mo money, mo problems

Notorious B.I.G. was onto something.
Seriously.
“I don’t know what, they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see”

fast cars.
fast money.
fast food.
fast death.

I’ve mentioned before, it’s a crazy world we live in. “The irony of the food production system is that millions of wealthy consumers in developed countries are dying from diseases of affluence….” It really is a case of mo money, mo problems.

Anyone can make delicious food with sugar, fats and flours. It’s a foolproof combination.

Let’s take it back to basics. Cut the crap. Simple flavours. Real ingredients. Satisfying and delicious.

Too many health foods claim to be nutritious by replacing fats, sugars and flours with artificial flavours and sweeteners, chemical additives like xantham gum and guar powder or just other starchy flours.

Support the slow food movement. Its easier than you think. Start with buying organic. If it’s too expensive, buy less. You’re more than likely eating more than what you should anyway. Focus on quality, not quantity. Make one flavour the stellar, stand-out star of your meal.

I recently attended the Slow Food Festival in Paldang, South Korea (post to follow) and became aware of the slow food.com website and Terra Madre network. Yet to fully research it and its authenticity however it seems legit so far and an organisation I think I want to be a part of and support. It is an international, member supported non-profit organisation with a very low membership fee (90AUD/50EUR/35EUR in Asia – these prices are halved if under 30 years old) that supports small-scale, sustainable, local economies worldwide. They show their support by promoting taste education and backing educational projects in schools, hospitals and prisons and defending biodiversity with a sustainable model of agriculture, cultural identity and animal welfare and supporting any local community’s right to decide what it produces and eats. To date, there are 85,000 members in 132 countries from Mexican campesinos, French bakers, Mongol herdsmen, Vietnamese fisherfolk, Italian wine producers and South Korean organic farmers. Make up your own mind at www. slowfood.com.

Grow your own anything. Basil, coriander, chives, spring onion, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, weed if you can get away with it. Just sayin’! Here in Korea I would get deported for even the suspicion that I may have smoked it. Not worth it, and half the reason I’m staying here – self imposed rehab.

Eat less meat. I’m not suggesting here you have to become vegetarian or vegan. I have dabbled in the past, but I personally cannot give meat up completely. I only eat it about once a week, and eat fish/seafood 3 times a week, but I believe it constitutes a healthy diet in smaller quantities. Most Korean dishes actually serve meat as a side dish, for example Jangjorim.

Also, make sure you know where your meat is coming from. I cannot understand how some people will make the effort to source the most fresh and organic produce, yet due to the high price of grass fed, organic and farm raised free wheelin’ and dealin’ animals, supposedly ‘save’ money on meat. This was once a living, breathing, blood pumping animal. We eat its flesh, yet you really think it’s ok to eat an animal that has been subjected to conditions we do not even force our most terrible humans to endure in jail, like being pumped full of hormones and growth steroids to mature 4 times more quickly than normal, to grow a body so large our legs collapse under the sheer pressure, to be forced to live in perpetual darkness or subject to artifical lighting systems and living knee deep in our own shit, or fed GMO grain that is actually a by product of previous animals.

Either buy the good stuff or go without. Seriously, you don’t have to be a hippy-dippy or burn your bra and chain yourself to a tree. It’s just about educating yourself, having heart and understanding that this inhumane treatment of animals is unethical, it is doing damage to your body and that the government and regulating food bodies are more interested in making a profit, than your health and the flavour of the food. There’s many documentaries to educate you, but Earthlings, (A difficult watch) Food Matters  or Forks over Knives is a pretty good starting point.

But this isn’t meant to be a rant on animal liberation. Just to make you more conscious of what you put in your pie hole. Maybe more pie. Maybe less pie. Either way make that pie delicious and enjoy and appreciate every last bite.

whole food.
whole taste.
wholesome
whole*istic.