Ralph's

I went into Ralph's supermarket today... not for myself - I had to re-stock the fridge for the family i was housesitting for. But I took this opportunity to compare prices and check on what they carry.

Eggs - all are grain-fed. and even the "organic" and "cage-free" varieties cost around $4/dozen.

Produce:

Strawberries - They're in season now - prime time for strawberries... but not at Ralph's... the small container of organic strawberries was almost $5. at the Larchmont Farmer's market i went to yesterday, they were selling 3-packs for $5 and half flats for $9.

Apples - Organic ones were from Washington - they looked like they were perfectly in season - but that's b/c they're shipped from where they are in season... or kept in cold storage for a very long time.

Asparagus - Also in season now - but at Ralph's they were $3/bunch... I found them at the Farmer's market for as low as $1.50/bunch and 3 bunches for $4.

Meats:

no Grass-fed options... - not for chicken and not for beef. they do carry a brand called Laura's Lean Beef - but i'm skeptical on that brand - must check their website...

I went up and down the aisles and was mostly uninspired by what i saw... I really have no desire to puchase any of those brand-name processed foods.

Until today - I hadn't been to a Ralph's for about a month -and i haven't been to Trader Joe's either... but what i did buy for myself - apple jelly for a recipe to make a salsa for salmon, some pancetta (i know i know - pork and processed - bad and bad) but that's for a recipe with leeks and asparagus... and chocolate (no soy lecithin in this brand).

but i would be lying if i said i've been strict in following my new shopping/eating philosophies... I do sneak some cookies - and even had some milk chocolate (no new breakouts, thank god).

baby steps... at least i've been 90% good...

burgers

i concede - i'm a pretty good cook, but when it comes to burgers - i'm clueless. 

though i consulted all i could read about how to prepare burgers, I still failed pretty miserably on my attempt at making grass-fed ground beef burgers.  the meat was 85% lean but all my books said i should use no leaner than 80%... also, the literature on grass-fed meats say they take longer too cook.  but i'm always afraid of getting well-done rather than my favorite medium-rare.  they ended up rather rare-ish.

lets just say - it's an acquired taste - they were rather tough (could be my fault entirely - and the 5% fat difference could also be a factor) and the flavor was very different... but i'm not letting them go to waste... just loading up on mustard...

Awww - Diane, how could you?

I was just strolling along Larchmont Blvd. & I popped into Pickett Fences... why? I don't know - i like their stuff... not that i can afford any of it... they carry designer duds and most are outrageously expensive...

they had the new Diane von Furstenberg dresses on display... can I just say how much i love the DVF wrap dress... always flattering - simple yet classy - perfect drape and a clean silhouette... expensive too.

I looked at the tag... no, no, no - not the price... not the size either... i wanted to see where it was made...

made in china. sigh...

my favorite dress is outsourced. boo!

the ghosts of Santa Monica

as i was driving thru downtown Santa Monica, i started reflecting back to the time when it was like a small town by the ocean... 

I was sitting behind a Big Blue Bus - but you know what was missing? those old corny pun filled ads for Santa Monica Bank (yes Monica, there is a Santa)... 

and the breezy beachy atmosphere is now all corporate... once upon a time, you could have maybe run into someone like Jack Tripper or Janet Wood on the way to the Regal Beagle... but now you're more apt to find some yuppie moms with their tricked out baby strollers talking about their new granite kitchen countertops...

I bought my first pair of Doc Martens at Na*na - yesteryear's non-corporate independent prototype for Hot Topic... sigh...

Why so wistful?  i suppose it was that low overcast misty sky that allowed me to look up to the buildings and check out the architecture... lots of chigguriguesque (sp? - it's that baroque/roccoco type ornamentation you'll see on the spanish mission revival buildings).  some great deco buildings too... i love looking at these ghosts of the past...

as for the Farmer's Market... I found some grass fed beef from Atascadero... don't know how to cook it... but i'll find something (cooksillustrated.com).  I also got eggs - but you know - I liked the ones i got from the Larchmont Farmer's market better.  What i did find here that was great:  a very dazzling spring mix of salad!  it had flowers and herbs mixed in the blend, and lots of delicate baby greens... yum!  I also got a leek and (almost got peas) but got an onion instead... gonna do something with the ground beef i got from yesterday's co-op - and a saute of leeks and asparagus (with pancetta maybe?)... 

I've all this great food to cook with but who's gonna try these foods with me?  I need to compare and critique the flavors and textures... meh - i'll just have leftovers for another night.

And when in Santa Monica... I stopped at SM Seafood to check out the fish... i was so uninspired... but i got half a pound of black cod that i'll marinate with my miso sauce. that will be for Friday's dinner... But I must cook the chard soon! dude... bad planning... my eyes are bigger than my stomach.

You know - I haven't been to Ralph's or Trader Joe's for several weeks now.  

Co-Op

In my quest for grass-fed meats, I came across several interesting websites... www.localforage.com was an interesting one... 

From there, I saw listed a market in Santa Monica called Co-Opportunity - so i decided to take a look-see.  It's not as overwhelming a market as Erewhon.  This market was much easier to navigate - It was much more user-friendly and approachable.  

speaking of approachable - i almost ran my cart into this guy... he was wearing his bike helmet, so i'm sure he wouldn't have sustained much damage had i knocked him over... i made one of those "oops" faces and smiled and went on... 

but i guess i knocked him over the head in another respect.  He found me again down another aisle and boldly stated that he was about to leave but he had to come back in to ask if i was married or had a boyfriend... 

I blushed... 

"and you even blush in the sweetest way"

i smiled - i wasn't much for words - i'd just had my back adjusted by my chiropractor and i was there in body but i was so calm and relaxed - i simply couldn't talk. but i indicated that i was seeing someone (i lied - he was sweet but just not my type).

"well, perhaps i'll see you again, and by that time maybe your boyfriend will have been hit by a car or struck by lightning and maybe i'll have a chance to ask you out again."

i thanked him for his flattery and laughed at his charming little jokes and smiled sweetly... 

Back to the Grass-Fed animals... 

dude - it's hard to find locally raised grass fed meats.  some were from South Dakota, and others were from the east coast somewhere... kinda  defeats the purpose of getting somewhat local foods.  but i did get some hamburger meat & some frozen chicken - just to try it out.  

The eggs were $2.30 or so for the 1/2 dozen but the labels didn't quite indicate what kind of feed or living conditions the chickens were in.  the eggs were cheaper at the farmer's markets on Larchmont and Hollywood.  

tomorrow is Wednesday - the day of the big Santa Monica farmer's market... I'll go and see what they have.  I still have Rainbow Chard from Sunday, and Strawberries... but i'll scope the place out in the name of research.  maybe I'll stop at Santa Monica Seafood for some fresh fish.  

So even though i live closer to Erewhon, I'd much rather shop at Co-Op (but only if i'm already on that side of town).

my head's gonna explode!

I just went shopping at Erewhon

talk about expensive and confusing!

huge selection of raw and organic foods...

... but i have a lot of different things clouding my mind...

I needed more automatic dishwasher detergent - and i just couldn't even figure that out! Mrs. Meyers brand or 7th Generation??? I like the smell of Mrs. Meyers (lemon verbena), and the look of the packaging... was there a right or wrong between the two?

I was completely helpless... texting back and forth with friends about personal issues - that when i was faced with choosing between the 2 detergents - my head was exploding!

sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup

so i heard that high fructose corn syrup bypasses the "i'm full" receptors in the body...

could that explain why i can never seem to stop eating swedish fish/twizzlers/sour gummi watermelons when i crack open a pack?

also - there's so much GMO corn on the market - not for public consumption at the veggie sections but used for other purposes - how much of this modified corn is going into this corn syrup?

this is one instance where i'd rather purchase something Mexican rather than American: Coca Cola - the Mexican tall skinny bottles of Coke are made with sugar.

not that i drink much soda anyways...

oh - and my favorite mixers: San Pelligrino Limonata & Aranciata - are imports... kinda goes against my goals of local purchasing... maybe i should get an old fashioned seltzer decanter - get it recharged constantly - and just use fresh lemon and orange juice & some home made simple syrup? could be interesting... i sense a project coming on...

Friends... gotta love 'em

I was talking to Megan about my new blog...

i told her how i felt like slapping myself after having uttered the phrase "I want to reduce the carbon footprint by buying locally" outloud in public to a salesperson...

Megan: "you couldn't slap yourself because your arms were too busy hugging that tree"

ok - i admit - that was very funny...

and no more carbon footprint references... that's just crazy talk.

on a side note - new fish is taking to his new home! he's been making bubbles... now i just need to find him a name...

first day of shopping...

i sounded like such a dork today!

started off quite normal - took my re-usable shopping bags to the larchmont farmer's market... also brought some plastic supermarket bags to re-use and keep the items separated in my big bag...

so some vendors don't use pesticide - but are not "certified-organic"... hmmm.... i asked a few people what the difference was... one guy explained to me that they need to go a certain number of years from the time they last used pesticides to be "certified"... and i did see some Fuji Apples that were listed as transitional. the sales girl there told me that the tree needed one more year w/o pesticides to be organic... okay... sounds good i guess...

here's the tally:
radishes - 50 cents/bunch... at whole foods they are $1.29 but certified organic. Trader joe's doesn't sell radishes... i'm on a budget - so i went for the pesticide free farmer's market produce.

broccoli - $1.50/bunch... vs. whole foods $1.75/pound crowns only - or $2.25 for the crown & stem. Trader Joe's has the pre-washed bagged broccoli for about $2.00 - but it's not organic...

asparagus - $2.00 bunch... forgot how much it was at whole foods and tj's... but they looked especially fresh.

for the above 3 items, the sales people were too quick on the draw and i ended up getting bags from them... there goes that good intention out the window.

strawberries - $2/basket or $5/3-pack. I live alone so i got one basket since i'd rather not throw anything away. used my own bag - woot! grown in oxnard, and pesticide-free... local and on their way to being organic... until i'm frightened into thinking otherwise, this is good enough for me.

eggs - $3/dozen. i've never bought eggs from anywhere else than the market. these were from free range chickens that feed on seeds and grain and other misc greens. some of the shells were still dirty (like out of the coop dirty)... and were lain (layed?) yesterday. and they were all uneven in size!!! strange indeed. haven't cracked into any yet - but i'll see how they taste. they came in a styrofoam container... perhaps i'll bring it back next time to re-use? no extra bag needed...

pommelos - 2 for $1.00... certified organic... like a grapefruit but not...

fuji apples - $2.00/lb. for the small apples. i got them from Lim's Orchards - they have always been good from there... and it's certified organic (vs. the other transitional ones i saw).

ok - enough for the farmer's market...

now for the dorky stuff:

walked into Larchmont Beauty Supply - i need a new face moisturizer... i can't quite bring myself to using the organic all natural stuff yet... i'm transitioning... but i went for products made in the U.S.!

the owner of the store first recommended something from fresh - but that's made in France... so i asked for something from the U.S. because i wanted to buy something with less of a "Carbon Footprint" - wow - i heard myself saying that and i wanted to slap myself... so lame sounding... but- i got the words out there and said i'm doing this blog so i must make my effort and track it.

They recommended Kinerase - but it was $104... hell no! instead i went for Dermalogica... it's UK based but there's a whole distribution plant near LAX and it was unclear whether it was made in the U.S. with UK owners or made in the UK with U.S. distributors... the price was much kinder to my coin purse - so there it was...

also needed a new Blush... i went for the Trucco brand - it was what i used before and it's U.S. made... again - not quite ready for the natural organic stuff... used my own shopping bag!

then i wanted to get a new Betta fish - my old fish - aka fishy-fishy, aka mikey became fertilizer last week after a 3.5 year stint... and i missed having a fish. I also cracked the glass bowl while cleaning it out, so i needed a new bowl.

petco - the glass bowls were US made and the plastic ones were made in China... no contest there! i like the glass bowls better. found the right fish - and i was off to the checkout stand. used my own bag again.

so in all - I drove 3 miles round trip, parked twice - saved 6 plastic bags (only 2 were added to my mix for future re-use). and spent a lot of money that i just don't really have to spend... but at least did it somewhat wisely (except the fish bowl/fish thing - that was frivolous).

and spoke to 3 people about my intentions to do my best to save the environment... didn't give out my blog address yet... except to 2 of my friends who came over and had tea and cocktails with me...

Mission Statement

I want to be the change that i want to see in the world.

My mother told me i was being foolhardy and naive... I had just declared that from here-on out, I wanted to stop purchasing goods from American Companies that are having their wares manufactured in Asia. I also declared that I wanted to start shopping locally and to buy organic goods only.

What are my goals?

I want to live locally

1. purchase local goods
   
2. eat local foods
   
3. reduce waste
4. reduce energy costs...

Why?

1. Too many jobs have been outsourced
2. I want to support the local economy

I want to support Organic Farming methods.

1. I will purchase organic foods when the options are available
2. I will avoid any and all GMO foods.
3. I will not eat processed and prepackaged foods any longer.
4. I will purchase grass-fed beef & lamb - avoid shellfish, and purchase sustainable/responsibly caught wild fish.

File under Miscellany:

1. Hate those voice recognition phone menus? yeah - i loathe them. Sometimes I waste upwards of 3 minutes going thru menus when the entire call should last only 2 minutes
2. Hate talking to someone who must read from a script? yeah - it's a waste of time and I tune out anyways.
3. Hate talking to someone named Bill or Alex when you know they are in India? yeah - those outsourced phone banks drive me nuts.

So the purpose of this blog is multi fold... I want to create a diary of my experience. I want to list the companies that outsource jobs and ruin the U.S. economy... Many corporations have become too top-heavy and seem to care more about their shareholders than the people they employ and serve.

But rather than fight this battle alone, I want to expose the offending companies, and promote the good ones. Hopefully I can move you into action - to follow suit. This movement of mine can only become a movement if others know about it... so if you want to join me in my journey, please let me know about your experiences as well. Share this page - and lets see what we can do to save the local economy, the local environment, and even the world.

I'm not perfect... I will probably face many hurdles and be faced with limited options... and I will document these as well. What will I do when my cell phone dies? When i need a new computer? When I go to a bar and want to have a shot of Tequila?

I'm of limited means - I can't afford a new car... I drive around the city... but i may start taking the bus more often. If the subway came all the way to the Miracle Mile (rather than end abruptly at Wilshire & Western) I'd be on it regularly. But alas...