Monday, January 31, 2022

January Cooking and Reflections on Food Issues

A can of cherry tomatoes.
In my kitchen (and in my overflow shelves in the basement) I have been keeping a lot of canned goods. The new wave of the pandemic caused by the omicron strain has forced us back into a narrowed-down lifestyle. For the past month, I've been confining myself to less supermarket shopping, and trying to keep my pantry well-stocked. Although shortages this time are erratic and temporary, I'm nervous about shopping in person -- what if I can't even go to Costco and Trader Joe's? During the worst of the pandemic in 2020, I resorted to ordering canned goods from amazon.com -- the cherry tomatoes are among the last of the panicky amazon purchases.

This blog post about my kitchen and kitchen thoughts will be shared with a group of bloggers who contribute their own kitchen thoughts to Sherry's blog event each month (http://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/). 

Now for what I did with a can of cherry tomatoes:

Last year, a TikTok fad was baking feta cheese with spices and cherry tomatoes.
It was good (despite the faddishness). Here it is again. In the same oven, I made a tray of roasted eggplant.

I combined the eggplant with the tomato-feta sauce. The leftovers were reheated with pasta.

I cooked many other dishes in January, including both old favorites and new experiments. Most of these dishes, along with my new cookbooks and food reading, have already appeared in my earlier blog posts this month. As we decided in mid-2020, we continue to eat much less meat than we did before the pandemic, and to try new plant-based recipes. 

Old favorites: sardine salad, tuna salad, lettuce & tomato salad.

New in my Kitchen: A Replacement Griddle


I haven't used my new griddle yet. This is the advertising photo of it.
My old griddle gave up the ghost after many years of pancake making.

I wish I could claim to consider the impact my choices have on the environment when I shop for new kitchen items, but this is almost impossible. Environmentally responsible products are a dream that's hard to fulfill. The difficult facts:
"There are very few things you can purchase that are actively beneficial for the climate. Unless you’re buying a tree that will suck carbon from the air, most products require land, water and fossil fuels to produce and use. New stuff — clothes, appliances, bath products, toys, etc. — inherently comes at some environmental cost. ... In many situations, the 'greenest' product you can buy is … nothing" (The Washington Post, 2020)

 Obviously, the best choice is to keep using what I already have — if it keeps working!


The old griddle in use. It blew a fuse and no longer heated up.
Otherwise I would have used it forever.

Our Wine Cellar

Although it's in the basement, our wine is part of our kitchen, and wine shopping is part of our weekly grocery expeditions. I'm including this photo especially to send to Elizabeth's blog and her readers who share images of beverages each week.


The Rest of the World

I'm aware of how lucky I am to have a well-stocked kitchen and plenty of food sources with all kinds of choices. In this context, I'm also concerned about the rest of the world outside my little isolated bubble. Statistically, the pandemic, beginning in 2020, contributed to a significant increase in the number of people on the planet who are affected by hunger. A UNICEF report estimates that there are 768 million undernourished people in the world. 


This diagram, from a UNICEF report, presents the worldwide distribution of hunger: most of the suffering is in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Source: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021. Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all. (Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4474en)

That's not to say that hunger is confined to the third world. Is our own country -- my country, America -- doing enough for those who suffer from food insecurity? According to Feeding America, the USDA counts "more than 38 million people, including 12 million children" who are food insecure. I want to reflect on this as I look back on what's in my own kitchen this month, and how fortunate we are. In a recent write-up of the 50th anniversary of the book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé, writer Marion Nestle quoted this passage:

But I have learned that hunger can exist anywhere, within any society that has not accepted the fundamental responsibility of providing for the basic needs of its most vulnerable members—those unable to meet their own needs. And ours, sadly, is such a society.  I found myself feeling ashamed when I learned that other societies with which we might compare ourselves—France, Sweden, West Germany—demonstrate by their welfare programs that they do accept this social responsibility. In a recent study of social benefits to needy families with children in eight major industrial countries, the United States ranked among the lowest. (p. 101).

Nestle writes: "She could have written this yesterday." (source: Weekend reading: Diet for a Small Planet at 50; Nestle's blog, Food Politics, also directed me to the UNICEF article.)

Blog post and photos © 2020, 2022 mae sander.

27 comments:

  1. Hello,

    It is a good idea to keep your pantry and wine well stocked. The tomatoes and eggplant with feta looks delicious. Your new griddle looks nice. Take care, enjoy your day. Have a happy new week!

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  2. First of all, thanks for sharing this post with us for T this week, Mae. It's nice to see you don't really need an elaborate set up to still have a wine cellar. Good for you.

    Also, as you know, I wrote a blog post on food insecurity in the military. It's such a shame the military, who put their lives on the line for us every day can't put food on their own tables. We need to rethink this system we have.

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  3. I'm shopping as little as possible (Rick, more, will pick up for me). If I go, I go super early when there are fewer people. I didn't know Cento made cherry tomatoes in the can. That's really pretty brilliant. Your dishes all look delish and I'm thinking you didn't suffer too much on the quality of your wonderful food during the pandemic! I think I probably will venture out early tomorrow before the predicted snow comes, mostly for produce (and Coke Zero!). I've been thanking myself for making and freezing so much tomato sauce last summer! (It can be blended for soup, used on chicken or jazzed up for pasta). My freezer is looking pretty good. On Saturday we hope to see the kids for late Christmas and will do a TJoe run. Keep cozy -- I love when you talk food!

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  4. Tomatoes and Fetta what a great recipe. I have always shopped at 6AM most of the time there are only workers there. This was a good post and I enjoyed reading it. Have a nice day.

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  5. The pandemic has caused us to stock up our pantry with canned and food.

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  6. I like having a well-stocked pantry. I use canned tomatoes but have never tried canned cherry tomatoes. I go to the grocery store weekly. I mask and don't stay long. So far, so good. My husband likes a griddle, especially for pancakes. It's nice that you have a space suitable for your wines. Cool!

    The state of food insecurity and hunger in this country is a disgrace :( I used to have Diet for a Small Planet, but it was released to a new home as part of my paring-down process.

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  7. We have been stocking our pantry due to the food shortage last year. That is when we started buying a 1/2 cow for our freezer to keep meat on hand.
    I have this griddle and I LOVE it! My SIL had one and when I saw how easy it was to clean, I instantly wanted one. Up to that point I was using a cast iron griddle for the stove and not only was it heavy but it was a pain to clean! This one is the easiest clean up. I am sure you will love it.
    Your tomato dishes look delicious! I Love cherry tomatoes.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  8. Canning food is wonderful. That and flash freezing!

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  9. I've been working to keep a well stocked pantry especially during the cold months for some years now as I hate the cold so much I try to go out in it as little as possible! Not a fan of ordering food online or at groceries for delivery. Like you, we have been moving more and more to plant based veggie and grain foods. And we have a shelf in the basement that we jokingly call our wine cellar:) Thanks for sharing, and happy T day!

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  10. I likeyour wine shelf!
    Like you, we eat less meat and way more plant based meals. I usually keep the basic food items stocked in my pantry, but some things you just have to buy fresh. I usually do a weekly Trader Joe's run and go early in the morning, right when they open. I have a list and am in and out in less than 30 minutes.
    It is a disgrace that the US as such a rich and wealthy country has so many of its people that can't put enough food on their table. We throw billions in the military and at politicians, but children have to go to bed hungry. Thank you for writing about this.

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  11. thanks for joining in Mae. i too have been reflecting on how very lucky we are in a first world country; we have fresh food and water and a roof over our heads... and no one trying to kill us! soooo lucky. cheers sherry

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  12. When I was a teacher I knew many food insecure teenagers. I used to keep a few things in my desk drawer for them at lunch time. With the increase cost of food it must be tough for some people to eat more than cheaper heavy carb loaded food. And by the way, I had the same griddle as you. My was still working but a couple of legs broke off, and I couldn't get them permanently glued on. Now instead of electric I went for a smaller stove top one. Have a wonderful T day, week ahead and start to the new month Mae. hugs-Erika

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  13. Great food post. My Mom was a farm girl growing up, so I was brought up to preserve food all my life-I have always enjoyed the process very much. Til the move to the lake I have always had a large veggie garden that I canned-froze or dried, and I searched out farmers markets or hand picked fruits to preserve.
    when covid hit I almost always have gone food shopping when the stores first open-there are no people in the stores during those times. I also buy allot of foods from Nutsdotcom and vitacost has great organic canned foods.
    sorry for the long comment Happy T

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  14. I'm grateful that life here is normal, other than mask wearing. We have food for which I'm grateful. The pandemic has made food security even worse and the news is covering so many areas where it looks like thousands will starve to death each month. What scares me is how many children are being born into this. Some young mothers who have no food have multiple children. It's just concerning on so many levels.

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  15. Love that tomato sauce and the griddle, I am waiting on my griddle to arrive for my new oven

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  16. Yes, we sometimes forget how lucky we are.
    My neighbour was a kid in WWII and oh. Hunger he had to endure. He had to steal food, for his whole family.
    And then I complain I cannot get the cheese Ingo wants. How stupid.
    Yay to your new kitchen gadget!

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  17. We have a very well stocked pantry (really unnecessary)and I have to be careful to not let things go out of date. Your cherry tomatoes recipe looks very yummy. I have never made that. I suppose that the cherry tomatoes you get in a can are skinned, whereas if you use fresh, they would still have their skin on. (with a slightly different outcome of the recipe)
    You are right that we are privileged to have so much food. We thank the Lord every day for that (and heating).
    Your griddle looks amazing. I have a griddle pan but it has ridges. I'm thinking of getting a cast iron one to put on the stove, but they are so heavy...
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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  18. I enjoyed your post today Mae. We had so many shortages and empty shelves these last two years, mostly due to panic buying, but now still happening and due to logistics and supply chain issues, and some staff shortages. Even with all of that there is still food being wasted and thrown away and we have collections in all the supermarkets for food donations that go to the local food banks, so I always give what I can there.

    I would love to investigate your wine cellar! Happy T Day Elle/EOTC xx

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  19. A very thought provoking post. I have always hated shopping especially grocery shopping. Note, I don't mind shopping for art supplies or books. One good thing the pandemic did for me was opened up shopping at the grocery store using their online delivery service. Happy T Day

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  20. Wonderful, there is plenty to be thankful for 😀. Happy T Day! Hugs Jo x

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  21. I keep a few basics in my cupboards, but only enough for a few days. My apartment is too small for huge amounts. Happy T dAY; Valerie

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  22. I did not know this was the 50th anniversary of Diet for a Small Planet -- it occupied a prominent part on my cookbook shelf back in the day; I remember thinking a lot about complementary proteins, not wanting to deny our growing children "all" the protein they needed when I served (maybe) two vegetarian meals a week. Oh dear, now we know better. (But I still like a meal of rice and beans and cornbread. Albeit, the rice and beans nowadays are dressed up a little better than they were back then. ) ) I tried the tik tok recipe (because I read about it somewhere else, I wouldn't even know where to find tictok). Used fresh cherry tomatoes (we were in Oregon) and the other day I made a version of it here -- we are lucky to have fresh produce season twice a year when we divide our time as we usually do. ... I am sorry that we as a country cannot seem to do more to provide for those in need.

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  23. It is difficult to replace some of our cooking items that have lasted forever! I had my grandmother's waffle iron for years, which was reversable, waffle iron on one side griddle on other side. It was a heavy thing, and it wore out about 20 years ago, after grandma using it for no telling how long, and then we used it for 30! I replaced it with one that didn't last even 5 years!!! What does that say about how good they are making things now days? I didn't buy another, instead got a cheap griddle and a Belgium waffle maker. They both have lasted at least 10 years so far. Great lesson in world hunger. Remember our mom's telling us to clean up our plates, there were starving children that would love it?
    Happy T Day!

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  24. At least you didn't replace your griddle until it broke. Many people would have replaced it when the newest fad came out. Love that in the midst of your yummy dishes, wine collection, and well stocked kitchen, you take time to reflect on others less fortunate. I worry much about the food insecure. I had a small bout of it at one time in my life and it made me insecure about it always. I always keep a ton of food stocked up. I know my situation was no where near most people facing it so I worry much about them.

    On a happier note, many hugz and happy T-day.

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  25. Great post Mae!
    Happy belated T-day! Those roasted cherry tomatoes with aubergines have to be delicious, especially when accompanied by wine. I also think that I use everything until they no longer work, it is much better for the environment.
    Regarding the hunger that exists in the world, I think it would be necessary to review and change the aid policies to other countries, helping them in their own country, so that they can get enough food for the population. Many things would have to change, but of course, it is easier said than done. At home, I always say that food should not be thrown away, because many people would like to eat it, and it is very sad to see how much food is thrown away every day, not only from homes, but from restaurants, hotels, supermarkets. .... Let's see if we can achieve a better world for everyone, even if it sounds utopian.
    I wish you a happy day, take care of yourself,
    Big hugs, Caty

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  26. i have never owned a griddle, yet i think they are wonderful. i have so many gadgets and so little cabinet space, it is the one kitchen aide i have done without and instead use a flat bottomed skillet!!

    i made the tomato, feta bake but used burrata cheese instead, we don't love feta, and that cheese did not work. i should have realized it would not!!

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  27. When I was young, I worked for the Census Bureau, and food insecurity was one of the important issues we asked about. I was shocked at how many people I spoke with skipped meals (typically the elderly) or gave some of their food to their children because they didn't have enough food. I don't think many people realize this.

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