The other day I found myself in the meat section at the grocery store. I was thinking about making a steak for dinner, but they didn't have any organic beef. What?! No organic beef?
I gave the woman stocking the meat case a look of shock, horror and bitter disappointment, and pushed my shopping cart off to the freezer section where I tossed in toaster waffles, ice cream and four boxes of Lean Pockets.
Yes, Lean Pockets. Reduced fat microwavable pastries that come in flavors like Meatballs and Mozzarella, Barbecue Beef and Blatant Hypocrisy. I pushed the cart around a corner, quickly so the meat case woman wouldn't see me-ooh! Rotisserie chickens! If I were cooking one at home I would absolutely, positively hold out for an organic Pollo Real chicken from Socorro, but these big-breasted, MSG-injected birds bathing in Cajun spice under the hot lights were somehow irresistible. I scanned the nearby lines for anyone who might recognize me. "Hey, is that Gwyneth Doland over there?" "Who, the one with the Cheetos, PBR, Lean Pockets and rotisserie chicken in her cart?"
Ugh. Admitting my crap food fetishes and totally inconsistent food philosophy makes me feel like a child-rearing expert who gives her kids a pack of matches and tells them to go play in the street. Nice work, food writer! You're no better than the rest of us!
But we all know eating well is easier said than done. Generally speaking, Americans' eating habits are terrible. If you're reading this, you probably hold yourself to a higher standard. I know I try to. It's easy to look at the meat case and see regular old chicken sitting next to organic chicken and say, well of course! I'll buy the organic chicken, even if it costs more. But when you order chicken wings or have a burger at a friend's house, do you ask if the meat was organically raised? Probably not.
So what would happen if we made an absolute commitment to eating a perfectly balanced diet of locally grown, organic food all the time? I know for sure I'd have to win the lottery, quit my job and take up farming. New Mexico growers put out an amazing array of produce, but even in the height of summer, there isn't tons of it, and what is available is relatively expensive. In the winter? Forget about it.
There's no question that if we buy their products, local growers will continue to increase their efforts and more of their stuff will end up in our markets and grocery stores. But it's probably not realistic to think that New Mexico, with our climate and water issues, could be self-sustaining anytime soon. Practically speaking, we have to eat food from far away in order to survive and most of us can't afford to eat organic all of the time.
This is not meant to be a defense of my embarrassing addiction to Lean Pockets. I really don't have an excuse for that, other than the fact that sometimes I get hungry and I'm in a hurry and, well, I like them! What I'm getting at is that I really wish more meat producers in this state would use organic methods and I wish stores carried more locally raised, organic meats. I recently roasted a Pollo Real chicken, and it was the absolute best I've ever made. I chopped up some cilantro leaves, mixed them with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and slathered that goop in between the meat and the skin, then tossed in the oven for an hour. Magnificent!-exceptionally moist and tender.
Pollo Real birds are certified organic and raised in Socorro. Pollo Real chicken can be found on the menu at many Santa Fe restaurants, but you can buy it for yourself at La Montañita Coop (formerly The Marketplace) or Kaune's. While at La Montañita, feast your eyes as well on the wide variety of Shepherd's Lamb cuts, also often seen on the menu at restaurants like Café San Estevan, Mu Du Noodles, Cloudcliff Bakery, Pyramid Café, O'Keeffe Café and Aqua Santa. If you want to find out more about them, check out
. For more information about local organics, check out the New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission's web site,
. And if you've invented a tasty, organic, fast-preparing Lean Pocket, let me know.
La Montañita Coop (The Marketplace)
913 West Alameda St.
984-2852
7 am–10 pm, daily
Kaune Foodtown
511 Old Santa Fe Trail
982-2629
8 am-6:50 pm Monday-Saturday
Hey, restaurant people! If you want to help out your colleagues affected by the hurricane, a New Orleans Hospitality Workers' Disaster Relief Fund has been set up through the well-established Greater Houston Community Foundation. Call 713-333-2200 or just send checks to the fund c/o the foundation, 4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77027.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to food@sfreporter.com.
