Who wins at the end of the day

Sometimes, when I am trying to fight the good fight - buying local, organic, seasonal - I become a little deflated.  For the most part, I feel like I do a great job but sometimes it just takes a lot of energy.  And I feel like if I completely buy into the concept and it is difficult for me, then how am I ever going to convince others to do the same?

Last week, I had to go to a Starbucks for coffee.  I drink coffee every day - at least once a day - and I have only gone to Starbucks twice in about five years.  And both of those times had to do with client meetings where it was more prudent to go with the flow.  Not spending my money at Starbucks is a personal decision - it has to do with their business practices.  I don't really care if they are in business, I just choose to spend my money elsewhere. 

I was in Rancho Mirage - out in the desert near Palm Springs.  Everything there is very spread out and much of it is chain after chain after chain.  I know that if I would have had more time, I would have been able to find another option, but the call of caffeine outweighed any energy I had to search for another location and I decided to just suck it up and go to Starbucks.

That experience left me with a new appreciation for trying to buy local in the suburbs.  It is easy for me to espouse the greatness of buying local and frequenting non-chain stores when I am sitting in the mecca of San Francisco, and I give great credit to anyone who is fighting the good fight in areas where it is more difficult.

And there are so many things going on right now that are just against me - I am in an investment club and right now the stocks up for discussion include Coca-Cola, Kroger, Heinz, and Wrigley.  If I had another ounce of energy to expend, I could come up with some more stocks to try and balance out the debate, but it is going to take more time than I have.

Last week, I went to UC Berkeley to hear Joel Salatin speak.  Salatin is one of those great spokespeople about polycultural farming, small farming, and just all that is good in the food movement.  He is a fantastic messenger because he has a clear pitch that is easy to understand by all parties.  I have so much to say about what I heard from him.

Ever since last week, there is one point that he made that I keep harkening back to.  Michael Pollan (you all know how much I love him), the host of the evening, asked Salatin what message he had for the consumer.  He asked what we can all do in order to support the mission of the small farmer.

Salatin said that we all have to make food decisions throughout our day, and that sometimes we want to eat a Snickers bar, or that sometimes we have to have a bologna sandwich with our boss at lunchtime.  But at the end of the day, the important question is who won - was it the "good guys" -- the small farms, the foods grown sustainably, or was it the "bad guys" -- the large corporately raised meats, the foods full of preservatives.  He said that sometimes it will be a tie, and sometimes the bad guys will win.  But if the good guys win more of the time than the bad guys then we will all be better off.

And that is what I have been holding on to.  Because at the end of my days, the good guys do win.  Even when I have to drink coffee at Starbucks.  Even when I just found out that my kosher salt is produced by Cargill.  And even when I have to buy stock in Coca-Cola.

Comments

[Molly]

Take heart - and chalk one up for the little guys!

February 19, 2005

Tillamook Creamery bans artificial growth hormone
KATU News
PORTLAND, Ore. - Driven by consumer complaints, the Tillamook County Creamery Association has banned a genetically engineered growth hormone made for dairy cows.

http://www.katu.com/stories/75109.html

[Dr. Biggles]

That's a nice way to deal with it. I like that. I torture myself over it too. Makes me mad too.

Senior Biggles

[Dr. Biggles]

I really ain't wishin' to push you further in to a swirling depression here. But I was thinking about your post here today at lunch, not sure why. I look up and spy a Denny's across the street. My head went *clunk* on to the steering wheel. All I could think of is, "man, these people are STILL in business!!" and "today, we lose." I've eaten at Denny's before, HOW could they possibly still be in business? It isn't even good bad food, like Sukie's Country Kitchen.

Biggles

[rache]

the other day we were supposed to eat at this great old hollywood restaurant before seeing a show at the universal amphitheater and due to traffic, we were late, so ended up at a wolfgang puck cafe on the citywalk. we thought that it would be a safe bet. let's just say we've had better food on an airplane. it was possibly the least flavorful pizza and pasta we have ever had. even the water tasted bad. it was just god-awful. yet it was packed. i wondered how many other people were there out of "necessity" vs. choice. chalk one up for the big guys (in protest!). [though i may have evened things up a bit by driving 30 minutes to a farmers' market today to buy lettuce. just lettuce. oh! and i bought a coffee from groundwork, an independent coffee company from venice. see http://lacoffee.com/ ]

[Owen]

I do have one suggestion - rather than invest your money with an investment club that is going to put it in things like coke, take a step back next time you have a moment, find a really green mutual fund and put it there and let go of all the worry.

Also, Starbucks' corporate practices are relatively enlightened (more so than coca-cola's or safeway or 80% of corporations) which just highlights quite how bad corporations really are and why you should get into a nice green mutual fund (there aren't tons but there are a few)

Of course, I don't have money to invest - even in my own ventures - so who am I to give advice??

[Ted]

At the end of the day, I know that my food choices were
the best I could manage - as as an ordinary guy finding his way through the Great American 'crabgrass frontier' ( my Southern New England suburban environment ). Did I eat less processed food today than I ate yesterday?. Did I eat more processed food today than I will eat tomorrow ? Time will tell !

[Brandon]

I've never entered Starbucks, but nevertheless I do no think they serve the best coffee... You know, for sure there too many other places to go with good coffee and which are not so crowdy! I share your decision, it's reasonable...

[Raymundo]

It means that you had no chance because I like Starbucks and everything that happen in it. At the same time I am glad that I haven't started to analyze my food yet, how am I happy!

[Noah]

Starbacks coffee is so popular, and as every popular thing attracts differenet people with different opinions. I always read the comments and enjoy all perspectives. I typically appreciate and enjoy the ones with which I disagree the most. It is important to have dialogue which can often turn into petty, pseudo intellectual rants (yes, I fully recognize that I should be lumped into that category this time). We could all agree with one another, but where would we benefit both spiritually and intellectually?

[seasonal jobs]

i always buy my food local. i always go to the farmers market in raleigh. I go every saturday and it supports the economy locally.