My trip to India and S.E. Asia opened my eyes to a lot of things around food that we are not exposed to in the U.S. Imagine a farmer’s market going on every day with all the local people selling their freshly harvested farmed fruits and vegetables, and meat and fish too. Yes, every single day!
I got so used to the high quality of produce that coming back to shop at the grocery store in the U.S. is just so boring vs the markets in Asia. Plus, I do not know when the bulk of items here in the stores have been harvested because of the sophisticated genetic modification to keep products on the shelf longer and the technology of refrigeration and atmospheric packaging.
When I was in India and Nepal, I lost weight because of my diet which consisted of rice, legumes, fruits and vegetables with very little meat/fish/dairy. Then I went to Thailand and ate and ate and ate and gained all the weight back. I wasn’t even eating much meat. I love Thai food because they know how to balance the tastes on the palate… sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. There is lots of sugar in Thai food too.
So, I come back to the U.S. in attempt to adjust. I go to all the Asian and Indian markets to provision my kitchen so I can cook and eat all the foods that I love from half way around the world. I also go out to enjoy a cheeseburger and French fries which I haven’t had in 7 months. Being by myself I realize once again how much time it takes to prepare the foods I was so used to eating overseas. Yes, of course… because cooking from scratch takes time and hopefully, you’re putting love into it too. I was living and staying with folks where we all were cooking together… many hands make light work. Also, the cost of labor is very expensive here in the U.S… For instance, a worker in India gets paid 300 rupees a day, the equivalent to about $4.
Then I get called to Colorado to help with my father… food is not high on the priority list… just plain nourishment at this point. While I’m away I’m back eating meat and foods that aren’t particularly good for me. UGH. Yet, during this time, I know something isn’t quite right.
All the years of teaching culinary arts and cooking I’m aware of the unethical treatment of animals and how we treat companion animals differently. I’ve watched many undercover videos from drones exposing smithfield foods and seen the effects to the land from satellite images of factory farming. Is this for real? Why have I not woken up to this fact and why have I not stopped supporting this direct destruction of the earth and treatment of animals? I know I’m not the only one in this predicament which is why I felt I needed to write about it.
It’s amazing to me that it takes 2,500 gallons of water, 12 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of feedlot beef. Most of our farming is to produce the grain to feed the animals, not US. Plus, all the negative effects on the body from eating meat… and yet it’s still being produced and consumed. One of those documentaries said… our species (human) is the only species that lives in disharmony with nature. Where does this even make sense anymore? Now in South America they are clearing rainforests to raise cattle.
A lot of this is a capitalist and business thing. We need to work and make money, right? The U.S. has this down pat. Businesses have dictated us to work 40 hours a week because that is the number where we can be most productive for the business. But, what about our own peace of mind and being able to enjoy our life? Do we really prefer money, prestige, and success over morals, ethics and science?
One of the things that woke me up was watching a couple of documentaries. Fed Up and Food Choices.
I’d also recommend Forks over Knives. I was flabbergasted and disgusted both with myself and the government. If there is a government made up by the people and for the people, then why are there government policies still existing that have been scientifically documented to be truly hurting us humans and animals? I get it that big business has created an oligarchy in our government. Did you know that this report by the world health organization about sugar intake never made it to mainstream U.S. because the sugar companies and their lobbyists threatened to pull the $400M the U.S. gives to them?
In the roman/greek times, there were an elite few (kings, priests, high ranking military, etc.) who were able to afford to eat meat, dairy, and alcohol. And those were the people who got sick with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure. Now… we are all the elite… affording all the same things the few did in the past. And at this time… we are all seeing the effects of our diet in the U.S. from meat, dairy and alcohol. Just look at the news about obesity rates.
I had a time in my life where for many years I was eating super clean. In the ways the world health organization is recommending. I was 167lbs and trim. Now I’m just over 200lbs and wanting to shed about 20-30lbs once again. And I know the only way is to listen to my body and some of the expert scientists around the world talking about a plant-based diet. Something in me is motivated this time around.
One of the problems is that I’m teaching cooking based on Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire which is all based around meat cookery and dairy. Didn’t I just talk about the problems for our bodies when we eat these kinds of foods? I’m not sure what to do at this point about all this. All I know is I’m going to do my best to share the wisdom I gained from this past year in Asia and have the most positive outlook as possible.
I know my outlook isn’t fully aligned to that at the moment. I’m working on it.
