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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Differences.

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker this morning.  We were discussing the prior evening's activities and I was bemoaning my decision to make soup for dinner - I had made the stock the weekend before but, by the time I added all the remaining ingredients (garlic, onion, kale, spinach, tomatoes, seitan, pesto, seasonings), it was 9 p.m. before it was ready and therefore too late for me to eat it.  She looked at me and said, "Susan, I know this will come as a complete shock to you, but there are some people who will...well...just open a can."

And, by golly, it was a shock!  I realized that I have not opened a can (except for the cats) since...?  Any "canned" goods I use, I have canned myself.  That entails popping off the flats.  I don't even know where my can opener is!  She asked me what kind of soup I had made and I told her it was what I refer to as a Pantry Soup - I am using up my stockpiles.  The garlic is mine, the onion was dried from last fall, the kale was organic from a farmers market, spinach - mine, tomatoes - mine, seitan from the freezer, pesto - mine.  I guess I am so used to real food and cooking from scratch, that I don't even think that it's not the "normal" way people cook.  After all, most of my friends cook the same way. 

Of course, I was also shocked by what she and her family had for dinner (it involved their car and a drive-thru window).  I don't think that cooking from scratch is all that burdensome.  It does take some organization and thinking ahead (ergo my late soup), but it's also fun and a creative outlet.  I know I am preaching to the choir here, but the more we focus on nourishment and not on a fast-fix, the better we will feel. 

10 comments:

judy said...

YOU ,MY DEAR ARE A MARVEL- A GOOD KIND OF THROE BACK TO A PREVIEWS CENTURY. I MAKE A LOT FROM SCRATCH BUT YOU AND SOME OF THE OTHER SELF -SUSTAINING BLOGGERS ON HERE ARE REALLY A MARVEL TO ME

Susan said...

Judy - Lunatic, maybe. I think I tend to go overboard, but I can't seem to help myself.

Sue said...

LOL-great timing on this post. Hubby opened a can of tuna yesterday. We both kinda looked at it and didn't know what to do with it (the can)-throw it away???????? It's been so many years I forgot what we used to do with them. I don't even know if the recycling center takes them-they don't take glass anymore.
Homemade soup is sooooo easy and delicious. I don't know why folks get intimidated by it.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

I think the real shocker is that people eat at those horrible drive throughs that the food is filled with GMO, pesticides, fillers, MSG, and who knows what. What kind of world do we live in that WE are the ODD ones?

Leigh said...

I had to grin at that conversation. It boils down to what we're used to.

Erin said...

LOL, I too get some strange looks at what I do... like when a friend saw me pour "something" out of a tupperware container into the washing machine, when I told her I made it and hadn't purchased detergent in over 2 years she said "well, that's weird"!

Susan said...

Sue - Tuna cans! I use them for slug traps when I have them. I've used the same ones for 5 years!

Jane - That's what galls me. Don't these people read anything? One has to live in a cave not to know how many toxic substances there are in these processed foods. In this case, ignorance isn't bliss, it's downright dangerous.

Leigh - I guess "normal" has hundreds of definitions, doesn't it?

Erin - I am waiting to use up my bio-friendly stuff so I can make some of my own. Less to recylce, less stuff, less trips to the store. All good!

judy said...

OK-that's the 3rd person I read that makes laundry soap---THAT I WILL TRY TO DO--IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MANY BOTTLES I GO THROUGH A WEEK-MY DAUGHTER BRINGS HER LAUNDRY OVER TOO. I MEAN I HAVE TO SAVE ABOUT 1 BOTTLE A MONTH TO TOSS USED NEEDLES IN [NO-I'M NOT A HEROIN ADDICT-BUT MY HUSBAND DOES A LOT OF INSULIN-WHAT IS THE RECIPE PLEASE

Susan said...

Judy - Erin over at garden now - think later! has a great recipe. She has a searchable blog - just type in laundry detergent. Or you can google it; there are lots of recipes out there.

The Apple Pie Gal said...

Ignorance is bliss, is it not? I say NOT. Isn't it just strange that people think "we" are strange? They either think that or are amazed. I prefer the later and fly birds otherwise. ;) Ya know...