My Bread And Butter

Over the last month, my kitchen has become a veritable workshop. I have quite wisely invested in a bread maker, an ice cream maker and I am currently shopping around for a juicer. I decided to make these purchases after I began reading the labels of things in the grocery store.

There’s a strange phenomenon in our society that most of us probably never pay attention to. It seems we are constantly fighting to have things other than how they are. If we are fat, we have surgeries to make us skinny. If we are old, we have surgeries to help us appear young. So much of our reality is tainted by a desire to have things how we would like them to be, and this is oftentimes to our own detriment.

Once I began reading labels, I realized our food had largely become tainted by this behavior. For example, why are food dyes so pervasive? Red meat is dyed so it appears more aesthetically pleasing. Salmon, my favorite fish, is dyed for the same reason. Recently, while in Whole Foods, I inquired why all of the farmed salmon had been dyed. The man behind the counter pointed out a fish that resembled farmed salmon without the dye. It was a beige color and in no way resembled wild caught salmon. Then I began to understand. Not many people would buy farmed salmon if they saw it presented in a shade of beige. But isn’t this false advertising? Shouldn’t we be allowed to decide what we want based on how it really is? Isn’t this the premise of the free market system that demand will determine supply? Is it fair to deceive us into believing that farmed salmon is equivalent to wild caught salmon even though the two hardly resemble one another? Needless to say, farmed salmon will no longer be on my grocery list.

Another food I’ve been paying more attention to is yoghurt. When Yoplait first entered the market, I thought it was great -- many flavors, great consistency. For years I had Yoplait stocked in my refrigerator and then I educated myself on what real yoghurt is. Real yoghurt has a very different consistency from Yoplait and is made with milk and yoghurt cultures. Yoplait uses gelatin instead to achieve its consistency. But then I ask the question, “Is it really yoghurt?”

So many of our foods are loaded with artificial colors and flavors. Our fruits are made shiny with waxes, and fragrance is sometimes added just in case we couldn’t smell what the manufacturers wanted us to. When I contemplate how much effort is put into these foods, I find it odd that organic foods are pricier, but that also gives me a good idea of just how far we have strayed from the natural path.

Now that I am making homemade bread, I also decided to try my hand at making butter. It’s actually quite easy. And now that I realize how homemade butter is supposed to look, it’s clear that many store bought brands have thrown in a little yellow dye for my dining pleasure. Personally, I don’t want these additives in my food. Once I made a decision to buy products that excluded these ingredients, I began reading labels more carefully. The more I read, the more I realized how limited my choices were. There are very few “clean foods” available in large grocery store chains. But all is not lost. I have learned just how easy it is to make many staples in my own kitchen. In truth, that is the only way I can be sure of the purity I desire. Also, I am a firm believer that we vote with our dollars. Until I am comfortable that the foods I can buy in the store are clean, I will attempt to make them in my own home. Once again, I suggest you consider doing the same.