Monday, February 23, 2015

Veggies — Frozen or Fresh?

I eat frozen veggies for a number of reasons. They’re cheaper than “fresh” — in my local supermarkets it’s almost impossible to find any vegetable that costs less than $2.50 a pound. On sale I can load up on frozen for less than $2 a pound. But that’s not all that’s good about frozen. With frozen there is no prep work, no washing, no trimming, no cutting out questionable bits, no waste. And speaking of waste, when you cut stems, discard outer leaves, etc. you are throwing away parts of a vegetable that you just spent a good deal of money on, so that vegetable becomes even more expensive by virtue of you throwing some of it away. Because frozen are ready to use, and in many if not all cases fresher when they were frozen than the so-called “fresh” veggies you paid a small fortune for at the supermarket, I am more apt to eat vegetables, something few of us consume enough of. Having worked in restaurants I also am not as enthusiastic about allowing other people to decide what goes into my dinner, so I cook at home  — easy fast stuff like stir-fry or fried noodles or soups. When I see others spend a crazy percentage of their income on eating out for virtually every meal, I not only am disturbed by the waste of money, but by what is being added to their food that they themselves would never add if they were cooking at home. Also, people who can’t even feed themselves because they don’t see the importance of learning how to cook a few dishes are nuts. And don’t get me started on women who want to get married and have children who laughingly admit they don’t know how to cook and don’t intend to learn. What kind of idiot thinks it’s smart to brag about the fact that they can’t perform even the most basic task essential for their own and their children’s survival? What kind of irresponsible mother does not teach her own kids how to cook? Apparently, millions of ‘em, including my own.

2 comments:

  1. Whilst I agree with what you say, your fresh-frozen produce may have travelled further than you in the last 12 months to be in your freezer. It may have also been watered from heavily polluted water and ferrilised with human excrement. Due to poor legislation regarding labelling laws, it's often difficult to determine its place or origin.

    http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/imported-frozen-berries-polluted-by-this-toxic-river-in-china/story-fni0cx12-1227223267938

    PS I enjoy your blogs!

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    1. There are no guarantees in life. Extrapolate on your comment, and nothing we eat is entirely safe, including home grown -- is there old lead paint or other chemical toxins in your backyard soil? Remember Love Canal.

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