will see that what I pay at the local market is very comparable to "the good stuff" at the supermarket.
So, if you eat a majority of fresh produce and meat/dairy, how does couponing fit in? Here's what I do.
1) Learn what foods you do buy at the supermarket that have coupons with them or that go on sale. For me, that includes olive oil, Cascadian Farms organic cereals, Stonyfield organic yogurt (which I use to make my own yogurt), etc. I remember getting Newman's Own fair trade and organic coffee when it was on sale, and I also used a coupon. And though it's not organic or healthy, I also get Blue Bell ice cream when it's on sale...because we all have to treat ourselves sometimes. :) (At least I can pronounce the ingredients.) Though I don't buy them much anymore, you can normally coupon frozen vegetables for really cheap.
2) You will probably have a few extra bucks to spend at the supermarket if you shopped well at the farmer's market.
3) At many supermarkets, you can get overage on certain items, which you can put towards those items you really need (assuming your conscience lets you get that money-making item).
4) At least for me, cat food is always free or close to it. Today was the first time I did this with dry food, but wet food is always free (Whiskas trays, regularly $0.50 each, and there's usually a B1G1 coupon in the newspapers that I use to stock up. The coupon value doubles since my store doubles up to $0.50.). I haven't gone to a healthier alternative for my kitty...I might switch in the future, who knows? (At least she doesn't mind the free food.) :)
5) Also for me, many healthy/organic ingredients actually cost less at the health food store (Earth Fare) than they do at my supermarket (Publix). So, for those items you know you will buy, shop around to make sure you get the best deal.
6) Watch for sales at your local health food store or farmer's market. Earth Fare has great sales, and usually has a weekly item that they give away for free. My local farmer's market also occasionally runs some deals. Just like you learned to do when couponing, when something is on sale...stock up! My local meat guy will sometimes knock a buck off per pound of a certain cut of meat (chicken legs, roast, etc.), so I make sure to get it then and then throw it in the freezer when I get home.
7) Use sites such as Groupon or Living Social to save some more money. Three local produce markets around me have had a deal on one of these sites, so it's a great way for me to save 50% in a place where they rarely have sales.
8) If you have the ability, grow your own food! This is my first time having a garden, and I've gotten some beautiful produce and fresh herbs. Yes, you have to put in labor, but you save on your grocery bill!
9) Also, see if there are any CSAs in your area. That stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is a program whereby you pay a certain amount per week and receive a basket of food from a local farm. These are usually great deals.
Let me briefly address personal care and household items. You can usually get most of these free at the supermarket or drug stores. So, if you're inclined to buy natural alternatives or make your own, though getting them free is sometimes hard to come by, here are a few tips on how to make sure you get the best deals.
1) Most household cleaning can be accomplished using a combination of regular items (usually simply baking soda and vinegar), which can be couponed or gotten very cheaply.
2) If you want to "soup up" your homemade personal care/cleaning items using essential oils, online stores usually have the best price, from what I've found.
3) Tom's of Maine and Seventh Generation products go on sale fairly regularly, and they usually have coupons, too.
In conclusion, eating well and using natural products doesn't have to mean always paying top dollar. While I don't bring home quite as much stuff as I used to do, what I do bring home is top quality, and I don't break the bank in the process. So, shop smart, eat well, and enjoy life!
Then, you'll notice my posts after that all deal with eating food that is local, organic, seasonal, slow, etc. My attitudes towards personal care and cleaning items have also shifted, too.
I think many people don't like the idea of couponing because they notice that a lot of coupons are for a lot of processed food, or are for household products that contain a lot of chemicals that they may not want in their home.
So, if you prefer fresh food and/or you're mindful of whom you support with your dollars, are you just destined to spend exorbitant amounts of money at the health food stores? Do you have to throw couponing out the window?
Well, here's what I think. I think you can coupon and bring home quality ingredients. You just have to keep in mind a few tricks, and you may have to unlearn a few things.
First, let's deal with produce. Most couponers know that produce is one of the hardest things to coupon, so let's examine if/how you can trim back here and still bring home quality ingredients.
1) Your grocery store is probably NOT the cheapest place to buy produce. Just for comparison, my Publix has one kind of tomatoes *on sale* for $1.69/lb. Normally, they run about $2.39 or so. We have a locally-owned produce market that sources from local farmers, and they also sell other produce from outside the area (pineapples, bananas, lemons, etc.). At this market, tomatoes are *always* $0.99/lb. Also, lemons and limes are only a quarter each, as opposed to somewhere along the lines of $0.50 or $0.66 at Publix.
2) Organic produce will also probably be cheaper at local outlets. I think I saw an organic cucumber at Publix for $1.69 or so the other day. I regularly get organic cucumbers from a local farm at my Saturday all-local farmer's market for $0.50 or $0.75 each. I even scored one week and got organic red peppers for $0.50 each! No coupons required!
3) Grocery stores always have most every vegetable. Some may see this as an advantage, and others may not think so. If you're making a strawberry shortcake in October, you're not going to find strawberries at your local farmer's market, but Publix will have them probably. So, as I said before, you're probably going to pay more for the produce itself, but at least you'll be able to make your dish.
4) Though grocery stores do have most every fruit/vegetable most every day, I guarantee you that fresh produce will taste much better when bought in season from a local farmer. If you can learn how to eat seasonally, eating the mess out of strawberries in April, peaches in August, and apples in November, not only will you be able to pay less for the produce, but you get to enjoy this produce knowing that they picked it when it was ripe. A lot of produce in the store is picked way before it is ripe so that it doesn't go bad by the time they get it out. This means, however, that you have to do without fresh watermelon in February and squash in December (except you don't really, if you plan ahead and can/freeze what you can). But at least what is available at the time is cheap and tastes great. It can take some adjusting, weaning yourself off of certain foods, but in my opinion, it's totally worth it.
So, needless to say, I have for the most part abandoned the produce section at my local Publix and have instead given those dollars to my local farmers. It helps my budget out, I get to enjoy better tasting food, and I get to support local agriculture, which is something that I personally am passionate about. (I just have to give up certain foods at certain times.)
But what about meat and dairy? Those are also notoriously hard to coupon. If you look towards local farmers, though, prices are much higher. Ground beef goes down to $1.99/lb sometimes at my Publix, but the lowest I've ever seen ground beef at my local market is $5.00. Milk at Publix is about $3.19 or $3.39/gallon, and the lowest I've found from local cows is $4.89. Seafood, poultry, and other meats also are cheaper in the store as opposed to local farmers.
While the taste of the two may not be too different, the difference comes from what happens before the products reach the shelves. I know that my local farmers treat their animals well, giving them a humane living environment, and feeding them food they were designed to eat. Essentially, to get a fair price comparison, you need to compare the local farmer's price with Publix's Greenwise (or whatever your supermarket's healthy brand is called) line. There, you will see that what I pay at the local market is very comparable to "the good stuff" at the supermarket.
So, if you eat a majority of fresh produce and meat/dairy, how does couponing fit in? Here's what I do.
1) Learn what foods you do buy at the supermarket that have coupons with them or that go on sale. For me, that includes olive oil, Cascadian Farms organic cereals, Stonyfield organic yogurt (which I use to make my own yogurt), etc. I remember getting Newman's Own fair trade and organic coffee when it was on sale, and I also used a coupon. And though it's not organic or healthy, I also get Blue Bell ice cream when it's on sale...because we all have to treat ourselves sometimes. :) (At least I can pronounce the ingredients.) Though I don't buy them much anymore, you can normally coupon frozen vegetables for really cheap.
2) You will probably have a few extra bucks to spend at the supermarket if you shopped well at the farmer's market.
3) At many supermarkets, you can get overage on certain items, which you can put towards those items you really need (assuming your conscience lets you get that money-making item).
4) At least for me, cat food is always free or close to it. Today was the first time I did this with dry food, but wet food is always free (Whiskas trays, regularly $0.50 each, and there's usually a B1G1 coupon in the newspapers that I use to stock up. The coupon value doubles since my store doubles up to $0.50.). I haven't gone to a healthier alternative for my kitty...I might switch in the future, who knows? (At least she doesn't mind the free food.) :)
5) Also for me, many healthy/organic ingredients actually cost less at the health food store (Earth Fare) than they do at my supermarket (Publix). So, for those items you know you will buy, shop around to make sure you get the best deal.
6) Watch for sales at your local health food store or farmer's market. Earth Fare has great sales, and usually has a weekly item that they give away for free. My local farmer's market also occasionally runs some deals. Just like you learned to do when couponing, when something is on sale...stock up! My local meat guy will sometimes knock a buck off per pound of a certain cut of meat (chicken legs, roast, etc.), so I make sure to get it then and then throw it in the freezer when I get home.
7) Use sites such as Groupon or Living Social to save some more money. Three local produce markets around me have had a deal on one of these sites, so it's a great way for me to save 50% in a place where they rarely have sales.
8) If you have the ability, grow your own food! This is my first time having a garden, and I've gotten some beautiful produce and fresh herbs. Yes, you have to put in labor, but you save on your grocery bill!
9) Also, see if there are any CSAs in your area. That stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is a program whereby you pay a certain amount per week and receive a basket of food from a local farm. These are usually great deals.
Let me briefly address personal care and household items. You can usually get most of these free at the supermarket or drug stores. So, if you're inclined to buy natural alternatives or make your own, though getting them free is sometimes hard to come by, here are a few tips on how to make sure you get the best deals.
1) Most household cleaning can be accomplished using a combination of regular items (usually simply baking soda and vinegar), which can be couponed or gotten very cheaply.
2) If you want to "soup up" your homemade personal care/cleaning items using essential oils, online stores usually have the best price, from what I've found.
3) Tom's of Maine and Seventh Generation products go on sale fairly regularly, and they usually have coupons, too.
In conclusion, eating well and using natural products doesn't have to mean always paying top dollar. While I don't bring home quite as much stuff as I used to do, what I do bring home is top quality, and I don't break the bank in the process. So, shop smart, eat well, and enjoy life!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Groaning for Redemption: Thoughts from a Christian Environmentalist/Foodie
(Caveat 1: I don't get to talking about the title until late in the post. That happens some times. You can skip down if you want, as I think it's the best part.)
My wife will confirm that I think about food a LOT. I'm sure she gets tired of having every statement by her followed by my thoughts on how I should plant a second crop of tomatoes, wondering when I would be able to buy organic plums for jam, or trying to argue that lettuce isn't a year-round food. I try to restrain my speech, but so often I hear/see something that makes me think about food. I mean, shouldn't we give heed to what we're choosing to put in our mouths to nourish us?
Ok, so I'm a little obsessive in my head. If you don't agree with that, see my past obsessions of Pokémon, geocaching, and couponing. Inspired by two summers spent in Spain, where they boast in their regional food, over the past year or so, I've read books and watched documentaries about food, subjects such as industrial agriculture and home-grown food. I've also changed a lot of what I eat due to this information and my general concern for personal health. I've continued trying to buy organic food, and increasingly I've become much more of a locavore (eating things that were made in South Carolina). Local + organic = great food...but I'm going to try not to get on much of a soap box, even though that's exactly how we all ate before 50 or 100 years ago.
(Caveat 2: The next four paragraphs are mini soap boxes that are not essential to my overall point, and can be skipped; however, I include them because they're things I'm learning and want to share.)
The more I read or watch about what big industry/government is doing to food, the more infuriated I get. I'm reading now about how we're taking cows, which were designed by God to eat grass, and training them to eat corn. This is not natural, and it causes much disease in the cows, which the feedlot owners overcome by giving them antibiotics among other things.
I've read about how the handful of big industries have so much control over farmers by pushing them to produce more, which requires them to upgrade their equipment, which makes them in debt, which is only overcome by producing more, which is only possible by better equipment, ad infinitum. It's almost a form of slavery...farmers pushed to do things they'd rather not do, but by the time they realize they want out, they're so far in debt that they can't.
I'm becoming more and more sensitive to the link between petroleum and industrial food. Apparently, a cow raised on a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), weaned off of grass and on to corn, effectively requires almost a whole barrel of petroleum when you consider growing and shipping the corn and shipping the cow to the lot. Compare this to the *zero* barrels of oil it would take if the cow were raised in a pasture, where it ate grass that was grown by the sun, rain, and cow manure. Even processed organic foods (like Cascadian Farms granola, of which I have multiple boxes in my pantry) drink the petroleum, as the different ingredients must be shipped first to the factory and then shipped to the store. I believe the statistic is that most food clocks an average of 1500 miles before it reaches our plates.
I also have seen how conventional (i.e. using chemical fertilizers/pesticides) farming is detrimental to the health of the soil, while organic farming practices only enrich the soil and help sustain the possibility of growing a variety of crops in the future.
(The semi-main point of my post begins here. My discussion of the title is still a few paragraphs down.)
And there are so many other things about which I could rant that I've been learning lately. I'm angered by some things, and saddened by others. And when I think about the fact that while I could do my part by buying locally, I can't ignore the fact that millions of others in my country will continue to buy food that is barely food, or is simply a clever reconfiguration of corn molecules. It's easy to become discouraged, so what is the proper perspective as a Christian (because any stance that I take must be weighed against Scripture) when 1) other Christians don't believe like me, and 2) I consider the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of industrial, processed food?
First, God has convicted me about what I eat, where it comes from, and how I "vote" with my money when I buy food. I've always enjoyed nature, but God has used the following Scriptures to back up why it is that I support saving the environment and whatever implications there are in my diet. Psalm 24.1: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Micah 6.8: "[W]hat does the Lord require of you but to do justice..." Genesis 1.15: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Genesis 1.26: "[L]et [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1.31: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Psalm 19.1: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." And then there's all of Psalm 104.
As we see in these Scriptures, the entirety of God's creation is intended to bring Him glory. He created us also to glorify Him, and part of our job is to care for that with which He has entrusted us. He didn't give us the earth to do as we pleased, but rather we need to cultivate it. And in my mind, supporting local farmers who are utilizing best practices in creating food that's good for me and for the planet (both now and in the future) is what is best as I strive to provide justice for farmers and cultivate the "garden" into which God has intentionally put me. 1 Corinthians 7.17: "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."
So, having a penchant towards buying local, organic food is my conviction, but it's not necessarily others'. 1 Corinthians 8.8: "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do." This verse is not about organic vs. conventional or local vs. industrial, but rather foods offered to idols. Even so, it shows us that as far as it is under my control, I should strive to do/eat that of which I have been convicted, but if someone serves me food or eats food themselves that does not fall in line with my convictions, I should not judge them. In the end, it's just food. This is not to say that I shouldn't teach others about why I believe what I believe...as evidenced by this blog...but I just shouldn't/can't judge.
Two more scriptures along these lines: Romans 14.14: "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Romans 14.2,5-6: "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables...One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."
(Here's where the title comes in. Finally.)
Ok, so that's how I stand as far as me vs. other people. But what about me vs. how I perceive industrial agribusiness to be hurting the environment? How do I keep from getting discouraged when, even if I decide in my heart that corn-fed beef is bad, I know that it will take far more than me to change the face of the American diet? Here's where theology/spirituality really kicks in.
I've already mentioned that God created creation to reveal His glory, and we are responsible for taking care of it; however, sin happened. As a result, both man and nature were cursed. Genesis 3.17-18: "And to Adam [God] said...cursed is the ground...thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you..." Not only was the ground's cursing also a curse for man (as he now has to toil for his food), but also sin marred the perfect nature of his role as keeper of the ground. Just as sin keeps me from being a perfect husband in my marriage, so also sin keeps us from appropriately cultivating God's creation.
So, we're currently facing a nation that is training even *fish* to eat corn. Romans 8.18-23 is an amazing passage that speaks on behalf of these fish and the acres and acres of hybrid, GMO corn in Iowa:
Man does cruel things to nature. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes not. Sometimes willingly, sometimes not. Regardless, just as we Christians are (or should be) groaning for redemption, for the time and place where our bodies are made new and sin is no more, so also creation itself...the soil in the corn fields, the cow ankle-deep in its own manure, the chickens who never see the light of day...is groaning for the day that all the injustices done to it are no more. 2 Peter 3.13: "But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
I'm never going to make all the right choices with my food, no matter how hard I try. There's no best way to eat/produce food. What if something's not available locally? What if something's available locally but not organically? What if I legitimately only have time to run through a drive-thru?
And just as I'll never do it perfectly, so other people will always continue to not make the wisest choices. But this is where we just hope in God's promises. He has promised to redeem us. He has promised to redeem His creation. And His Word never fails.
So, this is why I don't beat myself up over food. I try my hardest to do what I think is best, and I won't judge you if you don't share in my convictions. I'll never turn down food if you offer it to me, even if it's not local/organic/from scratch. Even if you do offer me, or if I prepare, the most beautiful plate of food so humanely/environmentally-friendly that has the best taste ever, even that will only be a glimpse of what our future holds when all Christians sit down with Christ at the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
My wife will confirm that I think about food a LOT. I'm sure she gets tired of having every statement by her followed by my thoughts on how I should plant a second crop of tomatoes, wondering when I would be able to buy organic plums for jam, or trying to argue that lettuce isn't a year-round food. I try to restrain my speech, but so often I hear/see something that makes me think about food. I mean, shouldn't we give heed to what we're choosing to put in our mouths to nourish us?
Ok, so I'm a little obsessive in my head. If you don't agree with that, see my past obsessions of Pokémon, geocaching, and couponing. Inspired by two summers spent in Spain, where they boast in their regional food, over the past year or so, I've read books and watched documentaries about food, subjects such as industrial agriculture and home-grown food. I've also changed a lot of what I eat due to this information and my general concern for personal health. I've continued trying to buy organic food, and increasingly I've become much more of a locavore (eating things that were made in South Carolina). Local + organic = great food...but I'm going to try not to get on much of a soap box, even though that's exactly how we all ate before 50 or 100 years ago.
(Caveat 2: The next four paragraphs are mini soap boxes that are not essential to my overall point, and can be skipped; however, I include them because they're things I'm learning and want to share.)
The more I read or watch about what big industry/government is doing to food, the more infuriated I get. I'm reading now about how we're taking cows, which were designed by God to eat grass, and training them to eat corn. This is not natural, and it causes much disease in the cows, which the feedlot owners overcome by giving them antibiotics among other things.
I've read about how the handful of big industries have so much control over farmers by pushing them to produce more, which requires them to upgrade their equipment, which makes them in debt, which is only overcome by producing more, which is only possible by better equipment, ad infinitum. It's almost a form of slavery...farmers pushed to do things they'd rather not do, but by the time they realize they want out, they're so far in debt that they can't.
I'm becoming more and more sensitive to the link between petroleum and industrial food. Apparently, a cow raised on a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), weaned off of grass and on to corn, effectively requires almost a whole barrel of petroleum when you consider growing and shipping the corn and shipping the cow to the lot. Compare this to the *zero* barrels of oil it would take if the cow were raised in a pasture, where it ate grass that was grown by the sun, rain, and cow manure. Even processed organic foods (like Cascadian Farms granola, of which I have multiple boxes in my pantry) drink the petroleum, as the different ingredients must be shipped first to the factory and then shipped to the store. I believe the statistic is that most food clocks an average of 1500 miles before it reaches our plates.
I also have seen how conventional (i.e. using chemical fertilizers/pesticides) farming is detrimental to the health of the soil, while organic farming practices only enrich the soil and help sustain the possibility of growing a variety of crops in the future.
(The semi-main point of my post begins here. My discussion of the title is still a few paragraphs down.)
And there are so many other things about which I could rant that I've been learning lately. I'm angered by some things, and saddened by others. And when I think about the fact that while I could do my part by buying locally, I can't ignore the fact that millions of others in my country will continue to buy food that is barely food, or is simply a clever reconfiguration of corn molecules. It's easy to become discouraged, so what is the proper perspective as a Christian (because any stance that I take must be weighed against Scripture) when 1) other Christians don't believe like me, and 2) I consider the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of industrial, processed food?
First, God has convicted me about what I eat, where it comes from, and how I "vote" with my money when I buy food. I've always enjoyed nature, but God has used the following Scriptures to back up why it is that I support saving the environment and whatever implications there are in my diet. Psalm 24.1: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Micah 6.8: "[W]hat does the Lord require of you but to do justice..." Genesis 1.15: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Genesis 1.26: "[L]et [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1.31: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Psalm 19.1: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." And then there's all of Psalm 104.
As we see in these Scriptures, the entirety of God's creation is intended to bring Him glory. He created us also to glorify Him, and part of our job is to care for that with which He has entrusted us. He didn't give us the earth to do as we pleased, but rather we need to cultivate it. And in my mind, supporting local farmers who are utilizing best practices in creating food that's good for me and for the planet (both now and in the future) is what is best as I strive to provide justice for farmers and cultivate the "garden" into which God has intentionally put me. 1 Corinthians 7.17: "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."
So, having a penchant towards buying local, organic food is my conviction, but it's not necessarily others'. 1 Corinthians 8.8: "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do." This verse is not about organic vs. conventional or local vs. industrial, but rather foods offered to idols. Even so, it shows us that as far as it is under my control, I should strive to do/eat that of which I have been convicted, but if someone serves me food or eats food themselves that does not fall in line with my convictions, I should not judge them. In the end, it's just food. This is not to say that I shouldn't teach others about why I believe what I believe...as evidenced by this blog...but I just shouldn't/can't judge.
Two more scriptures along these lines: Romans 14.14: "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Romans 14.2,5-6: "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables...One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."
(Here's where the title comes in. Finally.)
Ok, so that's how I stand as far as me vs. other people. But what about me vs. how I perceive industrial agribusiness to be hurting the environment? How do I keep from getting discouraged when, even if I decide in my heart that corn-fed beef is bad, I know that it will take far more than me to change the face of the American diet? Here's where theology/spirituality really kicks in.
I've already mentioned that God created creation to reveal His glory, and we are responsible for taking care of it; however, sin happened. As a result, both man and nature were cursed. Genesis 3.17-18: "And to Adam [God] said...cursed is the ground...thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you..." Not only was the ground's cursing also a curse for man (as he now has to toil for his food), but also sin marred the perfect nature of his role as keeper of the ground. Just as sin keeps me from being a perfect husband in my marriage, so also sin keeps us from appropriately cultivating God's creation.
So, we're currently facing a nation that is training even *fish* to eat corn. Romans 8.18-23 is an amazing passage that speaks on behalf of these fish and the acres and acres of hybrid, GMO corn in Iowa:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
Man does cruel things to nature. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes not. Sometimes willingly, sometimes not. Regardless, just as we Christians are (or should be) groaning for redemption, for the time and place where our bodies are made new and sin is no more, so also creation itself...the soil in the corn fields, the cow ankle-deep in its own manure, the chickens who never see the light of day...is groaning for the day that all the injustices done to it are no more. 2 Peter 3.13: "But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
I'm never going to make all the right choices with my food, no matter how hard I try. There's no best way to eat/produce food. What if something's not available locally? What if something's available locally but not organically? What if I legitimately only have time to run through a drive-thru?
And just as I'll never do it perfectly, so other people will always continue to not make the wisest choices. But this is where we just hope in God's promises. He has promised to redeem us. He has promised to redeem His creation. And His Word never fails.
So, this is why I don't beat myself up over food. I try my hardest to do what I think is best, and I won't judge you if you don't share in my convictions. I'll never turn down food if you offer it to me, even if it's not local/organic/from scratch. Even if you do offer me, or if I prepare, the most beautiful plate of food so humanely/environmentally-friendly that has the best taste ever, even that will only be a glimpse of what our future holds when all Christians sit down with Christ at the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Gettin' Dirty!
Who knew this once-couch-potato-slash-computer-nerd had a green thumb hidden on his hand? Being raised in fairly rural South Carolina, gardening is something that has always surrounded me. I loved eating "Pon's corn" (corn out of my grandma's garden). In more recent years, my mom started planting veggies in her backyard. And now, at 25 years old, I'm trying my hand (thumb?) at it. If you read my previous discourse on food, you'll note that becoming a locavore is something that interests me greatly. (Update: I've decided I don't ever need to by meat from the grocery store again. Local, animal-friendly only, please.) So, when the City of Columbia created community gardens--a collection of small, raised plots in some open space in the city--I knew I had to lease me one. I mean...$20 for the year! They put some soil in there, and they have water out there for us to use. Soon, we will hopefully be getting a fence to help deter anyone from taking any of my tomatoes that are just about ripe.
So, as soon as the plots became available in April, I was out in the dirt. I first tilled the soil well and added some mushroom compost. (No chemicals in my garden, please!) I then planted tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, broccoli, and cucumbers. I later added some squash. It was so neat watching the little seedlings that had started out so small turn into larger plants. I mean, God is awesome how He designed plants. We humans must feed ourselves with outside food. Plants are so cool that they get to make their own food out of soil (and its nutrients), water, air, and sunshine.
As my plants grew, I rejoiced at seeing the first few blossoms on my plants. First were the cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. When flowers come, then comes the sexy time! ;) God, in His awesome creativity, designed plants to create fruit after the coming together of the male and female parts of the plants. (Remember that from 10th grade biology?) Sometimes it's just the wind that does it...and (to steal an illustration from Barbara Kingsolver, whom I will you tell you all about in a later blog) sometimes the plants invite a third party in to help them--bees! (A literal part of the birds and the bees?) I was out with my arm deep in one of my tomato plants when I watched a bumblebee come land on the brilliant purple flower of my Ichiban eggplants and then to another. I watched in awe as I may have witnessed the process of creating one of the eggplants that is/was growing on the plant. And this process happens all the time! God is so creative, how He has a purpose for everything great and small!
Now, not everything is fine and dandy in the garden. I started with six squash plants...now I'm down to one, and there's no guarantee for this guy. I was unfortunately lucky enough to get a case of the squash bugs and the squash vine borers. I managed to get one early squash harvested, but the rest is history. Spiritual life application (as my mom says many of her sermons would come from the garden were she a preacher): Watch out for predators! They're everywhere! And sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to squish them! I've had to squish squash bugs, smash vine borer larvae, and mash broccoli-leaf-eating caterpillars between their lunch leaves. But it's all part of the process of growth. You have to kill some things in order to make growth happen. I hated uprooting entire squash plants because of one larva, but it had to be done. Were I to leave it, valuable nutrients from the soil would go towards feeding the pest and a plant that would never yield fruit.
I'll never forget when I showed up and found my first fruit on the vine. It was a cucumber. Then, I noticed an eggplant. My sister-in-law Christy spotted my first tomatoes. I felt like I was becoming a father! (I'm sure the actual process of expecting a child will be infinitely more joyful.) Now, it became my duty to help raise them. I've kept out the weeds. I've fed the soil with some chicken manure, and have even buried some kitchen scraps in the soil, which have now entirely decomposed. I've sprayed some natural substances to help with the insects (different essential oils and Dr. Bronner's soap).
Once the fruits grow, I get the joy of picking them and eating them at home! I'm glad my wife loves cucumbers, because we sure do have a mess of them! I'm glad I like eggplant, because we've had our share of those, too! Peppers are just now getting big enough, I have one red tomato that I'll pick soon, and I have so many other tomatoes on the vine waiting for their chance to shine. Broccoli FINALLY started coming in this week...I may have planted too late...but we'll see. My lettuce is done, and it somehow has managed to survive the heat of Columbia and has reached flowering stage. (What? Lettuce flowers? Yup! I didn't know it either! More to come on lettuce in a future post.) Like I said, my squash is gone, but I have a couple of okra plants, some young watermelon seedlings, and some cilantro coming up.
I've learned a lot just from experience, talking with my mom/grandma, reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and researching the Internet. I've learned about how to harvest, why mulching is important, soil pH levels, how to naturally tend a garden, and a plethora of other things!
I think I'm going to start a series of posts getting people to think about and appreciate their food, instead of mercilessly shoving food in their pie holes in the all-too-short lunch break their employer grants them. Since when did lunch stop being about the food and become about convenience? Slow down, breathe, and appreciate the yummy tomato sandwich. (But only eat that in July or August during tomato season. ;))
So, as soon as the plots became available in April, I was out in the dirt. I first tilled the soil well and added some mushroom compost. (No chemicals in my garden, please!) I then planted tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, broccoli, and cucumbers. I later added some squash. It was so neat watching the little seedlings that had started out so small turn into larger plants. I mean, God is awesome how He designed plants. We humans must feed ourselves with outside food. Plants are so cool that they get to make their own food out of soil (and its nutrients), water, air, and sunshine.
As my plants grew, I rejoiced at seeing the first few blossoms on my plants. First were the cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. When flowers come, then comes the sexy time! ;) God, in His awesome creativity, designed plants to create fruit after the coming together of the male and female parts of the plants. (Remember that from 10th grade biology?) Sometimes it's just the wind that does it...and (to steal an illustration from Barbara Kingsolver, whom I will you tell you all about in a later blog) sometimes the plants invite a third party in to help them--bees! (A literal part of the birds and the bees?) I was out with my arm deep in one of my tomato plants when I watched a bumblebee come land on the brilliant purple flower of my Ichiban eggplants and then to another. I watched in awe as I may have witnessed the process of creating one of the eggplants that is/was growing on the plant. And this process happens all the time! God is so creative, how He has a purpose for everything great and small!
Now, not everything is fine and dandy in the garden. I started with six squash plants...now I'm down to one, and there's no guarantee for this guy. I was unfortunately lucky enough to get a case of the squash bugs and the squash vine borers. I managed to get one early squash harvested, but the rest is history. Spiritual life application (as my mom says many of her sermons would come from the garden were she a preacher): Watch out for predators! They're everywhere! And sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to squish them! I've had to squish squash bugs, smash vine borer larvae, and mash broccoli-leaf-eating caterpillars between their lunch leaves. But it's all part of the process of growth. You have to kill some things in order to make growth happen. I hated uprooting entire squash plants because of one larva, but it had to be done. Were I to leave it, valuable nutrients from the soil would go towards feeding the pest and a plant that would never yield fruit.
I'll never forget when I showed up and found my first fruit on the vine. It was a cucumber. Then, I noticed an eggplant. My sister-in-law Christy spotted my first tomatoes. I felt like I was becoming a father! (I'm sure the actual process of expecting a child will be infinitely more joyful.) Now, it became my duty to help raise them. I've kept out the weeds. I've fed the soil with some chicken manure, and have even buried some kitchen scraps in the soil, which have now entirely decomposed. I've sprayed some natural substances to help with the insects (different essential oils and Dr. Bronner's soap).
Once the fruits grow, I get the joy of picking them and eating them at home! I'm glad my wife loves cucumbers, because we sure do have a mess of them! I'm glad I like eggplant, because we've had our share of those, too! Peppers are just now getting big enough, I have one red tomato that I'll pick soon, and I have so many other tomatoes on the vine waiting for their chance to shine. Broccoli FINALLY started coming in this week...I may have planted too late...but we'll see. My lettuce is done, and it somehow has managed to survive the heat of Columbia and has reached flowering stage. (What? Lettuce flowers? Yup! I didn't know it either! More to come on lettuce in a future post.) Like I said, my squash is gone, but I have a couple of okra plants, some young watermelon seedlings, and some cilantro coming up.
I've learned a lot just from experience, talking with my mom/grandma, reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and researching the Internet. I've learned about how to harvest, why mulching is important, soil pH levels, how to naturally tend a garden, and a plethora of other things!
I think I'm going to start a series of posts getting people to think about and appreciate their food, instead of mercilessly shoving food in their pie holes in the all-too-short lunch break their employer grants them. Since when did lunch stop being about the food and become about convenience? Slow down, breathe, and appreciate the yummy tomato sandwich. (But only eat that in July or August during tomato season. ;))
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Some thoughts on food
And so...if you know me, you probably know that food is important to me. I like to eat good tasting food. I like to eat good quality food. I like to eat weird food. I like to eat exotic food. I like normal food. I'll try anything at least once. I just figured I'd jot down some or all of my food philosophy. :)
On trying everything
I've had the privilege to travel to 15 other countries. I've had intestines in Chile (which I thought was spaghetti). I've had cheese-flavored ice cream in Mexico. I've had octopus (complete with the "suckers") in Spain.
When I go places and I find foods that I can't find here in Columbia, South Carolina, I immediately am drawn to them. Why? Because I can't find it in Columbia, South Carolina! Why would I go to the ice cream stand in Mexico and order vanilla? I mean, how cool is it to be able to say that you've tried cheese-flavored ice cream? As I tell people, it tasted exactly like cheese. Was it absolutely awesome? Nope! But I tried it. Once in Chile, my host mom made me a ham and peanut butter sandwich. Not your everyday combination, but I tried it. (Admittedly, I don't think I finished it.) When I go to restaurants anywhere, I try to make it a point to not ask them to leave anything off. I figure it's there for a reason. I may not think mashed avocado is the best condiment to put on a hamburger, but when in Rome (er, Chile)...
Basically, I'll try anything that anyone fixes me simply for the fact that in that person's culture, it's accepted as being good. If I simply go off of my own opinion of how the dish sounds or looks, then I may not get to experience the joy of trying this new food (or combination of foods). Is it always a joyful experience? Not always, but I can at least say that I tried it, and now I know. But more often than not, I have a pleasant experience and discover new ways of looking at food.
On eating local produce
Let's face it. The world is smaller than ever. One can get from point A to point B (wherever those two points may be) much more quickly than centuries ago. This means that foods can travel that same distance very quickly. You walk into a supermarket nowadays, whatever the season, and you'll always find apples, oranges, strawberries, and blueberries. Nevermind the fact that those four fruits belong to four different growing seasons.
The problem with supermarkets is that Americans love supermarkets. They love them because they provide any food, any time. If we want to do a grape salad in the middle of January, then we know where to go find the ingredients. But where did those grapes come from? Chile. What about the bananas? Honduras.
One thing I've started doing this year is trying to eat more seasonally. I think supermarkets, restaurants, and the frozen food industry have caused Americans to really become out of touch with the food that they eat. I forced myself to think about what South Carolina has to offer. Upon investigation (because I had to investigate as I was that far out of touch!), I found a wealth of knowledge. I learned when blueberries were in season. I learned what veggies grew in the winter. I learned that we have our own rice and tea plantation down near the coast!
Have you ever gone into the supermarket when the bananas were still green? They turn yellow eventually yes, but keep in mind how green/unripe they were upon arrival, then think about their condition when they picked them at the banana plantation in Central America!
This summer, I went to a blueberry farm (Berry Hill Farm) in Lexington, SC. I picked ripe blueberries straight from the bush. I can't tell you how good they were! So sweet! And I got to feel good about the food because I acquired it with my own hands.
I've also started going regularly to local farmer's markets. They bring in the freshest produce from their own farms around the Midlands. Here, you get to talk with the farmers and see where your money is going. You know that they're only going to give you their best. You'll find that farmers markets are often cheaper than in the grocery stores, too!
Many local farmers now have started growing organically as well. Fruits in the supermarkets have been given "medicine" to make the fruits bigger, and they've also waxed many of the fruits to make them "shinier." Bigger and better...that's what they're trying to promote. But through buying local, seasonal fruits and vegetables, you're supporting the local farmer and a better way of doing agriculture, building relationships, reducing your carbon footprint, getting in touch with the way food is supposed to be, and you'll usually save money!
Now, by doing this, you're giving up "fresh" peaches in March and apples in June...but you could also do what I did and make preserves! I have frozen blueberries that I picked to put in pancakes, and I have a jar of peach preserves in my fridge now! (I also did blueberry and blackberry preserves, hot pepper jelly, and apple butter.)
Now, I'm definitely not a complete "locavore." I still buy the occasional banana. And I have some lettuce and tomatoes now in the fridge that I bought at Publix. But it's a process... I'm looking into joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) this summer where I can actually volunteer some hours and help grow my own food and get it fresh once it's ripe!
On meat
I mean, really. Have you seen those trucks filled with chickens going down the interstate? I've read and seen too many stories about inhumane treatments of animals. Cows that aren't allowed to move so that their meat is more tender. Chickens/turkeys whose breasts are so big that their own legs buckle under the weight. Fish that are taught to eat corn because it's less expensive. As is the case with supermarket produce, these producers are nothing but doing "good" business...getting the best product out there that costs them as little as possible. Americans love chicken breasts, so let's forget about the chicken itself and plump that breast up. Here, have some antibiotics. (Food, Inc. attempted to go inside of some chicken coops, but because of all the shady business going on, they were denied entry almost everywhere.)
What ever happened to cows grazing in the pasture? What about chickens eating chicken food and not chemicals? And fish not getting their recommended 3-4 servings of vegetables daily?
I'm trying (trying being the key word) to buy meat from local farms where I know the animals are treated well and are fed well. Again, I will be able to build relationships with the farmer himself, and I know that what I'm getting will be top quality.
The only catch is that locally-produced meat is usually much more expensive than in the store. But it should be. They're using food that the animals normally eat, not the cheap stuff. They need more land for the animals to graze instead of keeping them cooped up. And meat production is much more expensive than vegetable production! (I remember reading something stating that one good way to help the environment is to go vegetarian, as there's much less of a carbon footprint with gardening than with raising cattle.)
The farm from which I frequently buy meat (Wil-Moore Farms out of Lugoff, SC) sells ground beef at $4.75/lb, but that is comparable to the Publix Greenwise meats. I've never bought chicken breasts, though...too expensive at $8.79/lb! But when you're buying responsibly, you learn that such a prime cut of meat like that needs to be expensive!
I've also started buying local dairy products, such as eggs and milk. It's a little more expensive, but again, you know that the cows and chickens are given a good life, it's so much fresher, and it lasts much longer. (For example, I love it when they tell me exactly when the cow was milked...usually no more than three days prior. In supermarkets, it takes a couple of weeks for the milk to hit the shelves. Of course it's going to be cheaper...it's going to go bad soon!)
On treating yourself/not eating locally
So, what happens if a food you want isn't grown here? Does that mean we shouldn't have it? I mean, if we only ate locally, I'd have to give up chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and many spices. I'm not so sure I'm okay with that. But I think because of the highly industrialized nature of food today, we've lost the exotic qualities of certain ingredients, such as those I just mentioned. If saffron were readily available, would paella in Spain still taste just as quintessential? I mean, when I put on my leather jacket, I feel special, because I bought it in Argentina made from cows raised there. It's got that exotic state. But when's the last time you've felt that when measuring out a teaspoon of vanilla extract? (As an aside, there's a girl at the All-Local Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings who brought back with her a ton of vanilla pods from her time working in Tonga. I'm still debating whether or not to get a few as it seems expensive to pay $3 each, but then again, when you consider where it comes from, you understand. It also helps you understand why it's so expensive in stores anyway.) So, I don't see anything wrong with treating yourself with some things, but it's important to be conscious of where things are coming from and how the transportation of that product may be detrimental and/or the production of that product may not be humane/ethical. (i.e. Buy fair trade coffee/cocoa! But I haven't followed that advice, as I have plenty of coffee and chocolate in my cabinet about whose origin I have no idea.)
On vegetarianism
I've considered giving up meat. I could definitely do it. I used to be upset if I lacked meat with any meal, and now, I can go days without having it. You can get protein from other sources. I thought about how God had just told Adam and Eve that the plants were for eating, and it wasn't until Noah that God said meat was okay. And also in thinking that God created us with our cuspid teeth (the canine, pointy ones) to help in our tearing of meat. So, God is okay with it, so I can be, too. But as I said above, meat eating is costly to the wallet and to the earth, so I try to be intentional about choosing vegetarian options whenever possible.
On fake sugars, and any other questionable products
Gross! The minute you start to seriously read labels is the minute you appreciate good, basic foods. I mean, really. Do you want a chemical "food" that is marketed to sweeten your food (but actually tastes like butt)? First of all, Europe didn't have sugar until sometime in the Middle Ages, and during that time, it was viewed as a rarity. And yet we in America today can't live without it. Everything's gotta be sweet nowadays. Our coffee, tea, candy, soda...even our fruit juices have added sugar in them! And yet we wonder why our obesity levels or number of people with diabetes is so high! I think the answer to this is not for people to replace sugar with fake sugar, but just to have real sugar in lesser quantity! (I personally like to use honey as a sweetener whenever possible.) I've recently switched to unsweet tea, which is blasphemy as a Southerner, but now that I've taken the sugar out...I find I can actually taste the tea! Also, I'm keeping stuff out of my body that really shouldn't be there in that quantity.
And the other questionable products mentioned in the title refer to all the "fillers" in our foods. I'm thinking specifically now about peanut butter. The kind I buy has an ingredients list of peanuts and salt. Take a look at yours. My favorite is the reduced fat variety of peanut butter. I mean, really. How are you going to take the fat out of a peanut? This isn't bacon where you can just use a knife to cut around it. The trick is they use less peanuts and put in other ingredients to fill up the jar. The next few ingredients are corn syrup solids, sugar, and soy protein, followed by a host of chemicals and other oils. There may be 1/4 of the fat, but there's four times the sugar...not to mention the chemicals, and what the heck is soy protein or a corn syrup solid? (Peanut butter, jelly, and corn sandwich?) How about using regular peanut butter, but using less of it? If you want it sweeter, add some honey. (But why take it sweeter when you're just going to put jelly on the sandwich, too?)
On eating out
On the upside, you don't have to cook or clean up, or have time to do either of the former. On the downside, it's much more expensive than the food you can prepare in the house, and you have no idea what goes into your food! Sketchy hamburger patties at McDonald's. Questionable chicken parts in the nuggets at Wendy's. And what about hot dogs? :P Ok, admittedly I like hot dogs, don't mind the taste of nuggets, and I love a good burger...but the moment I sit down to think about where my food comes from, I want to not eat anymore and go home and cook.
On cooking
I love to cook! I love knowing where my food came from, as well as exactly what comes in it. Whenever possible, I start with the raw, basic ingredient (i.e. no frozen pie crusts, Bisquick, or jarred salsa). By doing this, you get rid of any chemicals/preservatives, and you can learn a little more about what biscuits, pies, salsas, etc. are actually made of if you're making them yourself. Now, I say all of this now with no kids and a job where I'm home by 4:00 and am off in the summers, and I know that I'm sure I'll cut corners here and there. (I already do, using graham crackers in my cheesecake crust. Hey, they cut corners occasionally on Top Chef, but they get scolded for it.)
I love having a relationship with my food. I love making it my own. I love enjoying it. I love discovering new things about food. My wife will confirm that I am a food elitist. But I want to know what's wrong with wanting to know 1) what's in my food/going into my body, 2) where that product came from, and 3) how that product came about?
I've learned a lot about why food is priced as it is. I've learned that while loaves of freshly-baked bread may seem expensive to buy considering how cheap the ingredients are, you realize as you've got your fingers in your own dough that producing high quality food takes time and effort. And I've learned that cheese is so expensive because it takes so much milk and time to make! Basically, if you want good food, you'll pay for it monetarily or with time, labor, and/or effort.
But if I've only got one body, I want to make sure I take good care of it. And yes, I'll die just like the guy that eats McDonald's every day, but I know I did what I could to care for the things with which God has entrusted me--myself, other people, and the earth.
On trying everything
I've had the privilege to travel to 15 other countries. I've had intestines in Chile (which I thought was spaghetti). I've had cheese-flavored ice cream in Mexico. I've had octopus (complete with the "suckers") in Spain.
When I go places and I find foods that I can't find here in Columbia, South Carolina, I immediately am drawn to them. Why? Because I can't find it in Columbia, South Carolina! Why would I go to the ice cream stand in Mexico and order vanilla? I mean, how cool is it to be able to say that you've tried cheese-flavored ice cream? As I tell people, it tasted exactly like cheese. Was it absolutely awesome? Nope! But I tried it. Once in Chile, my host mom made me a ham and peanut butter sandwich. Not your everyday combination, but I tried it. (Admittedly, I don't think I finished it.) When I go to restaurants anywhere, I try to make it a point to not ask them to leave anything off. I figure it's there for a reason. I may not think mashed avocado is the best condiment to put on a hamburger, but when in Rome (er, Chile)...
Basically, I'll try anything that anyone fixes me simply for the fact that in that person's culture, it's accepted as being good. If I simply go off of my own opinion of how the dish sounds or looks, then I may not get to experience the joy of trying this new food (or combination of foods). Is it always a joyful experience? Not always, but I can at least say that I tried it, and now I know. But more often than not, I have a pleasant experience and discover new ways of looking at food.
On eating local produce
Let's face it. The world is smaller than ever. One can get from point A to point B (wherever those two points may be) much more quickly than centuries ago. This means that foods can travel that same distance very quickly. You walk into a supermarket nowadays, whatever the season, and you'll always find apples, oranges, strawberries, and blueberries. Nevermind the fact that those four fruits belong to four different growing seasons.
The problem with supermarkets is that Americans love supermarkets. They love them because they provide any food, any time. If we want to do a grape salad in the middle of January, then we know where to go find the ingredients. But where did those grapes come from? Chile. What about the bananas? Honduras.
One thing I've started doing this year is trying to eat more seasonally. I think supermarkets, restaurants, and the frozen food industry have caused Americans to really become out of touch with the food that they eat. I forced myself to think about what South Carolina has to offer. Upon investigation (because I had to investigate as I was that far out of touch!), I found a wealth of knowledge. I learned when blueberries were in season. I learned what veggies grew in the winter. I learned that we have our own rice and tea plantation down near the coast!
Have you ever gone into the supermarket when the bananas were still green? They turn yellow eventually yes, but keep in mind how green/unripe they were upon arrival, then think about their condition when they picked them at the banana plantation in Central America!
This summer, I went to a blueberry farm (Berry Hill Farm) in Lexington, SC. I picked ripe blueberries straight from the bush. I can't tell you how good they were! So sweet! And I got to feel good about the food because I acquired it with my own hands.
I've also started going regularly to local farmer's markets. They bring in the freshest produce from their own farms around the Midlands. Here, you get to talk with the farmers and see where your money is going. You know that they're only going to give you their best. You'll find that farmers markets are often cheaper than in the grocery stores, too!
Many local farmers now have started growing organically as well. Fruits in the supermarkets have been given "medicine" to make the fruits bigger, and they've also waxed many of the fruits to make them "shinier." Bigger and better...that's what they're trying to promote. But through buying local, seasonal fruits and vegetables, you're supporting the local farmer and a better way of doing agriculture, building relationships, reducing your carbon footprint, getting in touch with the way food is supposed to be, and you'll usually save money!
Now, by doing this, you're giving up "fresh" peaches in March and apples in June...but you could also do what I did and make preserves! I have frozen blueberries that I picked to put in pancakes, and I have a jar of peach preserves in my fridge now! (I also did blueberry and blackberry preserves, hot pepper jelly, and apple butter.)
Now, I'm definitely not a complete "locavore." I still buy the occasional banana. And I have some lettuce and tomatoes now in the fridge that I bought at Publix. But it's a process... I'm looking into joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) this summer where I can actually volunteer some hours and help grow my own food and get it fresh once it's ripe!
On meat
I mean, really. Have you seen those trucks filled with chickens going down the interstate? I've read and seen too many stories about inhumane treatments of animals. Cows that aren't allowed to move so that their meat is more tender. Chickens/turkeys whose breasts are so big that their own legs buckle under the weight. Fish that are taught to eat corn because it's less expensive. As is the case with supermarket produce, these producers are nothing but doing "good" business...getting the best product out there that costs them as little as possible. Americans love chicken breasts, so let's forget about the chicken itself and plump that breast up. Here, have some antibiotics. (Food, Inc. attempted to go inside of some chicken coops, but because of all the shady business going on, they were denied entry almost everywhere.)
What ever happened to cows grazing in the pasture? What about chickens eating chicken food and not chemicals? And fish not getting their recommended 3-4 servings of vegetables daily?
I'm trying (trying being the key word) to buy meat from local farms where I know the animals are treated well and are fed well. Again, I will be able to build relationships with the farmer himself, and I know that what I'm getting will be top quality.
The only catch is that locally-produced meat is usually much more expensive than in the store. But it should be. They're using food that the animals normally eat, not the cheap stuff. They need more land for the animals to graze instead of keeping them cooped up. And meat production is much more expensive than vegetable production! (I remember reading something stating that one good way to help the environment is to go vegetarian, as there's much less of a carbon footprint with gardening than with raising cattle.)
The farm from which I frequently buy meat (Wil-Moore Farms out of Lugoff, SC) sells ground beef at $4.75/lb, but that is comparable to the Publix Greenwise meats. I've never bought chicken breasts, though...too expensive at $8.79/lb! But when you're buying responsibly, you learn that such a prime cut of meat like that needs to be expensive!
I've also started buying local dairy products, such as eggs and milk. It's a little more expensive, but again, you know that the cows and chickens are given a good life, it's so much fresher, and it lasts much longer. (For example, I love it when they tell me exactly when the cow was milked...usually no more than three days prior. In supermarkets, it takes a couple of weeks for the milk to hit the shelves. Of course it's going to be cheaper...it's going to go bad soon!)
On treating yourself/not eating locally
So, what happens if a food you want isn't grown here? Does that mean we shouldn't have it? I mean, if we only ate locally, I'd have to give up chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and many spices. I'm not so sure I'm okay with that. But I think because of the highly industrialized nature of food today, we've lost the exotic qualities of certain ingredients, such as those I just mentioned. If saffron were readily available, would paella in Spain still taste just as quintessential? I mean, when I put on my leather jacket, I feel special, because I bought it in Argentina made from cows raised there. It's got that exotic state. But when's the last time you've felt that when measuring out a teaspoon of vanilla extract? (As an aside, there's a girl at the All-Local Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings who brought back with her a ton of vanilla pods from her time working in Tonga. I'm still debating whether or not to get a few as it seems expensive to pay $3 each, but then again, when you consider where it comes from, you understand. It also helps you understand why it's so expensive in stores anyway.) So, I don't see anything wrong with treating yourself with some things, but it's important to be conscious of where things are coming from and how the transportation of that product may be detrimental and/or the production of that product may not be humane/ethical. (i.e. Buy fair trade coffee/cocoa! But I haven't followed that advice, as I have plenty of coffee and chocolate in my cabinet about whose origin I have no idea.)
On vegetarianism
I've considered giving up meat. I could definitely do it. I used to be upset if I lacked meat with any meal, and now, I can go days without having it. You can get protein from other sources. I thought about how God had just told Adam and Eve that the plants were for eating, and it wasn't until Noah that God said meat was okay. And also in thinking that God created us with our cuspid teeth (the canine, pointy ones) to help in our tearing of meat. So, God is okay with it, so I can be, too. But as I said above, meat eating is costly to the wallet and to the earth, so I try to be intentional about choosing vegetarian options whenever possible.
On fake sugars, and any other questionable products
Gross! The minute you start to seriously read labels is the minute you appreciate good, basic foods. I mean, really. Do you want a chemical "food" that is marketed to sweeten your food (but actually tastes like butt)? First of all, Europe didn't have sugar until sometime in the Middle Ages, and during that time, it was viewed as a rarity. And yet we in America today can't live without it. Everything's gotta be sweet nowadays. Our coffee, tea, candy, soda...even our fruit juices have added sugar in them! And yet we wonder why our obesity levels or number of people with diabetes is so high! I think the answer to this is not for people to replace sugar with fake sugar, but just to have real sugar in lesser quantity! (I personally like to use honey as a sweetener whenever possible.) I've recently switched to unsweet tea, which is blasphemy as a Southerner, but now that I've taken the sugar out...I find I can actually taste the tea! Also, I'm keeping stuff out of my body that really shouldn't be there in that quantity.
And the other questionable products mentioned in the title refer to all the "fillers" in our foods. I'm thinking specifically now about peanut butter. The kind I buy has an ingredients list of peanuts and salt. Take a look at yours. My favorite is the reduced fat variety of peanut butter. I mean, really. How are you going to take the fat out of a peanut? This isn't bacon where you can just use a knife to cut around it. The trick is they use less peanuts and put in other ingredients to fill up the jar. The next few ingredients are corn syrup solids, sugar, and soy protein, followed by a host of chemicals and other oils. There may be 1/4 of the fat, but there's four times the sugar...not to mention the chemicals, and what the heck is soy protein or a corn syrup solid? (Peanut butter, jelly, and corn sandwich?) How about using regular peanut butter, but using less of it? If you want it sweeter, add some honey. (But why take it sweeter when you're just going to put jelly on the sandwich, too?)
On eating out
On the upside, you don't have to cook or clean up, or have time to do either of the former. On the downside, it's much more expensive than the food you can prepare in the house, and you have no idea what goes into your food! Sketchy hamburger patties at McDonald's. Questionable chicken parts in the nuggets at Wendy's. And what about hot dogs? :P Ok, admittedly I like hot dogs, don't mind the taste of nuggets, and I love a good burger...but the moment I sit down to think about where my food comes from, I want to not eat anymore and go home and cook.
On cooking
I love to cook! I love knowing where my food came from, as well as exactly what comes in it. Whenever possible, I start with the raw, basic ingredient (i.e. no frozen pie crusts, Bisquick, or jarred salsa). By doing this, you get rid of any chemicals/preservatives, and you can learn a little more about what biscuits, pies, salsas, etc. are actually made of if you're making them yourself. Now, I say all of this now with no kids and a job where I'm home by 4:00 and am off in the summers, and I know that I'm sure I'll cut corners here and there. (I already do, using graham crackers in my cheesecake crust. Hey, they cut corners occasionally on Top Chef, but they get scolded for it.)
I love having a relationship with my food. I love making it my own. I love enjoying it. I love discovering new things about food. My wife will confirm that I am a food elitist. But I want to know what's wrong with wanting to know 1) what's in my food/going into my body, 2) where that product came from, and 3) how that product came about?
I've learned a lot about why food is priced as it is. I've learned that while loaves of freshly-baked bread may seem expensive to buy considering how cheap the ingredients are, you realize as you've got your fingers in your own dough that producing high quality food takes time and effort. And I've learned that cheese is so expensive because it takes so much milk and time to make! Basically, if you want good food, you'll pay for it monetarily or with time, labor, and/or effort.
But if I've only got one body, I want to make sure I take good care of it. And yes, I'll die just like the guy that eats McDonald's every day, but I know I did what I could to care for the things with which God has entrusted me--myself, other people, and the earth.
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