Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Do You Know Where Your Last Meal Came From?...



Good evening friends! Tonight I’m writing to you from the comfort of my living room after eating only my second meal of the day. That’s right, I’ve ate twice today. I’m not sure if you would even count a large coffee and a dozen donut holes from Dunkin’ Donuts as a meal but yes that was my breakfast before work this morning at six o’clock. Now if you’re asking yourself ‘what did he have for dinner?’ I’m glad you asked. I had a bowl of a double serving of brown rice, grilled chicken, sautéed vegies, medium and mild salsa, some type of white cheese, and it was all doused in Chile n’ Lime Frank’s RedHot. Of course it wouldn’t have been a complete meal without a tall glass of milk and brownie batter Oreo’s! Mmm that really hit the spot! This probably seems ridiculous to most of you but this has become a regular thing for me since I moved to North Carolina about a month ago. My wife and I finally received our furniture and appliances after our move from Hawaii but with us both working two jobs and me going to school we aren’t finding enough time to get the apartment in order. Our diets are definitely more out of convenience than nutrition. We know it’s not healthy but we’re just happy to be able to eat dinner together at the end of the day. 

After reading two stories from Camille and Barbara Kingsolver about their home grown and local food diets I feel a tad disgusted in my selection of food lately. Now I can’t at all compare my life to living on a farm because it never happened. I lived in a suburb just outside Detroit where the freshest food I saw came from the grocery store on the corner and I couldn’t even make a wild guess at where the food came from. The truth is I’ve never really thought about where my food comes from. It’s not that I haven’t been exposed to eating healthy because my friends wife is vegan and it was nearly impossible to go out to eat somewhere without her interrogating the waiter about nearly every item on the menu. I never cared enough to ask where my chicken tenders came from. I suppose it would be in my better interest to investigate where my food originates. Given my current circumstances at the apartment complex I won’t be having my own ‘harvest day’ anytime soon to make my own chicken tenders. Hopefully I’ll become more familiar with my surroundings and find healthier alternatives. Well until next time thanks again for stopping by!

2 comments:

  1. This is really fascinating to me! I've always taken into consideration where my food comes from, and I've always had some sort of garden. Of course, I have definitely had days where my meals are more convenience than nutrition, but I generally try to consider every aspect of my meals. Good luck with becoming familiar with local/ sustainable/ healthy food!

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  2. How amazing that you and your wife had the opportunity to live in Hawaii, Chris! Honestly, I think most people in this country don't know much about their food, and it's not their fault. We all seem to stay so busy that there's often no other option than to turn to convenience foods. Please know that there's no judgement here--I think that learning about food and the roles it plays in our society is important, but I also know that most people are doing the best they can given societal constraints and expectations. It's tricky stuff...

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