Making a good thing better
During our trip back to Wisconsin in January, I had the opportunity to meet my best friend in Rochester, MN for a couple of drinks and dinner. Making the drive home, I was happy for so many reasons, not the least of which being that I did not reek like an ashtray, despite our presence in three bars and restaurants throughout the night.
Thanks to a statewide ban on smoking that was enacted in September 2007, nights out in the Land of 10,000 Lakes can be had smoke-free. Business certainly wasn’t suffering at any of the places in which we caroused, and no one seemed too put out by having to endure a few minutes out in the cold winter night to satisfy their habit.
Upon returning home, where things are a bit more regressive, I made the decision to finally and totally eschew establishments that still think it a good idea to mix smoke, drink, and food. Thankfully, it hasn’t been all that hard. Many are wising up, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised when walking into several places. SmokeFree Pennsylvania also publishes a thorough list of smoke-free dining options in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.
So, the system works like it should: The smoke-free places are rewarded with my business, while I ignore the others. Fine. But do the places that still allow smoking know what they’re missing out on? Namely, the business of people like me who just don’t want to deal with it anymore? True, they probably couldn’t care less. But I’d find it personally satisfying to develop something that could bring people together to talk about where they decided not to go, and why. It could be an empowering tool.
But first, baby steps. Here’s a search form for the SmokeFree site:
Find a restaurant
If the restaurant that you search for doesn’t show up, there’s a good chance it still allows smoking.
Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler
Wow: “If Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan – a Camry, say – to the ultra-efficient Prius.” There’s an easy way to make a good change.
Author Comes to Natural Food's 'Defense'
Related to below. Eat better, help yourself, and help the world. This interview was among the best half-hour that I have spent listening to the radio.
A better way
This summer, Arielle and I, along with our friends Jon and Meredith, became CSA members of a local farm, Harvest Valley Farms. Run by the King family, it’s a small (by conventional standards) operation about 20 miles north of the city. Every week, from June to November, we receive a large bundle of fresh fruits and vegetables that we split; it’s generally enough to keep us from having to buy produce at the grocery store for the entire week.
I’m writing this because we were invited out to the farm today to tour the facilities, and I came back a refreshed man.
In short, it’s something I’m extremely proud to be a member of. Our conventional agricultural model is a mess, and is determined by economies of scale that benefit from our access to cheap supplies of energy and our willingness to sell out the long-term health of the land for a quick buck. To paraphrase my favorite curmudgeon, how else would it be feasible to harvest a head of lettuce in California, ship it across the country in a refrigerated rail car or tractor-trailer, and sell it in a supermarket in Pittsburgh? Even Whole Foods, the supermarket “good guy” gets it wrong sometimes. Exotic fruit from South America? No thanks. The amount of energy required to get that piece of fruit up here dwarfs what my body is going to get from eating it. “Organic” doesn’t always equal “sustainable.”
But the CSA model, as exemplified by the King farm, is something different. On just 132 acres, they manage to grow over 60 different kinds of produce. Weed control consists of a homemade Roundup-spraying device attached to a tractor, plastic-lined rows, and straw-lined aisles between the rows. Innovative natural methods are used to control pests, and plantings are done in carefully-laid rows complete with drip irrigation, just in case the rainfall isn’t enough. So far, it hasn’t been used much.
Their market, according to David King, is largely contained within a 25 mile radius of the farm. Our weekly shipment, for example, is delivered to a volunteer’s house in the neighborhood; I, along with about 25 others, stop by and pick it up from their front porch after work. Everything we get was still on the plant the day before, and it shows. It looks, smells, and tastes fresh; supermarket produce, in comparison, looks artificial and its tendency to rapidly deteriorate once we bring it home serves as a fine reminder that we’re eating stuff that’s at least a week old.
Being closer to your food has been a hot topic as of late. I was glad to see the fields where my meals come from, but I was even more glad to see the people who make it possible. It heartens me to see someone who understands the big picture and is willing to work within the constraints imposed upon them by the forces of sustainability. We need more people like this.
I was able to make our monthly payment in person today. As I handed over the check, I felt like I had a better understanding than ever before of where my money was going. And I couldn’t be happier to see it go.
Ode to the pizza burger
As far as Midwestern food goes, it’s hard to beat the pizza burger as conceived by The Mom. Deceptively simple, it makes for a stunning meal that is sure to silence those that say North Dakotans can’t cook.
Since I have now been left to my own devices for three dinners throughout the week, the pizza burger is making a strong comeback. I think the pizza burger and Pittsburgh are meant for each other. Really, wherever it is, the pizza burger rises to the occasion.
Want in on this goodness? If you can operate a knife, a spoon, and an oven, you’re set! Kids and SUV owners, you may want to ask for help.
Ingredients
- English muffins (1 to infinity – they’re that good)
- Pizza sauce (1 jar/can, unless you have an infinite number of muffins. Then two should suffice.)
- Cheez Whiz ® (1 jar. This stuff’s bottomless. Remember: use only the very best in processed cheese-like substances for these culinary delights.)
Preparation
- Turn on the oven. Set it to Broil, or whatever comes after that.
- Cut the English muffins in half. The long way, Skippy. Stop cutting the muffin before you get to the hand that you’re probably holding the muffin in.
- Lay the muffins out on a cookie sheet and spread the Whiz on top of them. Then give each muffin a spoonful of sauce. Looks good already, doesn’t it? But wait!
Cooking Instructions
- Put the pan in the broiler. Leave it in for a while, at least until the edges of the muffin get all nice and toasty. Bonus points for blackened edges and black spots. (What are they? Burnt sauce? Burnt Whiz? No one knows.)
Eating Instructions
- Two bites should be sufficient to down each muffin. If you can’t eat at least ten in one sitting, you’re a girly man.
- They go well with beer too. Kids, drink up!
