Monday, September 03, 2012
No! No! Don't make me think about FOOD!
Another little observation along my journey away from mush.
The late lamented Jeff MacNelly once did a brilliant cartoon in his Shoe series. Shoe was in the Express line at a grocery store, carrying a few items in his Express basket. A friend beckoned to him from the next line, pointing to the sign above it: "MEN". Shoe joined the friend, who explained, "Men never buy more than three items, they always pay cash, they never use coupons, and they never negotiate or complain. So this is the fastest lane."
Until recently that was my attitude. Always buy the same stuff in the same order, always buy packaged stuff to minimize selection time. Roar through the aisles snatching items on the fly! Get out of this hellish place FAST! Don't spend any time thinking about FOOD! Room 101!
= = = = =
Switching away from processed food requires a whole different attitude, and I'm finding it's sort of fun. Selecting solid and healthy carrots and tomatoes involves the hands and eyes and mind. One more part of life returned from virtual to physical, one more bit of quality control reclaimed from the corporations.
I didn't do any of this during the '70s and '80s, my previous non-carnivorous period. In the '70s I bought frozen mixtures, which speeded the store trip but also caused waste. (The mixtures always included an item I didn't like, which went into the trash.) In the '80s I was working hard and making good money, so I mainly ate in restaurants. From 1990 until last year, it was back to frozen and canned stuff. So the whole fresh vegetable 'scene', from selection to slicing, is new.
The late lamented Jeff MacNelly once did a brilliant cartoon in his Shoe series. Shoe was in the Express line at a grocery store, carrying a few items in his Express basket. A friend beckoned to him from the next line, pointing to the sign above it: "MEN". Shoe joined the friend, who explained, "Men never buy more than three items, they always pay cash, they never use coupons, and they never negotiate or complain. So this is the fastest lane."
Until recently that was my attitude. Always buy the same stuff in the same order, always buy packaged stuff to minimize selection time. Roar through the aisles snatching items on the fly! Get out of this hellish place FAST! Don't spend any time thinking about FOOD! Room 101!
= = = = =
Switching away from processed food requires a whole different attitude, and I'm finding it's sort of fun. Selecting solid and healthy carrots and tomatoes involves the hands and eyes and mind. One more part of life returned from virtual to physical, one more bit of quality control reclaimed from the corporations.
I didn't do any of this during the '70s and '80s, my previous non-carnivorous period. In the '70s I bought frozen mixtures, which speeded the store trip but also caused waste. (The mixtures always included an item I didn't like, which went into the trash.) In the '80s I was working hard and making good money, so I mainly ate in restaurants. From 1990 until last year, it was back to frozen and canned stuff. So the whole fresh vegetable 'scene', from selection to slicing, is new.
Labels: Heimatkunde
¶ 5:27 PM
