In this case, ignorance may be gross

Hi!

I haven't written in a while... not because I don't love you, God no! Mostly because I got a new computer and everything changed. I couldn't figure out how to make it work. Lame, I know. Anyway.....

When I got up this morning, the day was full of possibilities. I could ride my motorcycle to the OVMA meeting. I could go lay on a boat on the lake with some friends. I could go hiking...I could do anything. What I chose to do is stay home and clean the oven. What??! Then I made coffee and got on my iPad.

I get a lot of things on facebook and email about our food industry. Frankly, I don't read half of it because it depresses me. Can't eat this, can't eat that, bla bla bla. But today I saw something about how a product may be distributed through an American company, but  the actual food is grown in China or wherever,  where they have little or no food safety inspectors or regulations. Now, I already knew this, of course. But I really started thinking about that. I know that in some parts of the world, they practice what's called "Black Farming." You probably already are aware of what that is, but just in case you don't, I will fill you in. Black Farming (why am I capitalizing that?) is when you use human waste as fertilizer. That's right.......gross. So, just for fun (you know, like riding a motorcycle or clutching an inner tube behind a boat fun) I looked in my pantry at my food. Dole pineapple comes from Thailand. My raspberry preserves come from Poland. My grape tomatoes are a product of Mexico. The dog's biscuits are from New Zealand. Luckily, I didn't find anything from China (well, except this computer and everything else in my house, probably.) But at least my food isn't from there. The article (and I believe this to be true) says that China is the worst offender as far as the black farming thing goes. And I suppose that if I checked further back in the pantry I would find something from our Chinese friends.

Things are tough here in the USA nowadays. Part of the problem, of course, is that we are buying all this crap from overseas because it's cheaper. But, honestly, I think that we assume we are getting our food from here. I mean, we have farms here,  we have huge plants that put our food in packages here.....we can do it all. But we don't, I guess. It's an easy mistake to make. I really want there to be jobs in America. What did Ronald Reagan say? "the best social program is a job." I want us to be eating what our farmers grow, (yes, I know that huge corporations run our farms now, but that's a topic for another blog.) I want to have some assurance that our food is safe (yes, I know that the FDA and Dept of Agriculture are not to be trusted either.) I want to eat stuff that is grown and packaged here. I vowed to myself this morning while my oven is cleaning itself that I am going to do one simple thing to make this country stronger. I am going to wear my glasses when I shop. I am going to read where this stuff comes from and I am going to buy American. Food, I hope, will be simple. Clothes, electronics, etc...I'm just gonna have to do my best there.

Have a good day everyone!