Organichasms

In reading the last, hurried, guilty food-oriented posts, I came to a decision: food diarist is not in my line. Or at least "regular food diarist" is not really my thing.

I like to read a lot and experience a lot and then synthesize all of that experience with a healthy dose of something whimsical. Like a plastic dinosaur or two. I like plastic dinosaurs...especially the fancy ones.

(Photos of my kitchen counter...thanks iPhone!! [left] iguanadon with eucalyptus in commemorative Weinachts glass from Cologne and 100th anniversary Milka tin)

So, although I've not been blogging regularly about my food exploits, I have not fallen off the better eating wagon entirely...bruised and battered I may be by the temptations of the Hostess cupcakes (so yummy), and even more so by the prose of Peter Singer (can that man evoke a more horrifying image of cruelty to swordfish?), I have persevered to present: this blog post. All right, even I am a bit underwhelmed by this, but what can we do?

[below] stegosaurus, purchased in Siena, Italy (at a store brimming with Smurfs) and posed with eucalyptus leaves. The little human being trampled underfoot is just for scale and was not harmed in the making of this photo.

[right] parasaurolophus with owl "whimsy," pigeon pea can, and huile de salade dispenser. The huile de salade dispenser is complete with recipes... albeit en francais, which requires a bit of doing to figure out.

Ok, not very much to show for 6 weeks of dietary efforts, but what can I do?

Over the past few weeks, I found it very hard to eat foods that Peter Singer described as being raised cruelly. So, eggs and chicken have been largely off the table, as well as anything I know has eggs in it, unless I can verify that they are organic.

I was wondering about this weirdly visceral reaction. After all...I've been hearing about egg production for years. Melanie Joy in Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows offers the explanation that as we conjure up images of nonfood animals, we experience disgust at the thought of eating them. I seem to be having the same experience with eggs. And, as I learned while eating lunch at Whole Foods yesterday, Michael Pollan in his recent, slim how-to-eat volume indicates something similar: if you can't picture the animal and know it was treated humanely, you're better off not eating it.

I am wondering if I am scarred for life. I used to be able to eat prepackaged baked treats, and when I had a packaged cupcake on New Year's Day, all I could think about were stacked cages of beakless chickens.

And going organic is a total pain: it's hard and expensive. Organic food spoils almost instantly and it rarely comes in single-serving sizes. And it's deceptive: organic cheddar bunnies say they're organic, but it's only the wheat. Who knows how the cheddar was produced? And organic frozen waffles (my sister left some eggos at my house and I got hooked)? Where did the eggs come from? And, by the way, "flax" is not a tasty waffle flavor, especially for those of us who like Twinkies but can no longer eat them.

In my out-to-eat with work life, I'm eating more beef now because it's raised less cruelly than other animals. And I'm struck by how difficult it is to find light meals and options that aren't packed with bacon of mysterious origins. Ok--I know it's from pigs (or turkeys...or maybe tofus), but which pigs? did they have names?

Frankly, I was a bit happier when I was chivvying my family about whether or not the apples were "free range" or the potatoes were cage free. Then I started to wonder--are the mouse-shaped cucumbers at Disneyland cruel to plants? Or are the plants better off because they are being tended by hydroponic specialists in perfectly controlled conditions?

So, I guess it's back to the Pocono diet: lots of dried fruit and green beans and tomatoes, almonds, and some pasta on the weekends. Tons of chips and salsa with cheese on the side and bags and bags of those little carrots.

Of course, There will be some changes. I discovered the wonderful world of arugula--what a tasty green. I'm also now spending $4 per half gallon of milk to get organic (it tastes a lot better, which means I'm drinking it) and supporting the local cheesemakers of Vermont, who if they are not already blest, in my humble opinion should be.