Morning (nearly afternoon) in Brooklyn
February 28, 2010 9 Comments
Poached eggs, collard greens, baguette
This is what I ate for breakfast/lunch. The poached eggs were decent, though not spectacular. I probably would have needed to make hollandaise sauce to achieve spectacular.
That breakfast was part of a larger effort to eat in for the entirety of the week, something that has been cooked up by the Huffington Post. Called The Week of Eating In, the HuffPo has challenged readers to buy, cook and eat their own food in order to be healthier, save more money and stop supporting food that is made inhumanely (whether that means toward the animals that are killed for it or the laborers who are underpaid and over-worked). Of course, one could manage to comply with the rules of the Eating In challenge by buying a chicken from one of the big poultry manufacturers, which are linked to what can only be called disgusting treatment of chickens, as well as alleged labor law violations; while one would be breaking rules by eating at one of the many restaurants in New York that source their food locally from farms with humane practices. (Though I think the HuffPo people do encourage readers to try and buy local). But despite that, I think it is a worthwhile effort to encourage people to eat at home more.
In New York, so many people barely ever cook, which is really a stupendous waste of money and not terribly healthy. Plus, cooking is fun! It’s kind of like conducting a mini chemistry project every night. What happens when I crack eggs into boiling water? When I try to make a flavorful stock by putting a bunch of chicken bones in water? (I rarely ever do this myself, but I hear it’s the best way to get stock). When I use bacon to coat a pan before making a tomato pasta sauce? (usually, the answer is that it turns out better).
Not that I want to totally come down on people who don’t cook much. People certainly live busy enough lives as it is, especially in this city. And I don’t know that most of us would opt for the sort of back-breaking work and total change in lifestyle–i.e. owning and operating a farm–that would achieve true compliance with the locavore imperative. There are reasons the course of human history is one that moves from an agrarian society, with its unpredictabilities, like the weather, and its toil. That doesn’t mean we have to support large-scale producers that underpay their workers and box their live chickens in tiny spaces. It might not be easy though. See that photo at the top of this entry? While those greens and the bread are both from the Green Market, I have no idea where the grocery store eggs came from. I guess I should have bought those at the GM, as well, but I needed eggs earlier and there is a bodega just on the other side of the street. And as for the GM, while I trust that everything there is certified whatever, what if it isn’t? We can really never know for sure ‘less we do it ourselves…
Disclosure: I broke the week of eating-in vow by buying a New York-style slice of pizza on Friday night. Problem was, I went straight from work to a couple of events and did not have time to stop at home and make dinner. And I also bought a scone from the farmer’s market that week, and a couple of coffees…
looks scrumptious (sp?) !!
thanks!!
wanna share any more of your menus?
http://blog.ruhlman.com/2010/03/why-i-cook-part-iithe-cooking-imperative.html
forgot to type!
you’ve heard my rants on this, but yes, people should cook more. however, people also need to learn HOW to cook. i think a lot of people don’t cook because food tastes so much better in restaurants. in fine dining restaurants, the food won’t be any worse for you than what you make at home. however, most people can’t afford those restaurants, and most fast-food type places are not healthy, as we all know (and for more reasons than the obvious ones). however, the cost issue is complicated. some prepared foods are cheaper than home cooked foods due to questions of scale of production, which can also draw people in… anyway, look at the ruhlman link above. it’s interesting.
(and that’s the ONLY way to make stock! even the crap in the boxes and cans was made that way)
(and don’t crack the egg in boiling water!)
good for you for attempting the week of eating in! i couldn’t get my act together. you can probably guess that i’m also on the side of the “people should cook more” debate (is it even a debate anymore?). speaking to JF’s comment about people not knowing how to cook – my experience is that a lot of people find cooking to be intimidating and inconvenient. i know so many people who say “i can’t cook” or use the lack of time as an excuse (guilty).
i’ve always been fascinated with the ways in which we are forced to be disconnected to what we eat. it’s particularly startling if you think about just how much what we eat impacts our health and livelihood (physically, emotionally, socially). i’m all for a cultural shift that makes what we eat a priority, worthy of our time and effort. i think that it’s happening, slowly (admittedly though, within the most privileged and progressive places)….and little steps like your experiment are a great place to start!
Hey guys, thanks for the comments. I agree that it is important to cook but also not easy off the bat and intimidates most people. Seems like most people we know did not learn to cook growing up (including me). I suppose part of this stems from families spending less time together and segmenting their time into planned activities, at least from the world I come form.
I used to be averse to spending discretionary money on food, but lately I have found that I save money if I spend a little more on groceries, because like Jon says, I’m not as tempted to eat out from feeling deprived by my own cooking.
Nonetheless, as someone who makes a concerted effort, I still find it difficult to cook all the time and think the way society/work life/and family are set up discourages it. Good point by Ruhlman that the promise of “fast food” saving time did not come true. A society that needs fast food is likely pressed for time. Would be happy if things were different, and I think he makes some compelling points. I just wonder how it will change. He also puts forth cooking as a panacea, a claim about which I’m always a bit skeptical from any quarter.
I think what you said Steph, that the movement is starting at progressive places is right. I used to have a problem with this, but it seems that most movements begin this way and spread, so it makes sense.
And don’t worry, I didn’t boil the poached egg water, following some cooks’ cautionary words.
To add: didn’t want to make it seem like my family didn’t spend time together. In fact, my mom set the example of cooking frequently at home by having family dinners most nights of the week. So, thanks Mom!!
family dinners, such as they were
thanks, elaine! if i had it to do all over again, i’d try to do more cooking together, but you did great on your own and definitely had a knack for it!