More than Just Fuel

On Thursday, I had to do the supermarket run. There was not a lot that I needed, but as I wanted some alcohol for cooking (hic), I knew that it would be cheaper getting this from the supermarket.

As it was I nearly missed the bus as I was busy and engrossed in the kitchen that I nearly missed the time I needed to leave to catch the bus. I did make it, but that was more because the bus was a couple of minutes late arriving. I was pleased about that as I had missed the morning run, I came out of my hovel in time to wave the bus goodbye!

I used the unexpected extra time productively though as I put together the rough cut of the first of the cooking videos. I have listened to my critics regarding my videos, and I have tried to make this one informative but not long and boring, like most of my films are. Now don't all agree at once!

It has been an interesting exercise, as while much of what I originally set out to do remains, I will be less willing to accept using some of the junk that I was thinking of using. While I want to help folks learn how to cook, why should I use the junk ingredients the supermarkets sell just because its what the junk food addicts are eating or using. I have been trying some of this junk to see if I could develop alternatives that folks could cook at home, but I have not enjoyed trying this stuff. There have been times when trying this junk has upset my digestive system and I can not understand how this junk can even qualify as food.

Therefore while I originally wanted to help teach folks how to cook, I think I will do it my way rather than trying to please everyone. One of the aspects of the way that people here in Britain eat that has really confused me is the fact that the poor these days just don't cook. The North-East has always had a higher than average rate of unemployment, but in the past the poor were very good at making meals from very little via creativity in the kitchen. But now it really does seem as though some folks are just not willing to cook. But not only that, they will not try anything new or different.

This to me is perplexing, as (particularly) when I left home and was fully free to cook what I wanted, I experimented and discovered new ingredients and flavours that expanded my horizons. But I have given up counting the number of times that I hear people in the region that will say that they will not even try something different. Alternatively you have the other extreme where people, well mainly men, will only eat food that is so drenched in chillies that it can not be tasted.

Personally, I want my food to have flavour, to be enjoyable and be more than just fuel.

There have been times when I have encountered staff in Greengrocers who lack any knowledge of the products they are selling. And I have suggested to their customers how to cook or use a particular vegetable. Now while I don't expect everyone to be an expert cook or a walking recipe book, it frequently shows that the people running these businesses are more interested in the sales than the product. That lack of knowledge tells me that they can not tell a good product from a poor one. Therefore it is possible that part of the reason why people are not willing to be creative is simply that they have had poor quality foisted on them.

It is a statistic often quoted by politicians or the food industry that in Britain people now only spend ten percent of their income on food. Personally I find that appalling as it really shows how little we value food. This can be seen by a trip to the supermarket and looking with a critical eye at what's being offered. The reading of the chemistry set that comes with many products should have the effect of stopping people buying this junk, but it is often the prices that get them moving off the shelf.

Yet the (relatively) low prices on the shelves in the big chains are at the cost of the welfare of the animal and the environment. Take milk as an example; the modern industrialised methods of milk production relies on a breed that has become a milking machine and will regularly produce fifty to sixty litres of milk per day. That's eight thousand litres per year. While, that increase in productivity means greater cash flow for the farmer. For the cow, producing that much milk per lactation there is an effect upon the health of the animal. Producing that much milk causes infertility as well as problems with mastitis. In addition these systems require the cattle to be feed on grain and concentrates rather than feeding on grass, to maintain that output of milk, so the cows are kept on concrete floored factory units and suffer from high incidences of lameness. The overall effect is that the cows only have a useful life of three or four years.

In more traditional grass systems the cows have a productive life of ten years or so. That is not the only benefit as the milk from traditional grass feed systems is more nutritious and better quality. So it looks as though it is volume that matters to the food industry and not quality.

Add to this the fact that the concentration of so many animals in a factory system means that the manure becomes a serious pollution problem rather than a resource that helps fertilise the land. Then we start to have the cost of environmental pollution moving from the food industry to the tax payer. As if any incident is serious enough, while it may bankrupt that agricultural business, the pollution still needs to be dealt with and it always falls on government to pay the cost. But even the low levels of pollution into the environment from slurry is not borne by the farming industry but the water companies, who then pass that cost onto the consumers via higher water bills.

As was illustrated by the sudden dramatic rise in grain prices last year, the system is unsustainable. While the milk yields from rotational grass systems are lower, the farmers using this system do not have to buy in expensive feeds, they just need to grow grass. And while it is expensive to establish a good pasture initially, there is a clear benefit from this system. But more importantly the milk from this system is better quality. Science has shown that it is more nutritious too.

I could go on, food, and good quality food is a passion. And there are serious environmental and social impacts resulting from the government in Britain leaving food policy up to the agricultural industry and the supermarkets. When, as so often occurs, there is some health study that shows how poor the nutrition of the population is, a trip round the supermarkets shows why.

This is why I have started the new Blog cookinganimals.blogspot.com It will allow me to vent my spleen, in what I hope will be a creative way, and where I can post my cooking, food and farming videos.

Well after that rant I think I need a nice cup of Tea! Or should I try the Brandy?