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Old 03-30-2010, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Texas
44,259 posts, read 64,365,577 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post
Not having an iphone isn't going to make a farmer's market magically appear.
You don't need a farmer's market to eat well.

It's your _health_. It should be your priority, even if it is inconvenient. The excuse is always about convenience and price. Your health and well-being should be the number one cost and effort in your life. Everything else is just excuses.

 
Old 03-30-2010, 01:19 PM
 
4,796 posts, read 22,906,689 times
Reputation: 5047
It doesn't matter if you want to call it a farmer's market or a supermarket or a produce stand--many places in this country including a lot of West Virginia do not have them.

And not having an iPod isn't going to make them magically spring up.

Maybe in a future episode Mr. Oliver will go shopping with that family, now that he's thrown out all of their food. And see that it could easily be 60-90 minutes one way to the nearest decent food source, and that the trip won't be possible half the year because of the weather.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 01:40 PM
 
Location: San Diego
5,026 posts, read 15,289,798 times
Reputation: 4887
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post

Maybe in a future episode Mr. Oliver will go shopping with that family, now that he's thrown out all of their food. And see that it could easily be 60-90 minutes one way to the nearest decent food source, and that the trip won't be possible half the year because of the weather.
I did a search for supermarkets in Huntington, WV and came up with quite a few in that town alone. Kroger's, Goldie's and Food Fair are just 3 and they all sell fresh produce.

For 5 months out of the year, they have the Central City Market right in Huntington. This is an indoor/outdoor facility where local farmers come with fresh produce. That's 5 months out of the year that they have access to fresh, local produce. No excuse for not using it. This market runs from June-October, so I doubt they can use bad weather as an excuse.

I also did a search on the Local Harvest website and there are several farms right in Huntington that sell directly to the public. How I would love something like that in my area. And, on the Eat Wild site, there are quite a few local farms that supply grass-fed beef and pastured chickens. We don't even have that in San Diego and have to order from a farmer in Northern CA!

There really is no excuse for that city to be living the way they do. If you seek it, you can find it. I found all that in just the last 5 minutes. Surely, at least some of the people have internet access in that town.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 02:00 PM
 
9,846 posts, read 22,677,486 times
Reputation: 7738
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post
It doesn't matter if you want to call it a farmer's market or a supermarket or a produce stand--many places in this country including a lot of West Virginia do not have them.

And not having an iPod isn't going to make them magically spring up.

Maybe in a future episode Mr. Oliver will go shopping with that family, now that he's thrown out all of their food. And see that it could easily be 60-90 minutes one way to the nearest decent food source, and that the trip won't be possible half the year because of the weather.
I think you missed the point.

It's about priorities and if your health is a priority then you will do the things to make it the best you can.

I drive an hour one way and back each month to get good meat and produce. Others might tie up their time and money into something else, but it is their choice.

In any supermarket in the USA there is always some sort of fruit and veg and basic ingredients available. Let's put it like this, an apple is no harder to find than a Totinos Pizza.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 02:02 PM
 
4,796 posts, read 22,906,689 times
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Three grocery stores for 50k people isn't very much. And they are located within 1/2 mile of each other. Meaning most of the town is not near the food source.

My local media just published a 'food desert' map, and in this town of 600k in a metro area of 5 million, half the town is a food desert. One ward has 100k residents and only one supermarket--which doesn't accept WIC.

Don't pretend you know anything about what it is like to live in Huntington West Virginia because you watched a 30-minute episode and did a google search.

And I didn't miss the point above. You keep arguing that its owning iPods that is keeping people from nutrition and good health and it isn't. A person can not buy a single electronic of any kind and it won't put food on their table if there isn't food available to buy. And don't start in on how people should grow their food because no one can grow all their own food, unless they give up everything else including a job that will buy them clothing and a roof over their head.

Last edited by kodaka; 03-30-2010 at 02:18 PM..
 
Old 03-30-2010, 02:33 PM
 
9,846 posts, read 22,677,486 times
Reputation: 7738
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post
Three grocery stores for 50k people isn't very much. And they are located within 1/2 mile of each other. Meaning most of the town is not near the food source.

My local media just published a 'food desert' map, and in this town of 600k in a metro area of 5 million, half the town is a food desert. One ward has 100k residents and only one supermarket--which doesn't accept WIC.

Don't pretend you know anything about what it is like to live in Huntington West Virginia because you watched a 30-minute episode and did a google search.

And I didn't miss the point above. You keep arguing that its owning iPods that is keeping people from nutrition and good health and it isn't. A person can not buy a single electronic of any kind and it won't put food on their table if there isn't food available to buy. And don't start in on how people should grow their food because no one can grow all their own food, unless they give up everything else including a job that will buy them clothing and a roof over their head.
I think you are just rationalizing and making excuses when people have options to change if they want. Like I said, I can guarantee it is just as easy to buy an apple in West Virginia as it is to buy double stuf oreos or totinos pizza.

Whether it's an ipod or a car or a vegas vacation or cigarettes or beer or whatever doesn't matter. That is not the point. The point is that people have to prioritize what is important to them. If good food is not important to them then it isn't. But if it is, they will find ways to source good food, even if only for part of the year. As already shown there is farmers markets and local farms available for part of the year.

And sure they can grow some of their own food for part of the year. My garden is about 10 feet wide by 3 feet and supplies tons of cucumbers and tomatoes all summer long.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 02:34 PM
 
Location: San Diego
5,026 posts, read 15,289,798 times
Reputation: 4887
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post
Three grocery stores for 50k people isn't very much.

Don't pretend you know anything about what it is like to live in Huntington West Virginia because you watched a 30-minute episode and did a google search.
I listed 3 grocery stores. Many more came up in my search but I wasn't about to list every single one of them. I think there were 3 different Kroger's alone. I find it hard to believe that there isn't enough fresh produce for the city. In fact, I'm willing to bet that these supermarkets throw away more produce than the prepackaged stuff that people seem to love.

And living in Huntington is no different than living in any other part of the country. I've lived on the East and West coasts, as well as Europe, and have always had access to fresh food. Sure, it's not easy in some places, but we made it a priority to find it. The point is, he could go to any city in any state and see the same results. Some people's priorities don't include eating food but rather food products.

We live in an apartment with a tiny patio and grow our own produce! These people have houses with yards. What I can do with that land! We can only grow some herbs, strawberries and tomatoes, due to lack of space. And, we grow them in pots because there is no soil. They have houses with yards and tons of space. What's their excuse???

As of now, we have traveled to 45 states and countless cities in those states. We seek out farmers markets and fresh food markets when we travel, since we don't like to eat at bad restaurants. We have never had an issue finding these foods on our travels, which means the locals shouldn't either. Cleveland's farmers market comes to mind, since it was one of the best ones I've seen in the US.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Texas
44,259 posts, read 64,365,577 times
Reputation: 73932
Look, he went to the store and brought home fresh produce for that one family. Then it sat in their fridge and they didn't eat it.

So it is clearly available. Excuses, excuses, excuses...
 
Old 03-30-2010, 03:20 PM
 
4,796 posts, read 22,906,689 times
Reputation: 5047
Quote:
And living in Huntington is no different than living in any other part of the country. I've lived on the East and West coasts, as well as Europe, and have always had access to fresh food. Sure, it's not easy in some places, but we made it a priority to find it. The point is, he could go to any city in any state and see the same results. Some people's priorities don't include eating food but rather food products.

We live in an apartment with a tiny patio and grow our own produce! These people have houses with yards. What I can do with that land! We can only grow some herbs, strawberries and tomatoes, due to lack of space. And, we grow them in pots because there is no soil. They have houses with yards and tons of space. What's their excuse???
Well aren't you just a saint. I bet you are the ONLY person on this thread who has ever lived in more than one place or on more than one continent or grows a few vegetables.

Yeah, the ONLY one. No one else could POSSIBLY have any experience living in different kinds of places or dealing with different kinds of food resources. So you have a right to judge other people and everyone else is wrong.
 
Old 03-30-2010, 03:25 PM
 
Location: Cedar Park/NW Austin
1,306 posts, read 3,120,658 times
Reputation: 879
It doesn't matter what kind of availability of produce that a particular city has. What's going to matter is whether or not the people of that city know how to purchase and prepare nutritional foods based upon their budgets. There are plenty of people out there who do not know how to follow directions in a recipe. There are plenty of people who cannot look at a produce aisle and a grain aisle and put together an affordable meal in their heads.

Is home economics even taught in high school anymore? It was an elective when I was in HS and I did not take it. I learned to cook because my mother felt it was important to teach me. She also had the time to do so. Don't ask me to sew however; I have no idea how to thread a sewing machine.

As far as the land argument, successful gardening requires money, time, and knowledge. A person just surviving on minimum wage cannot afford to spend their money on plants that may or may not survive. People who rent may not be allowed to alter their backyards. Container gardens still require money to buy the pots and the dirt to fill them with.

I think that school lunches are a good place to start, but the families themselves need to be educated. Otherwise, it will be baked chicken and salads at schools and McD's and hamburger helper at home.
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