Soul Food

So Jude and I were at the store the other day day and chanced upon what can only be considered a poultry deal of a lifetime- 10 lbs. of chicken for US$4.99! That's 49 cents a pound folks- talk about leading cheapened lives, those chickens had no clue if you ask me... But having bought it (and by now cooked it all), it's almost as if I'm torn by simultaneous feelings of glee, guilt and resignation. The satisfaction of such a steal is unquestionable, and on a graduate student budget no less; but there's also the nagging question of why the chicken was going at such a deal? Where were they from and what were they fed? Or injected with? Jude's convinced that at the rate we're eating poultry here (and the hormones that go into cultivating half-pound sized chicken legs), we're going to start clucking...

I wish we had the means to buy organic food, not just for the sake of our bodies but also for the merchants who sell them. Of course you can make the argument that places like Whole Foods (with their over-prized apples and stratospheric notions of how much cheese should cost) hardly need more revenue, but for every Whole Foods, there's a People's Food Co-Op which believes in the holistic health of the community- I don't mean holistic in the incense-burning, crystal-worshipping way, but a community's physical, social and economic vibrance. Therein lies the dilemma- I respect and want to support the principle behind organic food but it's just so darn expensive. Buying it on any regular basis is just not an option for Jude and I. We've taken to shopping a whole lot at Trader Joe's where we always find affordable and wonderful foods that are good for you (read: no artificial flavoring/ preservatives), but even then, the organic meats and vegetables are still not cheap.


What we try to do then is to cook at home a lot. No pan-roasted veal loin with au jus reduction or anything of course. Mostly pasta, stews, roast chicken- basically anything that's satisfying without feeling your arteries clogging or an attack of heartburn impending. We like cooking, and cooking together's always fun so that's nice. But more importantly, you know what you're putting in the food that's ultimately going into your body. There's just a very different feeling knowing that you've just had a home-cooked meal no matter how simple it might have been. A couple of weeks ago, Jude made me a hot bowl of noodles when I was down with the flu- there weren't any fancy ingredients, just noodles, water and miso paste. But it made me feel a whole lot better, and we're not just talking about my sinuses.

It's difficult sometimes to make time to eat at home, and with my crazy schedule this semester, even having a proper breakfast isn't always possible (should I sleep that extra 15 minutes or wake up to fix a sandwich?...) But we try. And at the end of the day, I believe it's worth it. You don't just save money, you save your bodies. And you know what else? I love cooking for my husband- not in a "1950s-surburbia-gingham-dress-with-apron" way, but a "little-things-you-do-for-the-person-you-love-so-you-wash-the bathroom-I'll-cook" way. Alton Brown from the Food Network says it well:

"Here’s what it comes down to kids. Ronald McDonald doesn’t give a damn about you. Neither does that little minx Wendy or any of the other icons of drivethroughdom. And you know what, they’re not supposed to. They’re businesses doing what businesses do. They don’t love you. They are not going to laugh with you on your birthdays, or hold you when you’re sick and sad. They won’t be with you when you graduate, when your children are born or when you die. You will be with you and your family and friends will be with you. And, if you’re any kind of human being, you will be there for them. And you know what, you and your family and friends are supposed to provide you with nourishment too. That’s right folks, feeding someone is an act of caring. We will always be fed best by those that care, be it ourselves or the aforementioned friends and family."