Thread: How many of you for safety could forgo convenience and...

Shop for produce at the local farmers market or produce stand or if you must shop at a grocery store at least look for the 'product of USA' stickers on the produce (still wash it though unless you know who is picking it) something that was harvested locally so has to be fresher than something off a boat from another country.
Anyone but me remember the old 'pick your own (ie oranges/walnuts/ apples)- or whatever they happened to grow in that particular field or orchard) for ( 1$- 5$ foa ga grocery sack full ) signs by the side of the road which was usually a two lane asphalt strip and the people you paid actually lived on the farm usually in an old house and a 'great' new barn with the shiniest well cared for farm equipment you ever saw maybe a couple of horses and a cow that had a name not just a tag on it's ear and you didn't worry aboput getting sick from unpasturized milk because you knew the cow.
Anyone but me remember going to the local meat market telling the butcher behind the counter who you also knew his name because he was either the owner or manager of the market telling him how much you had and how many people you were to serve and getting the very best cut that you could afford for dinner (and he could tell you where the animal came from One of our butchers was also a part of the calf roping club (you know that rodeo event- some people do it for fun) and he would provide the live stock and a couple of months later when the steers got rope savvy or sour they would wind up on a plate but before then they were fed good feed without hormones and got enough exersize that you weren't eating mush).
Anyone remember but me remember buying something that you had to prepare not just defrost for dinner? If you do do you remember that there weren't as many fat people back then?

I know I'm rambling but if we collectively just avoided the 'conveniences' that have cropped up in the past thirty years we might start to dry up the market that by and large the new people fill. (and probably be healthier while we are at it - the defrost and eat food just doesn't have much going for it other than calories, a bit of crunch and artificial flavor you would die of malnutrition if you had to live on it.

Avoid large chain restraunts (eat at the local mom & pop places - the food will no doubt taste better because it has not been watered down for the masses) I swore off the restraunt chain Chilis when I was accedentally handed a menu in spanish but when I asked for one in Russian they didn't have one in that language.

Anyone but me think that life (even with the new toys and conveniences) is less fun than it used to be?

We used to go to an orchard for real New York Macintosh apples. Nothing in the stores can compare. On the way to my Aunt's beach house in Wildwood, we'd stop at farmer's stands for unshelled lima beans and peaches. She made peach coffee cake and I learned to love limas.

Don't know about your guy's age groups, I am 39, but grew up by Mt. Hood in Oregon. Everyone had some kind of berry field, large garden they sold from, walnut, hazelnut, apple, pear and cherry trees, as well as all sorts of venison, fresh local beef and chicken, and tons of salmon and trout.

Our water is mountain water, untreated, just filtered (Bull Run).

I grew up with having never tasted frozen foods as a kid, there was six of us and it was too expensive, so we all chipped in to make dinner while our parents were on their way home from work.

I too now cook similarily, we eat very little frozen and boxed foods, as they are too expensive, but have found ways to make my own "name brands". We find when we buy boxed Rice-A-Roni, we can hardly eat it because of all the salt.

Yes, life was more fun and more enjoyable because it was more simple and required so much less money.

I think MANY Americans are on the verge of wanting to make major changes in their lives because tired and fed-up and want to live simply again.