Two times this week, I was asked by people that have no clue that I write this blog if I have seen “Food, Inc.”  I have, but what was more interesting was their response.

One person said, “I am not eating meat anymore, I am going to be a vegetarian.”  The other said, “It will totally change what you eat.  I have seen bacon being made and it is not pretty.”  Fair enough.  Slaughtering animals is not pretty, regardless of how humane it is.

My question:  How has this film (or other publications like it) changed the way that you

1. Buy food AND
2. How long has that change lasted?

For me:
I read labels more
I buy more organic items
I am going to plant a garden this spring
I visit farmers markets more
I wonder what is really in my food and where it is from

However, I saw a special that featured Farmer’s Markets and one of the benefits they listed was “cheaper.”  Maybe I am going to the wrong farmer’s markets, but I find them to commonly be 2x-5x more expensive.  Case in point, I was at IWFM and I saw free range/no hormones, etc. chickens.  The thighs were around $5 a lb. There were booths that were cheaper, but work with me here.  At Costco, they are 79 cents a lb.  So I can get 6.3 lbs instead of 1 lb.  That is a big difference…a difference that is difficult to rationalize for a lot of people right now.

Counter point:  farmers markets have many handmade and unique items that you can’t find anywhere else.  I also found plenty of items that were 1x costs.  Lettuce for $3.00, spices, root veggies, etc.  And, you really can’t compare homemade sausages vs. Johnsonville, it is not the same product.  You get the point.  Regardless of the price, I am very supportive of farmer’s markets.

My point:  Watch the movie, read the articles…now what?  The curtain has been lifted, you know who the Wizard of Oz is.  The Alice Walters types say, “Hey, wibia…if you can’t afford farmers market chicken, sell your flat screen tv and buy better chicken.”  Fair enough.   However, at times, it is a ton of work to make the effort.  Menus are difficult to navigate, dining choices are limited, my nearest grocery store that has a respectable organic section is 25 minutes away. Plus, sometimes I need diapers, light bulbs, a birthday card and lettuce and I have a 30 minute window before my kid goes ape sh-t.  So I do what I can.  Am I better, yes… am I perfect (whatever that is) no.

So I am interested to see the results.

-wibia