Food Stuff: Chicken/Egg April 30, 2014
Posted by indigobunting in Uncategorized.trackback
Everyone has food issues. Some people don’t have enough food. Some have too much food. Some have the wrong food. Some are allergic to food. Some have strong opinions about what they should eat. Some have strong opinions about what others should eat. Some people feel personally threatened/ offended by what other people eat and do not eat.
I eat a lot, and I could talk about food a lot. I might.
I can tell you that lately my biggest issue in major grocery stores has been buying chicken.
Usually, I stand in front of the prepackaged meat, look at the chicken for five minutes, panic, and walk away.
Everything I read about the industry is scary. And who knows what organic and free-range mean anymore? If it’s in the grocery store, it’s probably not good for me.
About once a month, I buy a chicken from a farmer at the market. A chicken that grew up within a few miles of me. We roast it. Tim makes chicken stock. It’s wonderful.
But here’s what I miss: Packages of thighs. Packages of breasts.
Sometimes I just want a bunch of thighs or breasts for a stir fry or simmer. (Sounds sexy, doesn’t it?)
And so I stare. And sometimes I buy. But it’s getting harder.
As for eggs? I usually buy them from the same guy who sells me his chickens. I go through a dozen slowly, but sometimes I run out at an inconvenient time and have to buy eggs at the grocery store. This scenario doesn’t thrill me, but I get past it a little faster than the chicken problem for some reason. Probably no good reason. Surely those layers aren’t getting any better treatment.
Of course, I worry about turning into these people:
Route 153 
I know what you mean, IB. I have those same issues — but have not found a farmer from whom to buy chickens or egg, although I do occasionally buy chicken at the farmers market. My biggest problem is my husband who is dead-set against the organics/free-range/cage-free movement.
Just curious about the reason for your husband’s dead-settedness, Dona?
Colin! That video is great. I am finding, now that neither of us is working, and we are taking more notice of the price of items we buy, that it is harder to make the choices I would usually make. It is more expnsive to be q conscious consumer. There are still specific brands of chicken, egg, and pork that I avoid or veer towards.
That is one of my favorite Portlandia scenes.
You’re right–the layers don’t get any better treatment. According to Temple Grandin, who should know, laying hens are the most mistreated of all farm animals. They spend their lives in a tiny cage without even enough room to turn around. At least the meat chickens are slaughtered at about two months of age.
Surely with all that boutique ale washing across the landscape there must be some proper organic free range chickens floating on it?
Isn’t that where free range/free run becomes important then?
I assume the chickens are free range locally, but I admit I haven’t gone to visit them. Local can trump technically organic.