Farmed and Dangerous

When I got home from work the other day one of my roommates greeted me with a big smile and a very enthusiastic "You have to watch this!" I obliged and was not prepared for what I was about to see, in a good way. Chipotle has created a video series called "Farmed and Dangerous" which is a tongue in check revision of any action movie with an evil villain, explosions, and a hero willing to risk life and limb for a noble cause concerning us all.
Yes, a burrito chain has sponsored an episodic series about the dangers of questionable ingredients. This is the world we live in now- for better, for worse.

While all in good humor, this marketing campaign does have a good message. I'd even venture to say its one of the defining messages of the food justice movement- how our food is produced matters. It matters big time.

Despite the mixed reviews on the series and whether it really address issues (or whether it addresses the right issues) I think Chipotle played their hand very wisely. If for a moment we forget that this gives them even more brand recognition and is good for their bottom line, the issues discussed during the, frankly, strange videos are indeed worth while. Quality, responsibly grown meat and produce is key to the burrito joints success but shouldn't that be the case for all of our restaurants and meals? Shouldn't all restaurants be concerned about the quality of the ingredients they put on our plate? "You are what you eat" is a phrase everyone has heard at some point in their life. If most of were what we ate we'd likely be ashamed. Who wants to be a burger or a two-liter? I find it interesting that a country with a saying like "You are what you eat" continues to allow factory farmed meat and fertilizer laced produce into our bodies without much foresight into how these things are leading to disease of both man and planet. I say "without much foresight" because there are people who discuss produce integrity, if you will, and who fight the good fight but as a whole our nation has let agribusiness run the show. Its similar to letting the fox gaurd the hen house.

Our farming culture allows the majority of produce to be grown with pesticides and fertilizers that are made of unpronounceable compounds. Chickens and animals raised for meat are kept indoors all day with no access to grass or sunshine. The term "farmed and dangerous" is not far off. Its a cute play on words that carries a lot of meaning.  The pesticides that are sprayed on acreage all across the country are harmful to those who spray them, the consumers who eat that produce, and the plants themselves.

I no longer want to put up with "farmed and dangerous" produce and protein. Its not a status-quo I am willing to literally swallow. How do we fight for "farmed and wholesome?"

"Farmed and Dangerous" can be found here.

Junkfood Awareness Day

"What are we going to do with all the watermelons?"
"If we get another bunch of kale..."
"I think... I just... I... I'm tired of squash. There I said it."

Those now famous one liners will be less familiar at our house. Now we'll be asking what kind of crackers we want and who drank all the orange juice.

Our local eating challenge has come to a close. Whew! That was a whirlwind. We spent the past 5 months delving head first into a life constrained by where our food was sourced.
We asked people weird questions about their farming practices, we spent what seems like years discussing routine grocery store purchases, and we read every label trying to find the coveted organic and fair trade logos. Yes. We were those people. (I apologize to those who had to witness it. ;-) )

We trudged through all the weirdness and came out much more educated about food and its sourcing. Its amazing how previous grocery store enthusiast like myself (I mean come on, its a haven of all things delicious) can now be so uncomfortable in the weirdly lit, confusingly laid out zoo that is a grocery store. I had to pick up some produce from a local store for work this week and it was rather disorienting- wonderfully timed as well.

Now that I know about and have tasted seriously fresh produce, I don't know how to feel about red peppers from Chile in the middle of winter. How? How does that work? I have found myself making comment to my roommates like "What kind of greenhouse wizardry do they use to grow 'local' peppers in Massachusetts in January?" I said that. To other people. Luckily they understand what I meant and had the same suspicion but most shoppers don't. And that's disheartening.

I want people to question why stores carry things like red peppers in January when peppers peak in summer. Peppers plants want nothing more that to spend all day in the hot, humid sun. So why are we using resources, time, and money to grow heat loving plants in a season of freezing temps and snow? Not only are we raising the plants in a fabricated climate but agribusiness is willing to heat greenhouses via fossil fuels to do so. I know farmers in Virginia who stop growing peppers in September due to the falling temps and declining productivity of the plants.
We are using Earth's finite resources to grow food, that has a natural season, in an unnatural season. That doesn't sound crazy to anyone else?

Local eating is hard. It involves a lot of research and a lot of tough decision making. You miss food that isn't in season and get tired of food that is but isn't that how its supposed to be? "You can't appreciate the mountain tops without the valleys" becomes "You can't appreciate the sweetness of a watermelon in the summer without unending kale in the fall." Foods in season taste so much better because they thrive in the appropriate climate. Eating in season makes food taste so much better because you get to taste that food in all its deliciousness while experiencing it for the first time in months. You savor it.

This new way of eating is something I will certainly take with me for the rest of my life and I'm going to eat in season as much as possible, but this girl needs some citrus in her life.

My roommates and I are taking ourselves out to dinner tonight in celebration. We'll leave the confusion of the grocery store and daunting task of picking one kind of cracker from the 40 on the shelf for another day. Baby steps folks, baby steps.

(Please mark your calenders- February 1st: "Junkfood Awareness Day" and feel free to celebrate with us in spirit by indulging in your own favorite snack)