Rekindled

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser explores the influence that the US fast food industry has had on the world. We all know that the rise of fast food has led to high levels of obesity, but the growth of the industry has also led to changes in agriculture, employment, politics, culture and more. Throughout the book, Schlosser shows that the real cost of fast food is not reflected in the price on the menu.

What I found most shocking was the way in which low wage, unskilled employees are treated, both in the restaurants and in the meatpacking industry. Meatpacking used to be highly skilled and highly paid work. It is now the most dangerous job in the United States. The workers seem to be regarded as virtually disposable. Their welfare doesn’t even register on the list of priorities for meatpacking firms – they are slaves to the speed of the factory lines. And the speed of those lines is not dictated by concerns for safety, but by profitability.

I was also amazed by the huge influence that major fast food chains have had on the political system.  They have a hypocritical obsession with the ‘free market’, opposing reforms in worker safety, food safety and minimum wage laws, whilst benefiting from enormous government subsidies.  It seems that it is all too easy for a large corporation to ‘buy’ politicians, so that they no longer truly represent the people who elected them.  In addition they have engaged in anti-competitive practices such as price fixing, wiping out numerous small businesses – doesn’t really sound much like a free market to me.

Fast food has also led to the rise of massive multinational agricultural corporations.  This has affected farming, with many small family farms being absorbed into these large firms, and farmers losing their independence, becoming wage slaves or even being forced off the land altogether.  The way that farmers are treated made me think of the Middle Ages, when the peasants who worked the land were virtually slaves to the landowners.

This is a must-read book.  It is both fascinating and shocking.  It has changed the way I think about fast food, and I will definitely think twice before buying another fast food meal.  But it also ends on a positive note, showing that fast food firms are capable of responding to consumer concerns and changing their ways.  An example of this is the removal of polystyrene packaging in the US and UK.  The people who run the industry, who make decisions, are not bad people, they’re just business people.  If enough people demand free range, organic food, they will provide it.

This book is about food.  Real food.  Food that’s come from the ground, not from a factory.  It is an exploration of the typical Western diet of processed food that leaves us overfed and yet undernourished at the same time.  Our way of eating has changed beyond recognition since the birth of food science and nutritionism, and yet we are less healthy than ever before.  Unfortunately science doesn’t have all the answers yet, but the food industry is motivated by profit, and it is easier to sell something in a brightly coloured box with health claims splattered all over it than it is to sell something traditional and wholesome like a potato.

If you are fed up of reading the nutritional information labels on food packaging, and trying to figure out what “superfood” you are supposed to be eating this month, then this book is for you.  The final section of the book has some simple, practical guidelines that will help you to rediscover eating.  It’s about investing a bit more time, effort and money in what you put in your mouth instead of buying cheap convenience food.

This is a repost of a book review I wrote last year.

Nothing in life is black and white, and this goes for being green as well. In Shades of Green, Paul Waddington tackles a range of areas from aeroplanes to wine and outlines different choices, ranking them from ‘deep green’ to ‘not at all green’. This book will show you where you fit on the scale and what you can do to reduce your environmental impact further, whether you are taking your first steps to greening your lifestyle or are already well on your way.

Shades of Green judges the greenness of the different options not just on carbon emissions but also on sustainability and overall impact on the environment. This gives a much more rounded, and sometimes surprising view – for example, being vegetarian is considered greener than being vegan, because we actually need animal waste to boost soil fertility.

The style of the Shades of Green is not at all preachy, it allows you to make your own choices and the author shows a sense of humour. For example, his suggestions for computers range from grumpy Luddite (deep green) to monster-gaming PC hooked up to giant plasma screen.

I consider myself to be pretty clued up about being green, and I am one of the most eco-conscious of my circle of friends, but I still found plenty of food for thought in this book. In fact, here are the actions I am planning to take to make myself just that little bit darker green:

• Eat less meat, and make sure what I do eat is ethically sourced (local, organic and free range)
• Switch to loose tea instead of teabags – but I will need one of those filter cup things, or a one person teapot like this, as I usually only make one cup at a time
• If its yellow let it mellow…do I need to say more?
• When I move house in the next month or so I will finally have a garden so I will be able to:
  • Grow my own: beans, salad veg, tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes (things that are easiest to grow and will have the biggest impact)
  • Start a compost bin (I have already got a bin from Freecycle, yay!)
• My new house also has a bigger kitchen so we will be getting the most energy efficient dishwasher we can find and only using it when it’s full – lazy and green, hurrah!

What steps are you currently working on to be a deeper shade of green?

I can’t remember where I first heard about this book, but I reserved it from my local library last week, collected it on Monday lunchtime, and finished reading it on Tuesday evening.  Which is unheard of since I was a teenager.

I love this book.  I wish I had written it.  It is fantastic.  It is thrifty and yet totally fabulous, dahling.  It is written in such a friendly, chatty style that it is a delight to read, and I just couldn’t help but devour it in 2 evenings.  I love that it includes the phrase ‘thick bint’ – this is not your typical thrifty type book.  And not only is it fun to read, it is really, really useful as well!  I am now re-reading it slowly, chapter by chapter, to make sure I get all the good tips out of it before I take it back to the library.

I also like the fact that this is a British book, so I can actually use all the resources she recommends.  It just feels like everything she says is relevant to me.  Not only that, it is realistic, and acknowledges the fact that if you work full time, you may not have the time available to visit the farmers market every day.  She suggests lots of options so that you can compromise and work out what suits your situation.  It also has a WHOLE CHAPTER on crafts.  It’s like the author peered into my brain and wrote a book especially for me!  Like I said, I LOVE this book!

I suggest you have a look at the book on Amazon, as you can read the introduction online.  It will give you a great idea of the tone of the rest of the book.

One of my favourite blogs is The Non Consumer Advocate which is about living sustainably and making do with less stuff.  Recently, the author, Katy Wolk-Stanley, has started an online book discussion group.  The first book she has chosen in Simple Prosperity by David Wann (coauthor of Affluenza).  Currently, the preface, introduction and first chapter are being discussed.

I decided to join in as I thought the book sounded interesting.  I tried to reserve it at my local library but there are no copies available anywhere in the county as yet, so I ended up ordering a copy from Amazon.  I have read the whole book and I thought it was amazing.  It is down to earth but inspiring and hopeful, and it is so good to know that there are people out there who think like me.

Being a self-confessed hippy and treehugger, I have already taken several steps towards reducing my levels of consumption.  I no longer go shopping for fun, my central heating is on a timer, and I wear a jumper indoors when it is cold.  I recycle, I buy used when I can, and turn lights off when I leave the room.  However this book has really driven home one more thing that I could do to reduce my impact, and that is to eat less meat.  This is something that I have considered and tried a few times but so far I haven’t really been successful.

My personal stumbling block is knowing what to eat instead of meat.  As a child, every main meal I ate contained some form of meat, so I just have no idea what else there is!  So far I have discovered one particular variety of veggie burger that I like, but I don’t really see the point of eating fungus or seaweed or beans that are mashed up and reformed to look and taste like meat.  In my mind that kind of defeats the whole point.  Plus, when I went to the supermarket earlier today, it was no longer available, so I’m back to square one again.

I know there are vegetarian recipes out there that will taste delicious and won’t leave me feeling like something is missing.  But I don’t know where to look or how to start.  Can anyone help???