I was watching the Oscars when they were showing the nominees for documentary films when I came across Food Inc. for the first time. So I went out to find a DVD of the movie as I was rather curious because of the tag line it had, “you’ll never look at dinner the same way again.” And they were right.
The film in a nutshell talks about how the food industry has transformed over the years and how in the present, only a handful of corporations actually control the entire market. So when you go to the supermarket and you can hardly pick out a product because of all the variety you see, well, think again. As much as there are so many brand names that give the illusion of variety, these are all made by the same corporations.
The eye-opener in the film was actually how the quality of food has changed. Sure, the quantity is a lot more than it has ever been, but to what consequence? I guess that’s what the movie is trying to get us all to see. And believe me, the consequences are pretty disturbing especially when you realize how and where your food is coming from.
I’d be lying if I said that I knew where, much less cared about how my food came from before, and that would probably be the reason why we are all at this point right now. I think if everyone was made aware of where our food actually comes from, we would be thinking twice about eating what we do every single day. But because we don’t know and because we couldn’t care less, we are all “healthy” contributors to the sad state we are all in right now. Such a shame.
The documentary also points out some of the travesties that have been so glaring in the agricultural industry in the US yet the government turns the other way. Why? Well, because of the money this type of business generates. And while the rich get richer, the farmers who actually have lands that grow these crops and house these animals, are the ones buried to their necks with debt and lawsuits so they are forced to comply or lose everything. Not much of a choice now is there?
I can’t speak for everyone but since I watched “Super Size Me,” which was another documentary that spoke about the fast food industry a few years ago, I’ve been more aware of what I should and shouldn’t be eating. It didn’t stop me from eating fast food though. But this film was a real eye-opener that finally made me do something about what I eat instead of just not giving a damn even after digesting such disturbing information. If you guys have not seen this film, take an hour of your time to do so, and I promise it will do you good.
As a last thought on the matter, I tried to start eating healthy because of this film by taking in more veggies and swearing off on fast food like burgers and the like, but it’s pretty darn hard. You would be surprised why though and it isn’t why you think. I went to the websites supporting the cause (I put them on as links below for reference) and these sites give you the best advice they can on how you should eat. One of them was to eat organic food and buy from farmer’s markets as the products there are not contaminated by all these chemicals and are truly grown fresh. So I went to Healthy Options (a store that sells organic products) to see what they had and now I know WHY people would be hard-pressed to change their eating habits and why it would be practically IMPOSSIBLE to remedy the situation we are all in now.
I’d say I’m in the upper-middle class, to say that I can afford to buy relatively more expensive things if I wanted to. And if you think about it, what could be more important than buying things that can and should make you healthier. But when I went in that store, I really looked at all the products one by one, just to see what all the zero fat, no trans-fat, no chemical, organic stuff, was all about. So great, let’s buy a few, but…
Sure, there was a bit of variety, not a lot though, and you could handpick what you could eat, much less what you wanted to eat, but the problem was the PRICE. And this is where it’s going to hit everyone who watches this film. You may be inspired and your eyes may be wide-open, but can your pockets handle the cost of living a healthier life? If you can buy ketchup in Unimart for P70, why would you go to Healthy Options to buy it for P355? You can count on the cost of everything else in that store to be around that same ratio from your normal supermarkets compared to the organic kind. So I’m at a dilemma right now and I’m sure those who can’t afford it wouldn’t even think twice.
Reference Sites:
Food Inc : Official Site
Eat Well Guide
Food Matters
Organic Food Info
If you’re a sweet-tooth and desserts are your thing, then you definitely need to appease your taste buds in Frostings. With twenty-five different cupcake flavors to choose from, all brought in FRESH from Bulacan everyday, it is indeed a haven for dessert lovers. It also has a cupcake of the month, with the Sans Rival as the September highlight for cupcake number 25. My fiancee and I were doing our wedding registry in Rustan’s and chanced upon the kids section on the 3rd floor and could not take our eyes off this small nook. Who could with a dessert display with cupcakes that look like this?
A friend of mine mentioned to me that there was this really good burger joint in Makati called Burger Avenue. So I believed her and gave it a try since I was craving for a fat juicy burger all week anyway. It was a small little place inside A Venue and the first thing I saw when I went in was the RIDICULOUS Burger. I asked how big it was, since it costs 224 pesos to eat, and it was indeed huge. It’s an all-beef TRIPLE patty burger sandwiched in an oatmeal bun laced with lettuce, tomatoes, and three cheese slices. I was starving to death anyway so I decided to order it. The lady in the counter then asked me if I wanted to take the Challenge or enjoy my burger. Instinctively I said, “UH, ENJOY MY BURGER!”
Apparently, ever since the place started business, it had this fun promo called “The RIDICULOUS Challenge.” The rules were very simple, order a Ridiculous Burger, and tell the counter that you want to try the challenge. There’s only one rule, and that’s having to finish the burger in a span of 5 minutes from when you take it from the counter. If you are able to finish it, then the burger you’ve eaten is free. If you don’t finish it, you need to shell out 224 pesos for it. Winners can only win once, and there was a hall of fame board too. There were pictures of people who took the challenge and beat it. I had a friend of mine in one of the boards holding up a sign that said “I INVADED,” which was rather hilarious. A rather creative promotion and pretty amusing and tempting to do.
224 bucks. It has a bunch of other special burgers in its menu also, a few names to note were “Crispy Bacon Melt,” or “Sexy Burgers,” or “Barbeque Bacon Buger.” They also have Rice and Pasta on their menu as well as on-the-side orders, normal burgers, sandwiches, and even dessert. The normal burgers would cost 80 pesos to 120 pesos depending on what type and how many patties you want. But everything ranges at around 100 pesos only. They also deliver within the Makati area, which is very convenient. The delivery number is 729-9108 with a minimum purchase of 200 pesos.
