Food, glorious food

Hi,
We eat well in North America, and it is killing us.

I admit to being a lot of a food snob. I try to avoid using anything out of a box, can, frozen package or vacuum seal when it comes to eating. I prefer market fresh when ever possible. Since my passion is food it goes along with my delight in cooking. Creating interesting things to feed people can keep me entertained for weeks on end. I am planning the next meal before the current one is even consumed. I don't eat to live, I live to eat.

Then there is everyone else in Walmart. Given the size of their food stores, it is obvious that my fellow North Americans are shopping in the wrong aisles. A small percentage of the shop is dedicated to fresh produce. I would guess 90% of the space given to food is the processed and packaged varity. The volum of sugar, sodium, fat and chemicals consumed in this boxed diet they have adopted is scary.... And it shows.

I see shoppers with carts bulging with crap to eat. At the check out I try not to notice the garbage laden piles of what they think is food on the cashiers conveyer belt.... Or the largess of the customers waist size. It's in a direct correlation to what they are spending their hard earned money on. I want to scream at them " you don't have to wear a size 28 dress or 42" pant, if you would only give up on the garbage you are consuming. No apples, no lettuce, no real chicken, fish or beef, lentils are a forgien word and it isn't yoghourt without 190 calories of fake fruit flavor in it. They don't even waddle through the area of the store where green things are sold.... Head direct to the freezer cases, do not pass 'Go', collect your heart attack, proceed straight to the hospital ward.

The new movie "The Hundred-step Journey" dealt with fabulous food and was a delight to the senses. In the movie the opening scene had to deal with buying fresh sea urchin in the market place. I could imagine the heady aroma of the fresh fish and spices. It made my mouth water. After the film was over, none of the movie patrons could identify with the market scenes. I felt like I had watched a different movie from them. Where I was swooning over the fresh ingredients the chefs got to cook with, they were appalled at picking morels in the woods or cooking a fish right out of the river. How sad for them. The thought of eating raw urchin made them gag, I was salivating and jealous that I couldn't get my hands on any.

Conclusion: they eat better in India than we do in North America. How sad is that!

M