The Cost of Food

The shock and awe over food prices continues. It's been in the paper practically every day for the last week.

First, they tell us food is costing more. Then they give us the usual tips on how to save money, which really only work if you have a job and a car.

I don't know why all this bothers me so much. Part of it is the nagging thought in the back of my head that Americans pay less for their food than any other country in the world. We pay less for gas too, but even liberals are complaining these days about the cost of that.

It's all relative, of course. Who cares how much they pay in France or Japan or the Congo? What matters is how much I paid a year ago and how much I'm paying now! But even with that criterian, I have to ask "why is it bothering us?"

May I suggest (meekly and humbly) that it bothers us because we have no control over it?

If you have $10 to spend on anything you want, and what you really want is a new CD of that hot new (whatever - I'm clueless, here) but CDs cost $20, what are you going to do?

You don't buy a CD. You either put the money away until you have enough to buy it, or you get something else. But you can't do that with food. You have to eat. Right?

Well, yeah.

For myself, I ask a couple of questions.

1. Do I really need to eat as much as I do? For me, this is an honest question and the answer is an unqualified "No." I can buy less food because it wouldn't hurt at all for me to cut back. How many of us is this true for?

2. Can I eat less meat? Here again, I realize I can cut back. Meat is expensive. We don't need it twice a day or even once a day. Try going for 3 times a week, tops. And don't be afraid of cheaper cuts of meat. Do you have crock pot? Throw it in there and let it simmer all day. That meat will be tender and delicious by dinnertime.

3. How much am I spending on processed food? The stuff in boxes and cans that's frozen or vacuum sealed. Okay, for me, this is a really, really small amount of money. I just don't buy much of this stuff. Maybe a few cans of diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Some condiments. Occasionally, a bag or two of frozen vegetables. Sometimes I'll buy a can of beans or broth to have in the pantry, but I try not to do that, either.

I've started cooking up a batch of beans and freezing it by the cupful. If I need beans for something, I can grab these from the freezer. Same with broth, although I'm not as consistent about this. I get whole chickens from my CSA once in a while, and I usually roast it. But I'll simmer up the leftover pieces like the back and the wings and any bones and then I'll freeze that, too, usually by the cupful. It's harder to make my own beef broth, so usually I'll buy that if I need it. I'll make vegetable broth when I'm overwhelmed with veggies from the CSA.

I know it can be frustrating for a lot of women with jobs and kids and husbands, to hear about this kind of thing. If you couldn't tear open the cardboard box and throw the container in the microwave for dinner, your family would never eat.

And folks, THAT is a societal problem. We've lost something important with our busy lives and long commutes. One of the results of this is a loss of control. We've turned over responsibility for our food to an Industry, and we are paying for it. With money: with higher prices we can do nothing about; with our health: by eating cheap, unsafe food loaded with salt, sugar, corn syrup, and perservatives; and with our environment: with monoculture and feedlots and collapsing bee colonies.

I know you can't do it all. You need conveniences. But we seriously need to find a better way and I'd really love to hear suggestions. My own ideas are so radical, they'd never get out the door.