tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post7291622656790327652..comments2023-11-02T09:52:53.436+00:00Comments on Domestic Sluttery: How much do we care about where our food comes from?Sian Meadeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-16768550772215406902013-11-03T00:30:37.697+00:002013-11-03T00:30:37.697+00:00"I read it as Sara was fine having bacon in h..."I read it as Sara was fine having bacon in her biscuits, because that's what you wrote." Yes, that's exactly what I meant.<br /><br />The link in the sentence you've pointed out is actually to a recipe that Sara wrote. A biscuit recipe with bacon in. She's quite an odd vegetarian.<br /><br />What a shame you didn't wish to get involved in any of the other (arguably more important) points raised in the article or the earlier comments.Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-13564694492609264412013-11-02T23:53:58.109+00:002013-11-02T23:53:58.109+00:00Hello. I like your blog, but I have to point somet...Hello. I like your blog, but I have to point something out.<br /><br />I've noticed a lot of writers using the word "her" excessively. The correct form of your earlier sentence is: "Sara might be fine with bacon on someone else's plate (and in their biscuits)". This avoids the ambiguity of the Subject. I read it as Sara was fine having bacon in her biscuits, because that's what you wrote. You hadn't introduced another female character to refer to as "her", which is why you should use "their" in this kind of generic scenario.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-8323975297493308012013-10-21T09:33:31.330+01:002013-10-21T09:33:31.330+01:00There is a short answer to your query: Ethics abov...There is a short answer to your query: Ethics above anything else, always.<br />Ethics above tradition. Ethics above convenience. Ethics above habit. Ethics above taste.<br />You don’t need to feel conflicted. Feeling conflicted sucks!<br />There are other people in the comments section encouraging you not to feel guilty about it, but I think it’s important that you do. No I don’t want you to feel bad(!) but it’s guilt that encourages us to make the right choice. What stops you from buying a product from a company which supports child labour? Guilt. Guilt is good when you don’t ignore it. It’s a by-product of empathy.<br />When I first heard where my food comes from as a child I definitely felt uneasy. Then, when I first realised and learnt about the processes of how it was produced, I was horrified- especially when I saw it with my own eyes. I researched about it more and more until my eyes were completely open to the facts. I was devastated. But the sadness and guilt I felt was good; it led me to lead the more compassionate lifestyle I do today. I am more or less a vegan now (the only time I’d eat non-vegan is when it wouldn’t make a difference to my cause either way e.g. if someone had some chicken soup that they’re about to throw down the sink and would go to waste otherwise). I’m about the happiest I’ve ever been now. I’m not saying veganism is the solution to everything but I do think it’s a necessary step as it’s the demand of people buying animal products which keep these industries, which I believe exploit animals terribly, alive. Becoming vegan is much easier when you remember what you’re doing it for- and if it gets hard remember it’s harder for the one on the other side of the hamburger. Just research research research! There are some really good speeches and videos on YouTube which helped me get there.<br />You seem like a really decent person, Siany. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable by telling you what I think you must do- even though I am kind of doing that!- but I really hope you make the right decision. Peace.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16849611000562726528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-54246642313134255782012-10-30T20:41:34.769+00:002012-10-30T20:41:34.769+00:00I'd love to forage my own food but I don't...I'd love to forage my own food but I don't have a clue where to find the best stuff and I'm not convinced that I wouldn't pick something poisonous!<br /><br />You should run classes, Hazel!Caleigh xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16776054983241602080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-33112311428703443052012-10-30T20:38:10.402+00:002012-10-30T20:38:10.402+00:00Mine are freefrom fish fingers in gf toast with ma...Mine are freefrom fish fingers in gf toast with mayo. Could go that right now...Caleigh xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16776054983241602080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-7348888733279260492012-10-30T20:36:28.402+00:002012-10-30T20:36:28.402+00:00It's easier in that I'm more aware of what...It's easier in that I'm more aware of what's actually in my food because I read every single ingredient on everything I buy, especially since even the 'gluten free' label doesn't mean that it won't upset my Crohn's or my ileostomy in some way!<br /><br />All that label reading sometimes means that I don't always check whether my apples are Kentish or my lamb is British and not intensively farmed, etc, if I did my shopping trips would last hours! In that respect I'm glad for the Fairtrade, MSC, freedom foods, and other logos, it makes those choices a little bit speedier!<br />Caleigh xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16776054983241602080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-84239804050979379952012-10-30T19:56:12.442+00:002012-10-30T19:56:12.442+00:00Yes, I definitely think it's a case of picking...Yes, I definitely think it's a case of picking your battles, much like anything else. I'm not too proud to admit that the thing I miss most since giving up anything other than free range is a KFC. If they went free range (ha!) I swear I'd eat there three times a day for the next six months at least.<br />I think I just got such a shock and was so moved by that round of TV shows a few years ago that I stopped eating meat altogether for a while and couldn't bear to eat anything like what I'd seen ever again. If I'd not seen those documentaries though I probably would still be eating much more freely. I'm an advertiser's dream.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-28278237453950891762012-10-30T19:52:43.769+00:002012-10-30T19:52:43.769+00:00I do think that's a good point! The meat bit i...I do think that's a good point! The meat bit is my thing because it's animal welfare that's most important to me, but I still try pretty hard with fair trade etc. (and buying politically to an extent!). I think it's a really good point though....just because I disagree with the government in a certain country doesn't mean I should make the people who live there suffer by not buying their produce! Tricky!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-88392988694526477682012-10-30T19:51:35.058+00:002012-10-30T19:51:35.058+00:00Yeah, I think that's the best way. There's...Yeah, I think that's the best way. There's a sort of reverse snobbery about locally-sourced food sometimes. Like people think it's stupid and unrealistic to spend so much money on fruit and veg in a greengrocers when Sainsbury's is down the road.Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-32965914846990937072012-10-30T19:48:57.274+00:002012-10-30T19:48:57.274+00:00Caleigh, do you think it's easier or harder fo...Caleigh, do you think it's easier or harder for you because you have to actively look at the ingredients anyway?<br /><br />Like on one hand, most processed foods will have gluten in but on the other, just ticking that box would feel like enough for some!Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-76454102349982039002012-10-30T19:46:09.147+00:002012-10-30T19:46:09.147+00:00I can't deny I like a Chicken Dippers. I know,...I can't deny I like a Chicken Dippers. I know, I know. While I know where my food comes from (and indeed where it should do), some habits I just can't shake. And it is a habit, isn't it? You have to actively decide to change your eating and shopping habits and that's not easy. I guess opting to change one thing at a time is the way to go. That said I do boycott certain brands (Nestle and American fast food chains), so in some instances it might just be able picking your battles. Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-41773909823528705862012-10-30T19:42:09.501+00:002012-10-30T19:42:09.501+00:00Yes, I agree that there is a danger in relying on ...Yes, I agree that there is a danger in relying on one label, because providing their marketing is good enough we could all be buying one label even though it doesn't truly meet our values! (This really doesn't include Fair Trade who I think are wonderful!).<br /><br />What I hate is the lack of cohesion with labeling....I've been presented with too many 'outdoor reared', 'outdoor bred' 'freedom foods' and "Oh but it's British" meals, and unless you spend a lot of time reading up on them it's hard to see the good from the not so good. Luckily for me, I find the subject important enough to me to do all that research, but I can see why someone who's less of a foody would find it too much trouble. Which is why there should be stricter rules on labeling in my opinion!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-45954480487361287812012-10-30T19:37:55.713+00:002012-10-30T19:37:55.713+00:00"Don't feed the trolls."
In this ca..."Don't feed the trolls."<br /><br />In this case, don't feed the trolls anything tasty, ethical or free range.Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-13130170809991770542012-10-30T19:36:09.493+00:002012-10-30T19:36:09.493+00:00So I'm sure this is just a troll comment, but ...So I'm sure this is just a troll comment, but it's gotten my hackles up anyway! Presumably you wouldn't be opposed to us stuffing you in a tiny cage for the rest of your life then until your hair falls out and your limbs drop off?! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-79907623311497426512012-10-30T19:29:47.477+00:002012-10-30T19:29:47.477+00:00To me, respecting where my food comes from is top ...To me, respecting where my food comes from is top of the list. I would rather go without meat or eggs than use some that don't meet my values. I've been eating free-range only for five years now, and despite not earning very much at all I have managed to stick to it without fainting or going into debt. I find it really arrogant that some people don't even consider where their food comes from....it horrifies me when you see those clips of kids guessing where a turkey twizzler comes from....and whilst I really can appreciate that sometimes it's a lot of bother and expense, it's too important to me to give up on because of a craving or laziness. I spend a lot of time shopping and researching for what I eat, which is a pain of course, but knowing that I'm not inflicting any cruelty based on my choices is worth it. I get REALLY angry when we people say 'oh yes, I agree with the way you eat', only to tuck into their wholly unethical burger, and I get more angry still with retailers who trick people with phrases like 'Freedom Foods'.....if it was Free Range then they'd say so! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-7455351325377999232012-10-30T19:03:32.803+00:002012-10-30T19:03:32.803+00:00We buy (almost) all our meat and produce from the ...We buy (almost) all our meat and produce from the farmers market (I love pineapple, which is unfortunately not native to the east coast of Canada). Not only does it ensure our meat is antibiotic-free and free-range and our produce is organic, but it also makes sure we eat in season. And I don't have to think about what I'm buying because I know it's all good.<br /><br />I don't think as often about fair trade, and I wish I did. And when faced with two options where one is more expensive free trade, I typically don't go with that one. I've been thinking more often about the ethics of food (now that I've got the organic/free-range issue sorted out) so maybe that's a step I can look at in the future (although likely not in a universe where I have a screaming baby dangling out of the shopping cart begging to go home.)Carlie V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16765181590654842216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-47373591848207551422012-10-30T18:57:04.889+00:002012-10-30T18:57:04.889+00:00Maybe it's my Scottish Presbyterian guilt talk...Maybe it's my Scottish Presbyterian guilt talking, but I always feel like there's more I could do. I try to buy local/Fairtrade/organic/sustainable foods where possible (and where I can afford to) but it can be difficult. Freefrom foods, for example, don't tend to tell you where they come from, although there are a few good organic and gluten free brands out there. <br /><br />My grandmother grew up on a farm and we would holiday on what you would probably describe as her, rather large, smallholding so I learned very early on the value of local, seasonal food and meat that has lived a good life before landing on my plate. I want to shop with a conscience because I feel like I owe it to all the farmers who put their heart and soul into producing my food.<br /><br />The vegetables in my veg box come from Devon whereas I live in Kent, I feel a guilty pang whenever I think about it!Caleigh xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16776054983241602080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-54254035291165776302012-10-30T18:37:37.941+00:002012-10-30T18:37:37.941+00:00Welll... I saw the title of this post and almost s...Welll... I saw the title of this post and almost skipped it, so that shows how much I care! Like you say, I know that I should, but I don't. :/<br /><br />I am more of a 'live in the moment' kind of gal I guess, and eat what I enjoy.lauralcharleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11873910895366047592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-34087060775422118842012-10-30T17:31:10.288+00:002012-10-30T17:31:10.288+00:00I posted this on facebook but thought I'd add ...I posted this on facebook but thought I'd add it here too:<br /><br />After spending two weeks living and working with cocoa farmers in rural Dominican Republic last year, I find it very hard 'not' to care where our food comes from. And more importantly, how much work it takes to produce the food we eat. We are spoilt by the convenience of supermarkets, take-aways and junk food. But if food is so unbelievably cheap then someone else, somewhere else will be paying the price for your cheap food. Even on our own doorsteps we are driving British dairy farmers out of business because the supermarkets pressure them into producing milk for a loss. What other industry would be expected to work for a loss? I think we have become so disconnected from the food we eat that we forget how hard it is for the people who produce it for us.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862308713806887109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-65010321786280058352012-10-30T15:43:28.583+00:002012-10-30T15:43:28.583+00:00Which is a fair point - personally I'm all for...Which is a fair point - personally I'm all for everyone cutting down on the meat they eat a little bit, and if you're main concern isn't animal welfare, then there are also health concerns to think about, and environmental factors (cows and pigs are the big hitters in terms of impact on the planet, apparently), and also the human factor - I seem to be reading more and more about land that once grew crops for human consumption, like rice, being used instead for growing soya (the majority of which goes into animal feed, not veggie meat substitutes). The idea of people in developing countries struggling to meet rising food costs, so that westerners can maintain a high meat diet, seems more than a bit wrong. Personally I feel the gap between eating lots of meat and eating a little meat is much bigger/more impactful than between eating a little meat and eating no meat at all, if that makes sense! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926618785239119996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-8938337347812051542012-10-30T15:41:30.307+00:002012-10-30T15:41:30.307+00:00For raw meat I try alot, We bulk buy the tastiest ...For raw meat I try alot, We bulk buy the tastiest beef very cheaply and I buy and portion chickens from our farmers market which means 2 5kg which might cost £30 in total tend to make ~20ish meals for 2 people so that works out quite well<br /><br />I do less well for veg which we get from the supermarket, we try not to buy airfreigted if possible but don't always succeed, we also buy frozen fish and lots of biscuits etc which aren't necessarily great in terms of ethics etc<br /><br />And as far as non food goods it is even worse so we wont go therebagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00530417043919034257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-75755613677712217242012-10-30T15:36:50.427+00:002012-10-30T15:36:50.427+00:00The subject of sustainability is something that is...The subject of sustainability is something that is pertinent and thought-provoking, and also something crucial for consumers and businesses to stay on top of. The heart of the problem is that locally sourced, cruelty-free, and fair-trade meats/produce are hard to find. In addition, everyone keeps busy schedules, which doesn’t make finding sustainable food in markets or restaurants particularly easy. Having a clear-cut way of figuring out which restaurants have locally sourced food, good food waste practices, and more is one of the key initiatives places like the Sustainable Restaurant Association are trying to put forward. Diners can tap into a directory that will tell them which restaurants have high sustainability ratings – making eating sustainably something that can be attained quite easily. And it is up to the food purveyors and restaurants to take part in these initiatives.<br /> <br />The more integrated and involved businesses are, the better it is for everyone all around. Let’s hope things keep improving in terms of food sustainability!theSRAhttp://thesra.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-91701912713216191222012-10-30T15:31:14.844+00:002012-10-30T15:31:14.844+00:00I completely agree about our willingness to detach...I completely agree about our willingness to detach from things. I sometimes worry that by buying Fairtrade, and free range etc, I feel I'm doing enough. I'm doing my bit, so I don't need to think about the bigger picture. It is, to an extent, a way of making ourselves feel better about our lifestyles, as well as about genuinely wanting things to be fair for other people. And that does make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-55424195198166241412012-10-30T15:27:26.134+00:002012-10-30T15:27:26.134+00:00If there are chips knocking about in the freezer t...If there are chips knocking about in the freezer they go in too....Hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06459417169511513447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273652815577465353.post-59334178962999191032012-10-30T15:21:53.552+00:002012-10-30T15:21:53.552+00:00I think argumentative is a good thing, don't a...I think argumentative is a good thing, don't apologise! I know on the face of it you're absolutely right. I do. But that quick choice means that I think no more about what I'm buying, I'm totally detached from it. I just know it's 'better'. Our willingness to detach from stuff like this is a much bigger issue.Sian Meadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536919654548369387noreply@blogger.com