Accountability

I eat horribly.  I love the taste and mouth-feel of deep fried, greasy, salty, and refined sugary things - and  I drink beer more often than I should.  I've even developed a taste for aspartame, where on a hot day (if drinking a beer isn't appropriate), I actually prefer an artificially sweetened beverage to water or a drink sweetened with sugar.  I know all this about myself;  I've accepted it, I own it, and I'm not making any excuses about it.

That said, I'm having a problem with the growing number of complaints I hear about the difficulties of keeping a healthy or nutritious diet due to the "high cost" it takes to do so.  I just don't get it.  Comparing grocery bills from when my family eats healthy to when it doesn't, I've found it costs considerably more to eat unhealthy processed foods... maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Our average fast food bill for one meal is $30 to $35, whereas for less than $20 we can get a free range chicken, the fixings for a HUGE green salad and a 5 lb bag of potatoes from the grocery store.  So obviously the money complainers can't be talking about fast food being cheaper than real food.....

Snack foods then?  Last I checked a chocolate bar is double to triple the price of a piece of fresh fruit.  Potatoes are at least tripled in price when sliced thin, deep fried in highly processed oil and then doused in salt and/or chemical flavorings.  In fact I can't think of any instance where unhealthy food is cheaper than a healthy substitute.  Maybe donuts.... but then, what is the healthy substitute for donuts, and are they a necessary part of the North American diet?

Perhaps.  Or at least we are led to believe that they are.

And therein lies the dilemma.  Humans are hard-wired to crave fatty, salty, and sugary foods.  Things that (used to be) very rare in our natural environment.  Corporations and fast-food chains have realized this truth and are cashing in on these cravings by making foods in these categories widely available and relatively cheap.

I'll accept that eating unhealthy is more convenient and usually requires less thought.  It makes good sense for a business to offer these things because that's what people want to buy.  As a former restaurant owner that offered a mixed menu of similarly priced healthy and unhealthy lunch options, I can tell you that the majority will go for unhealthy... even at the same price (in fact, based on food cost, unhealthy unhealthy options were usually a little more).

I'm tired of hearing people passing the buck and not taking responsibility for their high cholesterol, adult diabetes, and obesity.  It's not hard to determine when a food is unhealthy.  If the taste of it is such that you consider to cram it in, even after your brain says you're full - it's unhealthy.  Simple.

I know I'm heading for health problems myself if I don't change my diet, and because I know how to cook, I recognize that I'll actually save money as well as years of my life by eating healthier.  So what's my excuse?

I'm not blaming society or the corporations for my dietary choices.  It's the corporations prime objective to make money, not ensure my health... they're doing what's in the best interest of their share-holders... providing a product that the consumer finds tasty and thus wants to buy. It's what they're supposed to do.  Welcome to capitalism.

But I digress...

I eat the way I do because I have a problem with instant gratification.  I have a craving and I feed it, literally, and without a thought toward the future impact to my health.  I know I can beat it, because I have in the past.  Last summer I went vegetarian for 4 months with the simple goal of losing a few pounds.  It worked wonderfully, but once the weight was gone I slipped back into bad eating habits.  I have since learned that being thin is a far, far cry from being healthy.

It's time to smarten up.  Beginning May 25th, 2012 I will once again be going on a healthful eating/living journey - not necessarily vegetarian, but certainly meat reduced.  It's not easy... it requires effort, will-power, thick-skin, and a little creativity.  Okay, maybe sometimes a lot of creativity. Anybody with me?  Recipe sharers, supporters, well wishers, and hippy-types are all welcome. 

Heck, even devoted right-wing conservatives and baconarians can join in.

Dear 16 year old self....

This was taken from my sister, who is participating in the WEGO Health Blog's Health Writer's Month Challenge. You can read her entry here.

I have to give Karen credit, as her letter speaks mostly about being herself and following her heart with academic choices. It's a noble letter for sure. I fear mine, however,would be much more plot altering and paradox causing.....

Dear 16 year old Mark

Greetings from the world of tomorrow!! First off don't assume you know everything, because you don't. I know that at your age you don't value others' opinions/advice nearly as much as your own so I'd like to point out that I am you and I hope you take that into consideration and read this letter with the utmost sincerity. I also know you like lists, so I've compiled one containing all my advice to you....

1. Don't start smoking (any substances, ever)
2. Forget about girls for the next couple years - keep your head down and put that energy into studying math, trades, and sociology.
   
3. Get a job in a real kitchen.
4. Get your damn driver's license.
   
5. For September 2nd 1995, the Lotto649 Jackpot will be $26,410,706. Here are the winning numbers:

   4,

   12,

   28,

   31,

   45,

   46,

   bonus:6

6. After buying yourself a house and nice stereo, use one third of your winnings to purchase gold (actual bricks/bars/coins) and a safe to keep it in. (The price of gold goes up 800% in 2008 so DON'T SELL BEFORE THEN!) Take another third and have it invested in Apple Computers (yes Apple - they make a comeback) and Google (they appear in 1998).
7. In 2003 take the sociology course at Algoma/Laurentian. You will meet your wife here (Am**da Os***ne).

N.B. Although this isn't exactly how it happened in my timeline, if you can begin a relationship with your wife before 2006 it will save you both a lot of hardship and poor choices. At any rate, you eventually have three wonderful children together. Oh, and by the way.... she has dogs. Big ones. You can get past this, however, in 2007 one of them will eat your fried ham that you were about to make a sandwich with. Don't let this happen because you have a really hard time letting that go.

Sincerely

Your future self
Chef Mark Hohmann

And that's how I'll do it. :)

Scenic View

I remember camping trips with my dad, traveling Northern Ontarian highways for hours or days to get to our destination in the middle of nowhere at lake such-and-such. At the time, I was always interested in the destination and getting there as soon as possible and never truly appreciated the "scenic view" stops along the way to stretch our legs.

When not hectic, life has at least been busy the past few months... and I miss the scenic views. All too often it feels as though I'm racing toward a destination - prepping for the next big cater-out or lunch-rush. I look back on the day after I've fed all the pets, taken out the recycling, and the kids are slumbering... I love the journey I'm on.... briefly. Then I pass out.

When I look back on it every night; I enjoy being a chef more than anything, creating food that bring joy and health to those that consume it - serving in a very fundamental and base level. More than that, since I have a big ego, I love being the rock-star chef I've become. I love getting press and hearing the praises from the soup-fans. It's all very awesome.

But.

In the moment - 20 minutes before the lunch rush pours in and I have to finish the soups, cut the fresh baked focaccia, pull the pork, deal with the fact that we're out of coffee lids, and also discover that one of the steam table inserts blew an element... it all just makes me want to smoke cigarettes and drink vast amounts of taurine.

It's kind of like I've been (or my generation has been, perhaps) conditioned to rush toward the destination to such an extent that I/we don't know how to stop and stretch our legs and enjoy a scenic view along the way - doubly so if you work in the food industry. And it's not just the work of being a chef but the trials and tribulations of being the father of three and a husband of one very awesome lady...

Life is immense. So large, in fact that it becomes all too easy to lose oneself in it and not enjoy the beauty seen in the larger picture. Too easy to drive past that scenic view.

This very blog, for example, is like a scenic view for me. It forces me to stop and reflect and rest, and yet I haven't written on it since September. I've been so busy rushing, that I only take about 2 minutes to reflect and enjoy life before passing out each night.

I'm going to stop doing that.

Somehow.

Carmi at Written Inc wrote a post about journeys which inspired the above ramblings.... you owe me an hour of sleep Carmi. ;-)

Times, they are a changing

So, my wife and I opened a bistro last week. I'm the chef and she's a marketing genius/front of house manager.Regular blogging will resume after a nap. :)

Why Not

Alphabet Soup Meme

Taking a break from writing my book to write a meme. Grabbed this from my sister's blog.

Age: 34

Bed size: King. However, I usually end up bed-sharing with Stella in her double as Momma and Lilu take up the entire king size bed.

Chore you dislike: Cleaning up any sort of dog mess - pee, puke, poop, chewed/partially digested housewares, etc...

Dogs: We've had them for three or four seasons. They're up for sale if you want them. ;-)

Essential start to your day: Cleaning up a dog mess.

Favorite color: Purple.

Gold or silver: Gold.

Height: 6 ft.

Instruments you play(ed): Classical guitar, bagpipe, tuba, banjo, mandolin, didgeridoo and tin whistle.

Job title: Full-time, underpaid dad.

Kids: Stella Sebastien, and Selene.

Live: Northern Ontario, all my life.

Mom’s name: Robin

Nicknames: Husband.

Overnight hospital stays: Tosils and adnoids came out when I was ... 4?

Pet Peeves: Sour cream donuts from Country Style. More about this at another time

Quote from a movie: "I'll have two of them prime ribs and in between them some peanut butter. A leather model of the Taj Mahal filled with some kind of jelly... I don't care, grape, blueberry, it doesn't matter. Some cats, a dwarf riding a pumpkin. Also, could I get a snake in the form of a man's belt with the belt hook right around its head. Spitting poison, constantly spitting poison. If you could poke it with a stick a couple of times before you bring it to the table. Also, could I have a flaming ice cream model of the planet Uranus. It's my favourite planet. I love ice cream and flames are quite exciting. And then id like some uh, could you just cover your fist with grape jelly and then punch me in the throat."

Righty or Lefty: Right.

Siblings: Karen

Time you wake up: 7:42 AM.

Underwear: Usually.

Vegetables you don’t like: Eggplant.

What makes you run late: Three kids under 4.

X-Rays you’ve had: Just dental ones - but I should get one for my broken finger.

Yummy food you make: All of it! Why would I make food that isn't yummy?

Zoo animal favorite: Goat. Maybe. I don't care for the zoo-ing of animals.

Vicissitude

The only thing that can be guaranteed in life is that tomorrow will not be the same as today. Change is inevitable, and for me much like a monarchs journey from egg to caterpillar to butterfly, I can split my history into several unmistakeably distinguishable chapters.


The most recent chapter began on May 29th, when I decided the quickest way to shed 30 pounds for bathing suit season would be to stop eating bacon. This led to my watching "Food Inc" (to help motivate myself) and my eventual cessation of eating farmed animals altogether. I learned about Monsanto in said documentary, which prompted me to learn more and so I watched "The Corporation".... that led to an in depth study of Noam Chomsky 's "Manufacturing Consent" and there you have it: Canadian Mark, the born again hippy.


My wife (the sociology graduate) thinks it's funny because she was where I am now ten years ago - outraged activist - while she isn't exactly "at peace" with things, she's at least learned how to live in society while still being awake. I'm still wrapping my head around the situation and trying to plot my next moves without comprimising my new found moral compass while still supporting my family in the western world.

While I don't see any other option at present, I also can't see myself serving up 3 - 5 pigs worth of bacon from GMO corn fed swine every day for breakfast when I go back to work.

It's technically Thursday. I'm thankful for the little things... like riding out into an endless field of milkweed searching for a monarch caterpillar to go with a post like this, and then actually finding one.

About before....

Perhaps I was a bit hasty in calling the Canadian Dream a lie.... It's just not what I expected it to be, nor is it where I though I'd left it.

I've been all about rediscovering myself this summer, which I think is partly to blame for my lack of posts of late. Also, I've been quite involved and spectacularly busy with my family the past few weeks... enough to prevent me from even checking email or Facebook, let alone blog. Anyway, I'm working on some big posts that I hope to share soon.... can't talk much now. Must sleep.

Bye bye.