An experiment

Today, I'm double-posting ("GASP!!"). I don't want to have two recipes in a row, but what I'm making for lunch is too delicious not to post!

Before that, though, I would like to make public my summer experiment: I am not going to buy any food-items from chain supermarkets this summer.

... What??

It all started when I became vegetarian. Being vegetarian to me doesn't simply mean "I won't eat meat." I'm not inherently opposed to eating animals. It's the way we treat them in the U.S. It's how we jack them full of hormones to grow to three times their normal size. It's when we force them to keep eating and eating and eating and butcher them years before they have had a good life. It's the way we force them into close quarters, thinking of them as a product rather than a being.

I know some sustainable farmers in the area that treat their animals right. If they sat me down for a hamburger meal, I'd eat it without a second thought.

Our meat industry also damages the environment, but more on that later...


Chain supermarkets do a great job providing any kind of food at any time of year. But, that doesn't come without a cost. I've already explain what happens with meat, but this also happens with produce. It's not logically possible to have fresh strawberries in December, so we import them from other places. The carbon dioxide we release into the environment with the transportation harms the environment, and at what cost? So we can have strawberries for $4 a box in December? Additionally, when we import from other countries (not all, mind you), we often turn a blind eye to unfair wages and treatment of works. That's not worth it to me.

(Side-note: some chains watch this better than others. Meijer does do a good job of using some local foods--Michigan apples and blueberries, for instance.)

I also do not like how chain stores choke out the local stores. I'd much rather give my business to someone in the area rather than a corporation controlling everything.


So what are the terms I have? I will not buy food-items from chain supermarkets this summer. I also maybe eliminated buying other items from them--I'm trying to work out exact details. In addition, as much as possible, I want to buy local.

I already purchase most of my food fresh, rather than processed. I'd rather make something from scratch than use a mix. I'll have to eat a bit more seasonally as I buy from the farmer's market, but that's a small price to pay. It's how people did it for thousands of years. I'll shop at local stores: I know a good health foods store in the area (where I get all my spices) and Horrocks (local store) has just about everything I could possibly need. I can get my flour from a mill out in Holland when I visit a few friends out there.

As a society, we are so reliant on supermarkets to be there for our every need. This summer, I hope to show that it's possible to live without them. I also hope to show myself what conscious living can do. Yes, it is more time-consuming, but this is time I wish to spend in a wholesome way. It also takes less and less time each day.

-QV