Food For Thought

Last week Randy and I hit up P.F. Chang’s before heading to a 7:30 show of Up in the Air. We paid the bill at 7:40. Doh! So instead of rollicking entertainment, we went home and rented Food, Inc. from cable. Wow. What a thought-provoker.

For the four of you out there that have not yet seen the movie or read Michael Pollan’s books, this genre showcases ever-present high fructose corn syrup (check your labels…I really mean everything…cough syrup, “healthy” granola bars, etc.) and the literally shitty facilities our meat supply is raised in.

Coupling this with my desire to take off a few pounds, I gave myself a new challenge. I’m going to try and buy all my groceries from Outpost Natural Foods here in Milwaukee. This is a hippie, granola-munching co-op, so you have to pay an annual fee of $25 to get the deals. (Though anyone can shop there…Just be sure to bring your own bags so you’re not totally ostracized.) Outpost prides itself on local, organic, or fair-trade (or any combination thereof) products, so I should be able to feel slightly better about my food chain. I’m also debating purchasing a CSA share this summer. If you are in the metro Milwaukee area and do that already, what farm would you recommend?

The one place that’s harder to pick my ingredients is when I go out to eat. Ah, who am I kidding…anytime I’m away from home, really. I’m writing this in a hotel room in San Antonio where they plied me with diet coke, Doritos, and a Twix bar. Damn. Even something as simple as a salad may be bad for me and the earth. So again, loyal readers, what restaurants fit into this new challenge?

Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions you can give. Stay tuned to future blogs to see if I can make this stick. In the meantime, I really do suggest you read Michael Pollan’s books, rent Food, Inc. or check out any number of web sites that make you think. Bon appétit!

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