People know that I don’t have the best eating habits. A coworker of mine once said that she thought you could fill an olympic-sized swimming pool with the amount of cola I drink in a year. (Not even close, by the way, although you could fill a 3’x3’x2′ space — roughly the size of a fireplace). Then there’s my love for Arby’s and Wendy’s. There’s a cashier at my local Arby’s who remembered me the other day as a frequent visitor of the different Arby’s she used to work at. I could go on.
I picked up The Omnivore’s Dilemma at the airport the other day. The book contains an exploration of the origins of the food that a guy like me throws down his gullet every day. Enlightening and disturbing, to say the least. The book also looks at the various efforts of individuals, communities, and the food industry to create “organic” food. I put that word in quotes because its definition is the subject of some controversy, pitting those who are interested in mass-marketing foods relatively untouched by pesticides and other things against those working toward sustainable farming on a local scale.
You can’t read the book without considering the jump to a more organic lifestyle, whatever the definition. But that is a daunting task, especially considering my starting point. So this article in the New York Times caught my eye. Apparently, five relatively simple changes would go a long way toward a diet more free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides: buying organic milk, potatoes, peanut butter, ketchup, and apples. I’ll let you know how that goes.
by Sally
katherine petillo - i want to go there too! sounds like a great place.
Kristen - what a comforting thought.