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The Battle of Madison Avenue
Yeah, this was a great history lesson, refried!! But it still does not quite explain how we latched on to this particular event as an excuse to party. Was it the restaurant business that promoted it?— May 3, 2010 10:49 a.m.
Double Cheapburger
You outlined it perfectly. Thank you for taking the time to point out some very eye-opening facts. This letter was in Saturday's paper - Grocery store loss affects public health My husband and I drove 10 miles last night to go grocery shopping. It was not our choice but out of necessity as the only major grocery store in National City is closing this month. We live in a community that is over served by fast-food restaurants and underserved by grocery stores. Sadly, childhood obesity is a serious problem in National City, as is diabetes. Ironically, that same day Michelle Obama was in San Diego promoting her campaign against childhood obesity, visiting a community that parallels National City in its lack of major grocery stores. ELIZABETH TOY National City Why in such a densely populated area are there no major chain grocery stores? Everyone should have access to healthy food. My involvement is limited to myself and my family and friends who I have persuaded to read about mass produced food and make changes to the way they eat and shop. I have a small sphere of influence, but I have managed to get a few people on board. I believe that it starts in the schools. Teaching children basic life skills, such as finance and cooking (we used to have home economics when I was in school) will go a long way in helping future generations make better choices. Not allowing fast food chains and vending machines dispensing empty liquid calories on any school campus would be a start. I know that many schools are working to rid themselves of these choices. We did not have that choice growing up, but I am sure if we did we would have chose the bad one. So you can see that not having the choice to eat fast food and drink soda when I was a child affected my eating habits now. It can work. We ate what was given to us. My nieces grew up in the fast food campus environment and their eating habits are now disgraceful. I cannot for the life of me get them to eat healthy food. They find it distasteful. These companies spend millions of dollars in the lab creating artificial ingredients designed to make fast food addictive. I don't know, CF. I am just one person trying to get people to understand that we are poisoning our kids. I hope that programs like Jamie Oliver's takes off in America. It needs to start early. Otherwise, once the taste for junk becomes ingrained, you cannot change kids' eating habits. We need to go back to growing food, not corn to feed cattle to feed America's insatiable appetite for Big Macs. This all comes back to personal choice, like smoking, which is why getting food on the ballot is going to be next to impossible. But we were able to get bans on smoking, so who knows?— May 3, 2010 10:43 a.m.
Stick Figure brings sweet finish to Farmer's Market set
Thanks for these, Shizzy. It's so cool to see OB brought to life by your videos. You probably know this, but Gary Jule's Mad World is a cover of Tears for Fears original 1982 release of Mad World.— May 3, 2010 8:47 a.m.
Double Cheapburger
Hi, Magics! Yep, the OB People's Food Co-op is the place. They have all kinds of stuff going on there now. Actually, it is one of the better places to learn hands-on about sustainable agriculture. They have lots of reading material and they host a variety of classes. Some people think it is too hippie-esque - my mother-in-law hates it. She could not get past the dreads. Bristol Farms is more her speed. I adore this place. It supports everything I believe in. And their prices on organic produce are really low and the quality so much better than organic produce from a supermarket.— May 3, 2010 7:50 a.m.
Double Cheapburger
My apologies, CF, for the lack of education crack. I stand corrected. Obviously, you have done your homework regarding the deplorable regional impact on the ability to purchase healthy food due to socio-economic conditions. Obviously this is a subject that I feel strongly about, and so do you. Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? The initial opposition to change by the lunch ladies was a prime example of resistance to healthy eating and a real eye-opener. And you are right. Kids have been conditioned to eat garbage. http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-… Here is a link to his website, if interested. He is an example of what we should all be trying to do. I know that is impossible, given that we don't have the resources to put a network TV show on the air, but on a local level, one community at a time, I think it can be done.— May 3, 2010 7:36 a.m.
U-T Circulation Continues Fall. Ditto for Other Southern California Dailies
Women read the paper as well. Sports is not our first choice of sections. And do not say "well, you have Passages" or whatever the hell they call the section that hosts the comics. The comics are the only reason I crack that section. Like sports, there is no women's only section of the UT and their never will be. I have written letters to complain about the sex ads for men in the business section. Like women never read it. Think they ever once printed one of my letters? I have had many printed that did not involve the UT's sexism. I could write a book about the ones that did.— May 2, 2010 9:13 p.m.
Double Cheapburger
Hardly. I belong to a food co-op. Yours is the knee-jerk response of most who cannot fathom a life without mass produced food. To put it into such ridiculous monetary "goals" such as putting grocery chains out of business speaks volumes to your lack of education of the subject matter.— May 2, 2010 9:03 p.m.
Trip to the Final Frontier with Willie!!
Captain, she's breakin' up!!!— May 2, 2010 7:39 p.m.
Double Cheapburger
"the bulk of food in restaurants and food stores come from the same or similar sources" I choose not to dine or shop in these establishments. "Even if McDonalds wanted to make the switch over to a different type of beef, for example, I doubt if it could find a supplier to provide that much product." McDonald's could not afford to switch, nor is it in their best interest to. That is the reason why there is not an organic supplier for them. People that cultivate sustained methods of food production would never supply to McDonald's. They would have to succumb to their level of production, rendering their original intent void. "And of course the prices would soar." Of course they would. As well they should. "BTW, I think it may be a bit of a myth that the poor patronize McD's more than other income brackets, at least most of the families I know prepare most of their meals at home. And most eat healthy food, they just eat too much of it." This is not a myth. And you cannot get fat eating healthy food. FYI - snacks are a horrible means of controlling children. I have a great story I will post if you promise not to bash me regarding children and snacks. "There may be a few places where you can be certain of buying farm fresh, organically produced vegetables and grass-fed meat and range-free eggs. Those places tend not to be located in poor communities, and the prices are generally pretty high, so it would be hard to work into a low income food budget." Fast food companies target these locales specifically when determining where to open franchises. A head of lettuce is only a dollar. So is a double cheeseburger. "Science has strived to improve food production and distribution, to make it perfectly bland and edible and clean and easy and cheap to consume." Spend a day in a slaughterhouse and hear the horrific tales the workers have to tell. There is abuse to the employees of these death mills that are unbearable. There is nothing scientific about the processing of animals for food. You may be referring to the lab process that produces "food" that resembles nothing like the real thing. Fake odors, flavors, textures, all meant to make addicts of people who cannot supposedly afford REAL FOOD. I hope you are right about companies doing a better job. But if you really knew about where this "food" came from, you might refrain from pulling into a line of cars to get your "meal".— May 2, 2010 7:02 p.m.
Trip to the Final Frontier with Willie!!
Stoned. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starbus Texas Top Hands Western Swing Band..... Its weekend mission To explore strange new drugs To seek out new husbands and new uncivilized boyfriends To kidnap William Shatner and whip him into a spoken word frenzy To boldly go where no woman has gone before.......— May 2, 2010 5:35 p.m.