I Eat and I Vote
Image: However cool it may be, taking on an ethos of food because its trendy is no substitute for developing your own ethos of good food. To me that means having a reason you purchase and consume the products you eat.
However cool it may be, taking on an ethos of food because its trendy is no substitute for developing your own ethos of good food. To me that means having a reason you purchase and consume the products you eat. My personal decision to switch to free range chicken products happened nearly fourteen years ago when as a first year veterinary student, I saw the effects of an unexpected hot day on a tin shed holding thousands of caged hens. The impact of this makes it very easy for me to remember to check the box every time I buy eggs, and this solution also honours my preference for eating meat and believing in the possibility of ethical farming.
Many proponents of food ethics will scare you with horror stories about bears with bile taps, and condemn anything other than anti-fur, vegan bin-diving militant activism. The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping is different. In a concise guide (it will fit in your handbag), it gives you enough information to help you make decisions in the supermarket without graphic images. Not only do they tell you who you might like to avoid, they also tell you what sort of issue makes the producer suspect. Every dollar you put into a producer’s pocket functions like a vote for all of their other activities. According to this guide, these activities may include animal testing (Proctor & Gamble), financing the Burmese brutal military dictatorship (Tata Group) or financing a drug known to have side effects including depression, cancer and aggression (GlaxoSmithKline). The guide offers you a low pressure way to increase your awareness of issues and develop your own consumer ethics in an easy to follow way. www.ethical.org.au
If I’ve fired you up about asking questions about the items on your plate, use your food curiosity to best advantage and ‘Ask the Butcher’ www.askthebutcher.com a question about meat. Not only could you win a voucher from my favourite butcher, Vic’s Meat, you can also learn more about why good tasting meat seems to come from producers who raise their animals in great, natural surroundings. I recently split a mid-winter ham from their Australian ‘Kurobuta’ Pork range with three colleagues. All of us number it among the best hams we’ve ever tried, short of jamon (and they sell that too). The fat in particular is soft, white and so flavoursome it makes ham soup orgasmic. Whilst I truly believe they warrant the drive to Mascot, I wont feign a lack of interest about their upcoming Woollahra shop front slated to open later in the year. www.vicsmeats.com.au
By the way Australian pork is safe to eat… but you knew that didn’t you? If you want more reassurance The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say “swine flu viruses are not transmitted by food”. www.australianpork.com.au
Another recent campaign that caught my eye is all about eating your leftovers. What might look like an uneaten steak to you, can actually equate to discarding “up to 50,000 litres of water that was used to produce it,” according to Jon Dee, founder of FoodWise. Making a difference can be as simple as making a list before you go shopping, storing leftovers so they can be eaten, and in general just being a little more aware of what we’re all throwing away. These practices should save money as well as help the planet. www.foodwise.com.au
If facts and figures don’t move you, perhaps call it an excuse to explore developments in food storage technology by Tupperware. They’ve got a cute little container for everything, including microwavable ones that have a seal with a steam-releasing vent that makes sure your colleagues get to use a splatter-free microwave too. www.tupperware.com.au
Seasonality is more than just a current buzz word. At different times of the year, we feel like different sorts of food. When the weather is cold, the food that feels comforting is filling and sticks around in the tummy a little longer. So that’s how I came to find myself at Muffin Break sampling a six pack of their offerings. I’d rather be baking them, but like most of you, I have bills to pay and sometimes end up needing a snack in a shopping mall. It’s actually fairly easy to see why Muffin Break have been around for twenty years. There’s an honesty to their muffins which may not win awards, but it will guarantee you a freshly baked golden brown muffin with an unruly muffin top. They’re light and taste of all the ingredients you’d like to find in a muffin – apple, banana, eggs, flour, and cinnamon. www.muffinbreak.com.au
