tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post8546215161852290085..comments2023-05-03T03:01:09.021-07:00Comments on Screaming Fat Girl: "Home"screaming fatgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556199963917842135noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-73268859809680182292012-05-16T05:34:11.058-07:002012-05-16T05:34:11.058-07:00I personally witness the trend of processed food g...I personally witness the trend of processed food getting bigger sections over the last decade also in my country, Slovenia (Central Europe). It is for convenience reasons mostly, because young people don't want to lose time or simply work to long hours to cook from the scratch, although often a family do save money not buying the ingredients but ready meals, depending on the category. On the other hand, organically grown food is becoming a more and more important segment and the general awareness about GMO and other issues related to meat drive people to look for ingredients at the source - at the farms, at organic open-markets and supermarket section with "organic/eco" signs. <br /><br />I consider myself very lucky and happy to be part of a culture where home-made meals are preferred - for health reasons and also for retaining the genuine flavor - although most of us women work, so we need to be super organized sometimes and keep it simple during the week and go a little wild on the weekends to be able to deep-freeze left-overs of freshly cooked for a near future hectic day. I don't own a microwave and none of my friends do. We tend to look for ingredients locally when possible, and I would never serve processed dishes or deep-frozen pastry to a visitor. <br /><br />I can therefore to relate to comments above about how frustrating it can be to go to grocery stores with so many variations if the person is more used to fewer choices. This was my experience exactly when I had to go grocery shopping in Canada not long ago - and I was instantly reminded of my 5-week stay there 25years earlier when my large portions' and junk-food eating resulted in gaining over 10 pounds at most critical age, my teens.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-43200726513822215902012-04-10T08:56:17.699-07:002012-04-10T08:56:17.699-07:00I appreciate your long-windedness; it's someth...I appreciate your long-windedness; it's something I've been curious about as my obsession with Big Food, marketing and the misinformation about nutrition that I find most people mired in has grown. Thanks for the insight!Normahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11949876371473945014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-60027342572425214762012-04-09T16:37:26.439-07:002012-04-09T16:37:26.439-07:00Paris: Thank you. The reverse culture shock is rea...Paris: Thank you. The reverse culture shock is really harder than expected, but I think a chunk of it is the transition from metropolis to serious rural life as much as anything else. <br /><br />You are absolutely right about having too many choices. While I had choices where I was, they didn't all tend to be available year-round. Usually, there would be a few variations that were seasonal that would vanish and return.<br /><br />Norma: There are definitely the same forces at work in the country I was in as there are in the U.S. I'd be shocked if it weren't the same in every country. For example, there were studies paid for by a major maker of vinegar that touted the health benefits (including weight loss and fatigue relief) of drinking vinegar (something which is done in that country, but not in the U.S.). The government also subsidizes the staple grain (rice) and there are more rice-based products as a result.<br /><br />I tend not to embrace the notion that we are victims of corporate manipulation so much as corporations respond to our desires and give us what we want. My feeling is that we can't be sold that which we do not want and rather than them dictating what we want, we dictate what they sell. In the end, I think we speak with our purchases and the high fructose corn syrup issue is one in which I think people have the power to "talk" by just paying attention to the labels.<br /><br />That being said, I know how easy it is to fall for the allure of a product as presented and only discover after the fact that it has something objectionable. One of the first things I bought when I went to a market was Yoplait yogurt (which I used to love before I left America so long ago). I got it home and tasted it and it was so disgustingly sweet that I couldn't believe it. Only then did I look at the label and see that it was made with HFCS. Initially, I just looked at brand, price, and flavor. However, there are two ways for the experience to go from here. I can say I enjoyed it and will eat it regardless (but I didn't enjoy it, so I won't) or I can learn and never buy it again because it contains an ingredient I find objectionable.<br /><br />I don't know if HFCS is different than sugar in terms of its metabolic influence. I only know that a food I ate that contained it was horrible and turned me off of other foods that may be made with it. Personally, I think that a little processed food is okay, but that people in general need to eat sparingly from that end of the spectrum and cook more from basic ingredients. The problem isn't that such things are sold. The problem is that we buy them in great quantity.<br /><br />The country I was in (and I'm sorry that I'm still too paranoid to mention the name) has consumers who will not eat too much processed or prepared food. The market just doesn't support the same volume and variety of them that Americans do because there is a food culture which says you eat what is good, not what is easy. This doesn't make them superior to Americans, but it does reflect a culture which has not yet crossed over into requiring two incomes to get by and one in which women still perform traditional household chores in a labor intensive fashion. In other words, they have the time to cook from scratch and the culture expects better quality food than you get by tossing a package in the microwave to get a meal. Their tastes haven't changed as American's have, and acclimation is a big part of what people find tasty.<br /><br />Sorry for the long-winded answer. ;-)screaming fatgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556199963917842135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-33815193422290830322012-04-09T10:52:27.831-07:002012-04-09T10:52:27.831-07:00I've never lived abroad and have not even left...I've never lived abroad and have not even left the Boston area all that much, so I'm wondering (at SFG and Paris, you way-too-well-traveled expatriate types!) if, in other countries, food is as big an industry as it is in the US? i.e., are there giant conglomerates or corporations like Monsanto or Nestle that influence and lobby the government and retailers as there are here? Are there corporate-funded "studies" that then publicize the things the companies want to promote (for example, the corn industry is currently running ads that proclaim HFCS is "no different" to your body than sugar and there's nothing to worry about as far as its being added to every processed food under the sun; that it has NOTHING to do with the ridiculous rising rates of diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders and that it should be "enjoyed in moderation!" just like sugar -- ugh). Is the influence of industry on public consumption so prevalent?Normahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11949876371473945014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-27451789323403860492012-04-07T08:22:03.029-07:002012-04-07T08:22:03.029-07:00Welcome home, SFG. I hope the reverse culture shoc...Welcome home, SFG. I hope the reverse culture shock is easy on you and you acclimate smoothly to your birth culture.<br /><br />I return to the States one time a year, and my mind explodes when faced with all the choice and the huge portion sizes. Going to an American grocery store is a dizzying and frustrating experience for me due to the plethora of choices. The variations of foods is incredible--I once took a photo of the potato chip aisle(s)---so many different kinds! I don't deal well with too much choice (even going to Starbucks bothers me) and I get very uneasy in the supermarket because of this. My kids, however, dream of Publix and Safeway and talk endlessly of how great they are!<br /><br />Each year I notice a new food trend. Low carb, no transfats, oatmeal, pomogranate, flaxseed, omega oil...it's not just "low fat" that sells stuff anymore. I stand in the aisle and just scratch my head and marvel and the stuff marketers have come up with to make big bucks.The Paris Chronicleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02667503853760168339noreply@blogger.com