5 things I will be using for my revision of my 700 word essay 3/29/11

1 - New York Animal Care & Control, www.nyacc.org/nychealthcode
      - States the laws regarding having "livestock" in the city now in 2011

2 - "Fast Food Nation," by Eric Schlosser
      - Gives a detailed look at how America's farms have been industralized.

3 - Urban Agriculture: Raising Chickens in New York City, http://www.thekitchn.com/
      - Story about how to raise chickens in New York City

4 - The stories my mom told me about my grandparents when they were young.

5 - The stories my grandmother told me (when I was a teenager) about when she and my grandfather were young.
      Numbers 4 & 5 are stories told to me growing up.  I was always told how it was back then. 

Just a little note: Both my grandparents were born in the 1890's.  My grandfather is a World War I   Veteran and he passed away in 1966, just after I was born.  My grandmother passed in 1982, when I was 16.

3/23/11

Making Lamb shoulder chops, rice, and having a huge salad tonight for dinner.  Uks, my dog will have some, too =)!!! Any left over greens will go to the guinea pigs. Take care.
Louise

Here is my first 700 word essay!!

Louise McGuire

Eng 101.0772

Dr. Elizabeth H. McCormick

It amazes me how different it was in 1911 to have and get meat, poultry and eggs than how it is now in 2011.  Back in 1911, everybody had their own livestock in their yards.  Farms were either down the block or in the next town over.  We will be looking at how my grandparents back in 1911 got their poultry, eggs and meat compared to how I get them now in 2011. Then, we will look at how we can change the way we get our food today.

In 1911, my grandparents raised their own chickens for food and eggs.  The chicken coop was in the yard and they had a healthy diet of bugs, worms, and grass.  When they wanted to have chicken for dinner, all you had to do was go out in the yard and get one, kill it, pluck it, and cook it.  For eggs, you just got them out from under a hen in her nest.  Now, in 2011, I have to go to the supermarket and get my eggs and chicken.  The chicken meat and eggs arrive on a refrigerated truck from an industrialized farm out of state.  The eggs have been gathered days ago and the poultry has been killed days ago.  They have been pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and some have been sitting in chicken broth to keep them fresh looking.

In 1911, my grandparents had their own goats for milk.  Like the chickens, they were free to run about their yard to eat the grass, they were not kept in a cage or stall.  If I want goat milk, I have several choices at the supermarket.  I can get it in a box, a can, or in a powered form from a company that processes it out of state.

When my grandparents wanted beef, pork, or lamb in 1911, they got it at the local butcher.  The local butcher received the meat the same day or the day after the animal was slaughtered and it came from a farm just out of town.  They too, roamed freely and ate a natural diet.   Now, in 2011, I purchase lamb imported from Australia, beef from California, and pork chops from Kansas.  These farms are also industrialized and the animals are fed corn and soy and are not allowed to run freely.

I would love to raise my own farm animals like they did in 1911, but now in 2011, laws prohibit us from doing so.  According to the New York City Health Code, listed on the Animal Care & Control web site, you cannot have certain animals in your house or roaming around your property.  You can have chickens, but if a neighbor complains, the authorities can take them away.  In 1911, practically everybody had his or her own chicken and nobody complained about it.  It was the only way to eat back then. 

Remembering the stories my grandparents told me and reviewing the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser, I am looking at how I can go back to the way my grandparents ate in 1911.  Instead of going to the supermarket, I will go to the greenmarkets they have in the city.  These places have farmers from the tri-state area that sell meat, poultry, and eggs that are organic and pasture raised.  They still may not be as “fresh” as they had it in 1911, but I believe it will be just as good and healthy. 

In conclusion, this comparison was a real eye opener to what is going on with the meat and poultry industry.  We need to go back and raise farm animals for food like they use to in 1911.    

Louise’s Chicken Soup

This is my version of a recipe that has been in my family for years.  It’s perfect for when you feel a cold coming on or if you have one.  There’s no added salt, spices, herbs, or oil.  If you choose to add some, you can do so when it’s done.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Thighs

4 Chicken Drumsticks

3 – 4 Medium Onions sliced

1 – 2 Heads of Garlic, all the cloves crushed

1 – 2 Peppers sliced (red, orange, or yellow)

Put all the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to just cover everything. When the water starts to boil, put a lid on the pot and lower heat to simmer.

Simmer for an hour and a half

Then take lid off and turn the heat on high and cook uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with crackers or hot crusty bread for dunking!      

Food, Inc. - movie seen in class today 3/22/11

Today we watched a movie called "Food, Inc." in class.  It's a deep and honest look at how America's farms are industralized.  I am going to talk about what I learned  & saw in this movie.
We have learned that McDonalds is the biggest buyer of  potatoes, pork, beef, and poultry.  They changed the way fast food restaurants run, it's like a factory in the kitchen.
The top 4 companies that pack meat, Tyson, Swift, Cargill, and National Beef, control 80% of the beef sold in supermarkets today.
Chickens are raised in half the time and are twice the size than normal.  They are raised in windowless houses called "tunnels" and never see the light of day for their short lives. They are fed hormones and antibiotics and can't even walk because they are too big.  When a farmer spoke out, one who does use windows for her chickens, Perdue ended her contract because she wouldn't use a windowless house for her chickens.
We saw how corn is mass produced.  It's in almost everything - food, drinks, diapers, etc.  Cows are fed corn to make them fat and grow faster.
There was a touching true story about how a woman, Barbara Kowalck, became a advocate for food safety because her son, Kevin, died from EColi.  She took her fight all the way to Washington D.C., and spoke to several politicians about her cause.
We learn how EColi is not only in ground beef, but it's in greens and other plants we eat. There are only 13 slaughter houses in the United States.  They all have corn fed cattle coming through who are covered in their feces and it could get in our meat.  If you feed a cow grass for 5 days, 80% of the EColi will go away.  But the companies are not going to give the cows grass.  Instead, they use ammonia and ammonia hydroxi in the filler to kill the EColi.
They show a family going to a fast food restaurant drive thru to eat because the fast food is cheaper than supermarket.  They don't have time to cook and the burger they purchased is cheaper than the broccoli in the supermarket.  The mom feels bad, but she is on a budget and she has no choice. 
We look at "Polyface Farms" in Virginia and it's owner Joel Salatin. He states "Everything that is done in the industry is to make the meat bigger, fatter, and cheaper. Nobody is thinking about EColi, Diabetes, and the whole system."  We look at how his cattle are grass and pasture raised.  You can't help but notice how healthy and bright eyed they are.  His chickens were clean and even the pigs looked good.
After we see that great farm, we see  the depressing "Smithfield" slaughter house, it's the largest one in the country.  They kill at least 32,000 pigs a day and use illegal immigrants for workers.  They treat their workers just as bad as they treat the hogs.
From there we go to a Natural Products Expo and spend some time with the CEO of Stonyfield Farms.  He talked about how he started small and now their organic products are in Walmart, of all places.  He said they were like "David & Goalith" and how we need to be like Goalith.  I disagree.  In the Bible, David killed Goalith with one single stone in one shot.  We got to be like David and use what God has given us to conquer this enemy of ours and this is to eat food the way God has intended it to be, natural.
Our last story is about how seeds are genetically modified and one company owns most of the soybeans in the United States.  The company, Monsanto, is very intimidating and forceful to who does what with it seeds. 
This was a very serious movie that I highly recommend for everybody to see.  You will think twice about what and where you eat. 
 Louise

I am now offically a blogger!

I never thought I would have a blog, but here it is. This is a class assignment for my Eng 101 class - "Food, Politics, & NY City."  Take Care. Louise