BLTs and Burgers

Well...

Our first semester is coming to an end. Friday is the last day of the first semester and Monday is the first day of the second (only three total... yikes!). It's so crazy to think that we've only been in school for four months and we've already changed so much. Lately we've been thinking a lot about life styles, what we're eating and where our food is coming from. We've also been considering our own footprints as well as our industry's impact on the environment.

For starters, we've decided to completely change our lifestyle. In the past month, we've sold our couch, love seat, futon, television, and spare bed. We haven't been very organized since leaving San Diego two years ago, mostly because of having to move around so much... and thought it time to get organized. Because of my friend's post (thanks Megan...) we just added up how many times we've moved in the past five years together... and the grand total was... SIXTEEN TIMES... and that's not including deployments, or small moves we individually made because of the military. By selling furniture and the small things that clutter our life, we're finally able to focus on what's really important. Without a couch to sit on or a TV to watch, we're gathering around our dining room table, talking more, thinking more and being more active. We've hung decorations, clocks, pictures of friends, family, and ourselves for the first time in two years. Because we've moved so much we haven't found it convenient to unpack, let alone hang pictures. Now we also have curtains hung, no more boxes, and we've set up an outdoor space. We've started stretching and doing yoga to relax, ridding our home of processed and packaged foods, and trying to eat a healthier diet.

Which brings me to earlier this week...

We wanted a BLT. We had fresh bread, mayo and mustard... all we needed was tomatoes, lettuce and bacon, so we went to the store. Upon arriving at the supermarket, we noticed the lack of variety in the produce section (I couldn't find a cucumber...) and the lack of quality in the little they had. Frustrated, but hopeful we went to Walmart, which doesn't have a great selection but surprisingly has decent quality. Walmart was also a bust... NO LETTUCE... only mushy or extremely hard roma tomatoes, and the only bacon available was packaged so that you couldn't even see it behind all of the cardboard and plastic. At this point we weren't just frustrated... we were mad. So, we tried to find a farmers market... and none were open. Sadly, we did not get a BLT that day... such a simple sandwich to make and we couldn't find what we needed to make it.

Like we said... we've been thinking a lot about where our food is coming from. This BLT situation really made us think about America as a consumer and how others probably feel equally as frustrated as we are. We read articles and hear people talking about the obesity epidemic in the US, and how most families don't cook at home or only eat processed foods bought at the supermarket. With selections like we saw on Sunday, it makes since why our country has come to rely on fast food, processed food and cooperate restaurants. It costs 4.50 for a pound of 70/30 generic ground beef in supermarkets here in Poughkeepsie, NY. On average, lettuce is 2.00 for a head of iceberg, hamburger buns cost between 2.50 and 6.00 for a package of eight, tomatoes are around 3.00 a pound, and a jar of off brand pickles is 2.00 if it's on sale. Assuming you have ketchup, mustard and mayo already in the fridge... if you want to make hamburgers at home, it will cost you $19.00 for a family of four (two hamburgers each). If you go to McDonald's and order off of the dollar menu, you can get 16 hamburgers (after tax) for $19.00. Give a struggling family those two options, which do you think they will choose?

On average, a child attending public schools who drinks one carton of milk every day will consume a WHEELBARROW FULL of sugar in one year from the milk ALONE. That's right... just from the milk! Dairies are adding sugar to the milk sent to public schools to make it more appealing to the kids, which is great for vitamin D and calcium... but not so much for diabetes and obesity. Jamie Oliver may sound like a Brit complaining about America, but hey... maybe he's got a point!

Basically, we just want other people to start considering what they're putting in their bodies. The saying "you are what you eat" is more true than not. The saying actually comes from Jean Anthelme Brillant-Savarin, "Show me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are." We're not suggesting to run out and buy only organic everything, including hair products and cleaning supplies, but do consider what purchases you are making. Everything we do as consumers affects who we are as people, the environment, politics, and most importantly, our health.

So, as a last little tip, here's a great way to START knowing where your food comes from...

Start small and start with the basics. For example, the cheapest isn't always what you should by. Try looking into where your eggs are coming from. Try to buy eggs from hens that are whole grain fed and not given any animal bi-products, hormones, or antibiotics, and that are kept in a free range environment. They usually cost about .20 to .50 more than other eggs, but you'll be a better informed consumer and supporting local agriculture.

A New and Unusual Chapter...

Hello,

Welcome to our very first blogging adventure. Although apprehensive to share our thoughts and ideas, we decided it might be an interesting experience. A few things we hope this blog will be:

A record of our time spent while attending culinary school.
A place for us to share our thoughts about food, love, and life.
A food journal composed of recipes, innovations, and tips.
An opportunity to discuss and possibly even educate others of issues in the culinary world.

We hope to not just type words on a computer, but learn from our readers as well. Everyday, in and out of school, we try to learn everything we possibly can, and from whomever is willing to teach us.

Now a little about us... We have been married five years. We have two four year old "puppies". We are in our twenties and are both attending college for the first time. We have decided to be not only non-trad students, but married non-trad students. One step even further, we decided to go through culinary school, side by side, attending every class together. Yes. We do have the EXACT same schedule. We sit next to each other in every class. We carry only one backpack, sharing the load, taking turns carrying it. We do our homework together, write papers together, practice knife cuts together. We even work together.

It's okay. You can call us crazy.

Although spending so much time together can be taxing on a relationship, we are bonding in ways we never thought possible. Food, being a shared passion, is now becoming a new language for us to communicate. Seeing each other in the classroom and in the kitchen is helping us learn even more about the other, things we never would have learned otherwise. Going to school together thus far, has been both challenging and couples therapy. Ergo, the oh so brilliant name of our new blog and our way of life:

Those who cook together, stay together.