Monday, February 15, 2010

100 Mile Monday

I don't want to be an annoying food person.

We went to a wedding last night (which is why I am posting a little late today, my head feels like someone is building an addition onto my ear), I sat next to a pregnant person who was annoying about food. She wanted to know where the salmon came from- "you know because it could be full of mercury", she wanted to know if the Chateau Briand was antibiotic free "you know because I am watching what I put into my baby's body", she wanted to know if the (and I'm not kidding with this next one) strawberries on top of the waffles and ice cream dessert were organic; "because you know they are one of the things you MUST eat organically."

Each time she turned to me to explain the reasoning for pestering the young man serving our table; a young man who diligently went and asked the cooks each time, I just kind of nodded. But with the final question I just said "Yeah I don't really buy into all the organic stuff, and I ate soft cheeses and deli meat when I was pregnant so...." and trailed off into what I hoped was a conversation ending sheepish grin. I was wrong. I was treated to a 5 song long diatribe on why organic was better for me and my kids and how I was doing a disservice to them and the planet by not eating organic everything. I then explained that we don't buy organic because well I think sometimes its a crock of poop, and it has become just another big business that is contributing to the demise of small farmers in America. She looked at me like I had five heads. She asked how do I know my food is not contaminated with E Coli.

I said I talk to the farmers who I buy from. And then proceeded to drink one too many champagne with non organic strawberries.

The moral of this story (aside from if you are a nursing mom who didn't drink during pregnancy you should not keep drinking champagne just because your glass gets refilled every 10 minutes) is that I want you all to promise that if ever I go to a function with you during our 100 mile hoopla, you will tell me to shut up and eat the food that someone else paid for.

4 comments:

Mary said...

I think some people are just sort of predisposed toward becoming know-it-alls. They take an interest in something, and they suddenly consider themselves an expert and start parroting back everything they've learned on the topic, perhaps without really thinking it through or seeking a second opinion. It seems like once they hear what they want to hear, their ears slam shut and they don't want to question the validity of some of that information, or to discuss its merits--they accept it as fact and that's that.

And I think that's happening a lot right now when it comes to trendy topics like organic foods, motherhood, and how people are raising their kids. So you're right in the thick of it! haha

One of the things I think we have in common is that we're both curious about a lot of things and dive deep to learn more about them, but I don't think we're quick to slam the mental door shut and feel like we've got all the answers. I think we both see a lot of gray area (I know I do, almost to the point of decision-making-paralysis sometimes). I think it's pretty evident in your 100 Mile posts that this is something you're giving a lot of thought to, and you're looking at a lot of options and opinions while you make your plan--that takes open-mindedness and a willingness to question assumptions and impulses.

So to sum up, I have a hard time picturing you turning into someone self-righteous, and an even harder time imagining you turning down waffles at a wedding reception. haha

Gwynne Watkins said...

Don't worry -- you are wholly incapable of being That Person.

Also, can I just say that I hate that entitled, misinformed crap about not touching one molecule of questionable food during pregnancy? Babies in utero are actually quite resilient, unless you're doing something stupid like drinking to excess or smoking or starving yourself. The foods you want to avoid are things that can jeopardize the baby by hurting THE MOTHER -- which is why you want to avoid things that can cause listeria or food poisoning, because the mother's body's ability to feed the baby will be compromised during recovery.

Also, there's never been a case of food-based mercury poisoning in a fetus, aside from one really extreme case when an entire food supply was poisoned in Iran. Fish is not the enemy.

End o' rant!

motherdaughter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I could go on about all the non-PC stuff I ate and drank while pregnant, pretty sure it's why my kid will eat just about anything now.

but what made me laugh was that she thinks if it's organic then it doesn't have e coli. Does she understand where e coli comes from? And that organic food uses manure to fertilize?
Erin