Somewhat co-operating
You can tell I'm trying to eat right. All I can think about is food. Not in a bad, "I want to eat 7,000 caloriesrightnowfeeeeeeeeedme" way. But I've been known to obsess from time to time.
A friend of mine joked last night that he wanted to hear about my $4,000 Easter ham. I refuse to let that happen, but the dirty hippy in me won't let it die. Sidenote: Is there a term for people who think they are kind of hippies but wear polyester polo shirts and pants from the Gap? I despise the Gap, by the way. End self-loathing rant.
I thought I'd take another stab at this buy-local thing. TW and I joined the Portland Co-Op recently in an effort to:
A. Buy local goods at cheaper prices than I could normally get
B. Meet some people
C. Purchase bulk items
Co-Ops, and shopping local, are tricky business. You'll get sticker shock if you walk into the co-op in Duluth, MN., just looking for dinner ingredients. TW used to spend $40 on ingredients for dinner. For herself. And then there is the $85 turkey I bought six months ago. Yes, that happened.
Sure enough, I'm seeing a mixed (grocery!) bag (hey-o!) already from the co-op membership here in Portland. Let's go item by item:
A. Cheaper local produce and meats. Result: a push, at best. A defender of the co-op could argue — and probably will argue when I see her for Easter at our place — that the organization provides greater access to local foods. True. Very, very true. Here is what I have to say about that: boneless, skinless chicken breasts cost $8.63 a pound.
I copied and pasted that number, for accuracy's sake. I can get cage-free, organically raised, petted by a hot Swedish babe chicken breasts at Trader Joe's for $5.99 or $6.99 a pound. Also, it's worth mentioning I eat about a pound of chicken a week. Advantage: Corporate America.
B. Meet some people. Result: inconclusive. I've met two people as a result of the co-op. They are very nice ... and live about 250 yards down the street. But I've only been to one official function, as yet. So the jury will remain out for now.
C. Purchase bulk items. Result: a big win. Organic brown rice for $1.09 a pound? Sold! I'll take 10 pounds. The going rate at Hannaford's is $1.99. Basically, I can get anything you'd get at Whole Foods, but at a significant discount.
It should be noted, I approve of the co-op regardless of my personal satisfaction with it. TW and I support local farmers and food producers. Last summer, we had a farm share. I've never seen so much kale. We prefer local restaurants to chains. I was very tempted to put in a Kamasouptra link there, but it's a cheap gag now.
I'll say this: buying local helps keep the money in your community (unless you own stock in the multi-national companies you shop at and are getting dividends), and the products are probably better for the earth in some way or another (but might taste like dry wood. seriously. that turkey was awful.). Or it at least gives me another website to look at, since the co-op does all its ordering online. Up next: More cookies! No, not really. Ok, maybe a little weekend food update is in order. I have an update on the cookie recipe. Hint: it involves non-locally made Oreos.
A friend of mine joked last night that he wanted to hear about my $4,000 Easter ham. I refuse to let that happen, but the dirty hippy in me won't let it die. Sidenote: Is there a term for people who think they are kind of hippies but wear polyester polo shirts and pants from the Gap? I despise the Gap, by the way. End self-loathing rant.
I thought I'd take another stab at this buy-local thing. TW and I joined the Portland Co-Op recently in an effort to:
A. Buy local goods at cheaper prices than I could normally get
B. Meet some people
C. Purchase bulk items
Co-Ops, and shopping local, are tricky business. You'll get sticker shock if you walk into the co-op in Duluth, MN., just looking for dinner ingredients. TW used to spend $40 on ingredients for dinner. For herself. And then there is the $85 turkey I bought six months ago. Yes, that happened.
Sure enough, I'm seeing a mixed (grocery!) bag (hey-o!) already from the co-op membership here in Portland. Let's go item by item:
A. Cheaper local produce and meats. Result: a push, at best. A defender of the co-op could argue — and probably will argue when I see her for Easter at our place — that the organization provides greater access to local foods. True. Very, very true. Here is what I have to say about that: boneless, skinless chicken breasts cost $8.63 a pound.
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| Yeah. I'm blogging about rice. |
B. Meet some people. Result: inconclusive. I've met two people as a result of the co-op. They are very nice ... and live about 250 yards down the street. But I've only been to one official function, as yet. So the jury will remain out for now.
C. Purchase bulk items. Result: a big win. Organic brown rice for $1.09 a pound? Sold! I'll take 10 pounds. The going rate at Hannaford's is $1.99. Basically, I can get anything you'd get at Whole Foods, but at a significant discount.
It should be noted, I approve of the co-op regardless of my personal satisfaction with it. TW and I support local farmers and food producers. Last summer, we had a farm share. I've never seen so much kale. We prefer local restaurants to chains. I was very tempted to put in a Kamasouptra link there, but it's a cheap gag now.
I'll say this: buying local helps keep the money in your community (unless you own stock in the multi-national companies you shop at and are getting dividends), and the products are probably better for the earth in some way or another (but might taste like dry wood. seriously. that turkey was awful.). Or it at least gives me another website to look at, since the co-op does all its ordering online. Up next: More cookies! No, not really. Ok, maybe a little weekend food update is in order. I have an update on the cookie recipe. Hint: it involves non-locally made Oreos.
You offended me by saying you hate the Gap. Let me explain. I'm tall. Gap Inc. has tall sizes in all of its brands. I can get jeans with my 36 inch inseam online. And, longer shirts. This is a big deal for a tall girl. Growing up, it was incredibly hard to find jeans long enough. Then, the Gap revolutionized something and brought out the tall collection. Tall kids these days don't know how good they have it. My struggle was all for them.
ReplyDeleteBut, alas, this isn't enough to make me hate this blog. Buying local can be good, I like your 10 pound bag of rice and I love Oreos. 26-4-3.
Catherine: You have the Hannaford down in NYC? Bizarre. They're not in Boston but they're in NYC. I will peel my eyes. You may not know this, but I like bacon.
ReplyDeleteSidenote: A local restaurant does bacon-crusted doughnuts on Sunday. I wish every day was Sunday. they are better than they sound, and they sound damn good.
I'm not in NYC! I'm in what some people would call the "exurbs." And I believe my Hannaford is the second-southernmost one, FWIW. If/when you and TW and TD visit, we'll hook you up with some thick-cut, local bacon.
ReplyDelete