#makedinner

giấc ngủ kéo dài 7 tiếng, từ lúc trời mờ sáng đến ban trưa. lại một ngày sinh hoạt đảo lộn.

mình dành ra khoảng 30 phút để đọc quyển sách Arms of the Sea. thú thật, nó khó hiểu kinh khủng, just a fiction nhưng khoảng 3 trang đầu mình hoàn toàn không hiểu và cũng không tưởng tượng được context của nhân vật. may sao đoạn sau thì đỡ hơn, mai rồi lại đọc tiếp.

4g chiều, đi chợ, mua thịt gà làm món gà chiên, cánh gà có vẻ ngon nhưng chắc ko phải lựa chọn thông minh vì thế mình mua drum sticks and nibbles. về nhà rồi ướp gia vị theo công thức của mama, first time do it so hope it will be at least tạm tạm haha. món canh chắc là canh cải mua ở Lim market nấu chung với xương also from the market. 6 pm, so early for flatmates to come home, we usually have dinner at 8 pm or even later, but it’s totally fine by me.

Traveling cross country to share a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, I was struck by the proliferation of viable real food purchase options… everywhere!

OK, yogurt, the cliche for “healthy” food, has been a given for years alongside cellophane-wrapped replica pastries composed mostly of chemicals and candy! With the airlines putting travelers on their own to provide sustenance, the market has responded. Sugary carbs have been upstaged by outsized refrigeration units brimming with pre-made salads, hummus and tiny vegetable dippers, cereal and fruit atop yogurt; it’s a feast for the eyes. This in itself may not be news, but a virtual tsunami HAS occurred which says the message is getting through. Fresh food is becoming the norm with even corner stores in urban centers actually selling fruit and water as alternatives to the fried, the sugared and the unnaturally colored.

Nonetheless, many of us (and our children) are just getting harmfully bigger and bigger, all the while struggling with indigestion, constipation, high blood pressure and joint pain. Overwrought rushing to meet unimaginable schedules, in horrible traffic; food is more often than not “grab ‘n go.” The fast-growing segment pushes the prepared meals and snacks from grocery store to gas station. Natural, fresh food is popping up everywhere, but old habits die hard. It all feels like a theme park when you see the long lines of people still clamoring for the grease bomb sandwiches and burgers, stuffed everything, the outlandish pastry (bigger than your face, bad), or a bag of over-salted, largely artificial morsels.

Let’s listen… It’s NOT A FAD! You are in fact what you eat. Cleanse, detox, shakes, powders, supplements, nothing can replace eating fresh fruits and vegetables you’ve purchased and prepared yourself. It’s not a matter of carving out time for yet another task, it’s a matter of putting yourself first. #1 on The Stalk’s list: Have a plan. Wandering aimlessly in any store is danger, but the food store is the most perilous of all. When you invest in fresh, REAL food the dividend is less colds, flu, coughing, stomach aches, clearer skin, less chronic pain… just sayin.’

The drought in California is not just about California, or even water. When we consider that the Central Valley produces 25% of the food we eat, it’s time to broaden our thinking about what we eat and just how we source our food. The horizon is not sunny for the behemoths of industrial agri-business. People are panicked over genetically modifying anything, overuse of pesticides, insensitivity to animal welfare and the working conditions of agricultural workers.

Figures vary widely, bandied about in op-eds and food columns, but consider these. California provides 99% of all almonds, 95% of celery, 94% of broccoli, 88% of avocados, 86% of cauliflower and 81% of carrots. Staggering to take in… we are all California. As Nicholas Kristof wrote in the New York Times earlier this year, “It’s time for a fundamental rethinking of America’s food factory.” In California, 80% of the water humans use goes to agriculture, hardly sustainable.

Trucking food across the country in refrigerated trucks, not only adds a remarkable carbon output, but it seems irrational as we accept what future indicators predict. No, we cannot grow our own food on any realistic scale. Even if you have a yard, most cities do not allow farm animals in the city limits. We may have a green thumb in spring and summer, but feeding our communities, states and regions is the challenge before us.

1. Local Source One of the more remarkable and fantastic movements in the last 25 years is the fresh market phenomenon. It used to be rare, very seasonal and a bit elitist. Today, this movement is spawning year-round access to locally produced fruits, vegetables and artisanal basics. Long-shuttered markets of another era and unused buildings sprout small businesses that feed both body and economy. A way of life is returning in every region of this country.

2. Schoolyard Gardens Teaching children the health implications of eating well, appreciating where food comes from, understanding the hard work and commitment of those who grow food is critical as we move to a more realistic production model.

3. Waste Not, Want Not When we drill down on the waste we create in food just thrown away, the more dramatic fact is that 30% of the water used to grown that food is literally being flushed at the landfill too!

Let’s all cheer “The Food Movement.” Our eating and purchasing habits are shifting. Just look at most supermarkets with bigger and bigger produce departments pushed right up to the door. Grab ‘n go outlets everywhere. Fresh, fruit and vegetable content dominates the refrigerated shelves.