Thinking about food

Since we've been spending a good 1 week carefully selecting our food and trying to make sure we have a healthy and balanced meal, I would like to invite all of us to take some time to feel thankful for the bountiful food available to us.

I've actually only starting cooking for myself this year because I spent last year travelling a lot and since we were living communally, I was taught how to cook. Besides that, this year I also started living in an apartment with a very equipped kitchen at my disposal.

The one thing that struck me when I started cooking for myself, was the amount of food available to us at any time.

Last year I was travelling with a small group and we stayed in the village for as long as 1 week at a time. We could buy our rations of canned food and fresh vegetables in the not-so-nearby town on the way in. By the 2-3rd day, all the fresh vegetables would had been consumed (or else they would rot, since we don't have a fridge).

Thereafter we would either hope for the villagers to give or sell us vegetables, or collect greens in the communal spots (typically, tapioca leaves & a type of fern). Whatever vegetable available would depend on whether it's "ripe" to be plucked from the gardens, or whatever meat would depend on if the villagers had luck hunting.

Vegetables for dinner...

Clearly we did not have the luxury of choosing what vegetables or meat we want (unless it's from a can). Eggs were also hard to come by as the little makeshift grocery shop in the village runs out of it quite fast.

Fishing in the pond. I remember this made delicious soup, despite its muddy origins...

I remember the excitement if someone joins the group between the 4th-6th day, bringing along fresh vegetables on their way in from town. Never had carrots and tomatoes brought me so much excitement and happiness.

Neighbor's chicken being slaughtered

Here in the city, I feel spoilt for choice. I'm guilty of making broccoli my staple vegetable. When I started cooking for myself, I had a startling realization that every damn time I went to the supermarkets, I could get broccoli. This struck me with amazement at how organized production of vegetables are in order to provide us city folk, every single day, with broccoli.

Bringing home the bacon

I'm not sure if I agree on the environmental cost (large scale agriculture which decreases forested land and forced relocation native people) or the human cost (low wage for farmers in order for us to have cheap greens) - but while we're in the system, lets be aware of the amount of effort it took for us to be able to choose and plan our Paleo meals. We need not be tormented by the food we are not suppose to consume if we always think of how wonderful it is to always have all types of vegetables and meat available to us, at all times.

I'll end this blog post wishing us another happy Paleo day and sharing an interesting Ted video on How Food Shapes our Cities.