Comments on: Organic America http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america Romanian Living in Chicago Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:35:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Gabi http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-280 Gabi Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:46:48 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-280 Sam: Chances are that it is the Orthodox church involvement there. I suspect they have a powerful say in the government. Uncle B: Thanks for the comment! That IS a very frightening prospect indeed. It is really like the Evil Empire. Very communistic thinking much alike to the 1984 movie. Control, control. Although I bet they will need to put up a big fight to patent the garden veggies specially now with a rising awareness for naturally grown produce. But as we know it - money has its last say unfortunately. Junebug: Thanks for your input! I second you there that it is insanely ridiculous for the small farmer to tweak its farming to become a "Certified Organic". To the point that the rules were crafted in a way to be impossible to fulfill. The thing that stuns me is that all over the world there are farmers that do the most "organic" farming, the West ever knew (including those who draft such requirements) - as a normal way of life. Maggie: Thanks for the comment! Your Grandmother speaks great truth! That's the heart of true organic farming! Juliet: Indeed! Really there's nothing new under the sun as cliche as it sounds. Growing chicken is my dream too - but unfortunately so remote since we live in the NW Chicago suburbs [sigh]. Leela: Thank so much for the comment! The way you grew up, with having the possibility of getting just the fresh food you need for the day is a beautiful model of how a local market should be sustained! Those who buy are happy with their freshly picked produce, and the local farmers earn a living and are encouraged to keep their farms GMO free. You are right about the fridge size!!! Maybe the size of the fridges sold on the market are a direct indicator of how much a community encourages local farming! Sam:
Chances are that it is the Orthodox church involvement there. I suspect they have a powerful say in the government.

Uncle B:
Thanks for the comment! That IS a very frightening prospect indeed. It is really like the Evil Empire. Very communistic thinking much alike to the 1984 movie. Control, control. Although I bet they will need to put up a big fight to patent the garden veggies specially now with a rising awareness for naturally grown produce. But as we know it – money has its last say unfortunately.

Junebug:
Thanks for your input! I second you there that it is insanely ridiculous for the small farmer to tweak its farming to become a “Certified Organic”. To the point that the rules were crafted in a way to be impossible to fulfill.
The thing that stuns me is that all over the world there are farmers that do the most “organic” farming, the West ever knew (including those who draft such requirements) – as a normal way of life.

Maggie:
Thanks for the comment!
Your Grandmother speaks great truth! That’s the heart of true organic farming!

Juliet:
Indeed! Really there’s nothing new under the sun as cliche as it sounds. Growing chicken is my dream too – but unfortunately so remote since we live in the NW Chicago suburbs [sigh].

Leela:
Thank so much for the comment! The way you grew up, with having the possibility of getting just the fresh food you need for the day is a beautiful model of how a local market should be sustained!
Those who buy are happy with their freshly picked produce, and the local farmers earn a living and are encouraged to keep their farms GMO free.
You are right about the fridge size!!! Maybe the size of the fridges sold on the market are a direct indicator of how much a community encourages local farming!

]]> By: Leela@SheSimmers http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-279 Leela@SheSimmers Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:45:10 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-279 Haha, what a funny and thoughtful post, Gabi. Very well said in several regards. I have traveled to many places in Eastern Europe (and am in love with the places and people - not to mention the foods!) and have seen the scenes which you've described. Though I grew up in Thailand, I happened to live right in the middle of the concrete jungle, so I never farmed or gardened and have always been envious of those who can live simply. However, growing up, we would go to something like a farmers' market here and buy just enough food for the day. All the vegetables would be freshly plugged off the ground and everything else would be fresh. Then the next day we would go back for more fresh food. The idea of making huge batches of food, freezing them, and heating and reheating them over and over was so foreign to us. Even our refrigerator was small. There was really no need for a bigger one. Thanks for a great read. Haha, what a funny and thoughtful post, Gabi. Very well said in several regards. I have traveled to many places in Eastern Europe (and am in love with the places and people – not to mention the foods!) and have seen the scenes which you’ve described. Though I grew up in Thailand, I happened to live right in the middle of the concrete jungle, so I never farmed or gardened and have always been envious of those who can live simply. However, growing up, we would go to something like a farmers’ market here and buy just enough food for the day. All the vegetables would be freshly plugged off the ground and everything else would be fresh. Then the next day we would go back for more fresh food. The idea of making huge batches of food, freezing them, and heating and reheating them over and over was so foreign to us. Even our refrigerator was small. There was really no need for a bigger one.

Thanks for a great read.

]]> By: Juliet http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-62 Juliet Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:33:53 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-62 What a fascinating post. Yes the organic movement is silly when you think that other cultures have been living like that for hundreds of years, and we in America act like we invented the idea. My husband and I keep a garden that gets bigger and bigger each year, and hope someday to be able to live off the land (at least with fruits and vegetables - we aren't allowed to have chickens, etc.). What a fascinating post. Yes the organic movement is silly when you think that other cultures have been living like that for hundreds of years, and we in America act like we invented the idea. My husband and I keep a garden that gets bigger and bigger each year, and hope someday to be able to live off the land (at least with fruits and vegetables – we aren’t allowed to have chickens, etc.).

]]> By: Maggie http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-35 Maggie Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:11:23 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-35 What I think is crazy is people in the suburbs who spend hours tending huge monoculture lawns. I've never been without at least a tiny vegetable garden. Even if you let some of it go unharvested at least you are created a more diverse environment. The recent immigrants to this country that I know would never waste good backyard space and not plant a vegetable garden. My grandmother likes to joke that when she lived on the farm they grew everything organic because they couldn't afford to do otherwise. What I think is crazy is people in the suburbs who spend hours tending huge monoculture lawns. I’ve never been without at least a tiny vegetable garden. Even if you let some of it go unharvested at least you are created a more diverse environment. The recent immigrants to this country that I know would never waste good backyard space and not plant a vegetable garden.

My grandmother likes to joke that when she lived on the farm they grew everything organic because they couldn’t afford to do otherwise.

]]> By: junebug http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-34 junebug Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:34:27 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-34 Awesome post. Calling everything organic is just to pander to the self-absorbed yuppies who wouldn't know how to put a seed in a dirt pot if you gave them a diagram. The latte drinking, cel phone texting twits who go for any fad diet: south-beach, low-carb, organic. And the hoops you have to go through to be 'certified' organic isn't worth it for the smaller farmers who actually do it too! It's too much time and money to meet some ridiculous guidelines. I feel sorry for those yuppies. Awesome post. Calling everything organic is just to pander to the self-absorbed yuppies who wouldn’t know how to put a seed in a dirt pot if you gave them a diagram. The latte drinking, cel phone texting twits who go for any fad diet: south-beach, low-carb, organic.

And the hoops you have to go through to be ‘certified’ organic isn’t worth it for the smaller farmers who actually do it too! It’s too much time and money to meet some ridiculous guidelines.

I feel sorry for those yuppies.

]]> By: Uncle B http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-32 Uncle B Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:48:48 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-32 Here in Canada I have managed to feed my wife and a couple of neighbors from a backyard garden, but I fear the day when seed giants like Monsanto, who are GMOing seeds as we speak, will have patents on garden veggies and tax even the poorest of the poor this way! We need improved veggies, and i9n my case fruits that grow in my shorter season, but to let the "Crow-Bar Capitalists" that are loose in the 'states today control the seeds is a frightening prospect! Here in Canada I have managed to feed my wife and a couple of neighbors from a backyard garden, but I fear the day when seed giants like Monsanto, who are GMOing seeds as we speak, will have patents on garden veggies and tax even the poorest of the poor this way! We need improved veggies, and i9n my case fruits that grow in my shorter season, but to let the “Crow-Bar Capitalists” that are loose in the ‘states today control the seeds is a frightening prospect!

]]> By: Sam Sotiropoulos http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-31 Sam Sotiropoulos Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:33:17 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-31 With respect to Greece holding out against Monsanto et al., I suspect Church involvement in the matter (but I am not sure), if that is the case, it will be very hard for Monsanto and Co. to have their way despite EU directives. With respect to Greece holding out against Monsanto et al., I suspect Church involvement in the matter (but I am not sure), if that is the case, it will be very hard for Monsanto and Co. to have their way despite EU directives.

]]> By: Gabi http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-29 Gabi Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:23:08 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-29 Sam - That' SO true! Yes - I saw the advertised book. Indeed the "Slow Movement" is an can be popular only in Fast Food America. So sad to see the EU forcing countries that are last vestiges of how crops should be grown. Although I really do hope that food will not "speed up" in old Europe as here in the US. thanks for the comment! Sam –

That’ SO true! Yes – I saw the advertised book. Indeed the “Slow Movement” is an can be popular only in Fast Food America.

So sad to see the EU forcing countries that are last vestiges of how crops should be grown.

Although I really do hope that food will not “speed up” in old Europe as here in the US.

thanks for the comment!

]]> By: Sam Sotiropoulos http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-26 Sam Sotiropoulos Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:47:45 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-26 Gabi, i am a huge Michael Pollan advocate myself (as I am sure you have noticed I advertise his book "In Defense of Food" on my own blog. The "Slow Food Movement" is not a new phenomenon for Greeks, they just called it "eating". Interestingly, Greece has the strictest agricultural laws of any European country and things like GM crops are verboten in the Greek countryside. Monsanto and several other big bio-engineering companies are currently suing Greece over the fact that the Greek state will not allow the importation and planting of their products in the country despite being ordered to do so by the EU. Here in Canada though, things are pretty much as they are in the US... Gabi, i am a huge Michael Pollan advocate myself (as I am sure you have noticed I advertise his book “In Defense of Food” on my own blog. The “Slow Food Movement” is not a new phenomenon for Greeks, they just called it “eating”. Interestingly, Greece has the strictest agricultural laws of any European country and things like GM crops are verboten in the Greek countryside. Monsanto and several other big bio-engineering companies are currently suing Greece over the fact that the Greek state will not allow the importation and planting of their products in the country despite being ordered to do so by the EU. Here in Canada though, things are pretty much as they are in the US…

]]> By: Gabi http://www.mamaliga.com/reflections/organic-america/comment-page-1#comment-24 Gabi Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:46:07 +0000 http://www.mamaliga.com/?p=37#comment-24 Thank you Lael! Gabi @ <a href="http://www.mamaliga.com" rel="nofollow"><b>Mamaliga.com</b></a> Thank you Lael!

Gabi @ Mamaliga.com

]]>