Down with dairy: how I became a snob about yet another food product
Does it seem strange that I have a favorite dairy farm? Does it seem strange that dairy would be something I would feel extremely passionate about? If you answered yes to the above questions, you’re perfectly right (if you answered “no,” you just know me too well); dairy isn’t something most of us think a lot about. I sure didn’t until recently - yet once I was converted it soon became clear I would no longer be able to continue as I had been.
Since my food awakening about two years ago at the hands of San Francisco and Michael Pollan, I’ve been steadily chipping away at the foods which I find acceptable to eat. I’ve adopted a diet that is devoid of beef and pork, focuses heavily on products and produce that are locally-made and opts for cage-free poultry when I eat meat. I do most of my grocery shopping at farmer’s markets, trying to build the foundation of my diet with what I can get directly from the growers and producers ~ and in San Francisco, that goes way beyond produce! I regularly purchase the most delicious ravioli, freshest bread, flavorful sorbet, sweetest honey, crispiest almonds, tastiest dried fruit and so forth, right from the people that make these things. I’m obsessed.
But - I haven’t always been like this. Sure, I was raised fairly healthy; in a house with home-cooked meals, where we all sat down to dinner together, where we ate more vegetables than meat and where dessert was a treat we got once a week. I was even a vegetarian while in high school. I’m not sure I’ve ever had real fried chicken and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve eaten fast food. Ever.
But -Â we didn’t have a strong food culture; I didn’t think much about where my food CAME from. I freely (and ashamedly) admit that while in college I even sometimes did my grocery shopping at the 99 cent store. Post-college (when I was making significantly less than what my college had cost per year!) I frequented super Wal-Mart for some of my food.
Like just about everyone else, I didn’t think twice about the fact that meat came shrink-wrapped in a Styrofoam tray; that it (or almost anything else I would buy at a grocery store) traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to get to me; that it was likely pumped full of hormones or preservatives; that this process likely created poor living conditions for the animals and poor working conditions for the humans. When the blinders came off my habits took a sharp turn away from these practices so ingrained in a culture that’s all about efficiency and cost.
But -Â I’d never thought too much about dairy until I saw an episode of 30 Days that investigated the horrors of commercial dairy ~ and my eyes were forever opened.
So then I began to wonder what I COULD eat and for a while, for lack of a better solution, I relied on soy products (which are not as bad as they sound), eschewing dairy altogether. Fortunately, it was then that I found Clover Stornetta. They’re a company based in Marin County so obviously I’d heard of them and probably even bought their products before but it wasn’t until I clued in that I realized how wonderful they are. They’ve won awards for their sustainability practices and for their humane treatment of their livestock. They’re committed to maintaining these high standards at prices that seem to be relatively average. And they’ve made a devoted, exclusive customer out of me.
I’m not on a crusade to convince people that the products I chose or the diet I adhere to is the best. I know not everyone places a high priority on developing a tangible food culture. But I do encourage everyone to at least look into it. A little. You might be surprised at what you find and it might make you think twice before grabbing for the slab of meat on its Styrofoam bed. But if you’re lucky enough to live near Clover Stornetta (or have some such farm close to you), at least see what they have to offer and what the differences are ~ who knows, you may never go back!
April 20 2010 11:12 am | san francisco and the city