Ryan Norris offers what I'll take to be gentle criticism of my post about the high price of fresh fruits and vegetables, and how that relates to America's obesity problem. Ryan proposes less-expensive frozen vegetables as an alternative to the acute myocardial infarction awaiting the frequent consumer of just about anything on the 99 Cent Value Menu.
I presented an incomplete argument. I was trying to get across a point about the choices faced by American working people of low to moderate income as they think about feeding their families. Specifically, I was envisioning the stop for dinner, or dinner fixings, on the way home from work. I presented three options: the cheap and ready Value Menu meal, the less-cheap but quick to prepare processed food meal from the grocery store, and the expensive and slow to prepare meal made from fresh fruit, vegetables, grains and meats. When my argument is as complete as I can make it, I hope to show how American work habits, culture, food pricing and availability, and other factors combine to create a significant risk factor for obesity that is not entirely controllable by the individual. I may surprise those of my friends who, aware of my conservative political leanings, would doubt I could ever produce an essay that did not bow down before the altar of Personal Responsibility.
To make this happen, I'm going to have to do some Funky-Fresh Food Reporting, comparing the prices of fresh and funky (processed) foods. I may even whip out one of the freebie reporter's notebooks I got from the 2000 Republican National Convention, back in the salad days of my employment as a political reporter for the once-defunct, now semi-defunct Nebraska StatePaper. (Woefully un-clever pun intended. I'll never top the guy at church youth group who, upon hearing a peer's complaint about working at Donutland, exclaimed, "How can you not like working at such a holey place?)
In any event, thanks, Ryan, for giving me my first-ever Trackback ping. This whole having an audience (of more than four) thing could get addictive.
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Hey, my first TrackBack ping too!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see what you come with. I don't disagree with your base point, by the way. My point is more that if fresh foods are more expensive (and I have a sneaking suspicion that yes, you are correct), there are still ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Hey John, I'd be interested in seeing the Funky-Fresh Food Report when it comes out. Your articles have always been good.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see your funky fresh report too. It would be interesting and entertaining especialy from your point of view. You do have a point, but maybe (or maybe not) you might realize that expensive meal you are slaving over should have some left overs for a day or two, or compare it to buying 99 cent meals for a family of four or more (each item you buy is 99 cents, am I wrong?)to that slab of beff and fixins. Who knows maybe we will find that it is cheeper to go the 99 cent way, but won't you eventually get sick of the selection and have to eventually go to the higher priced long john silvers or have you?
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, I look forward to the funky fresh report, and if you find that it is cheeper eating out, than hooray! I love eating out and that might just justify things. ;O)