Always after me Lucky Charms.....& some thoughts on food

As a kid in the 1970's, there was little doubt about what I wanted for breakfast, it was always Lucky Charms. Frankly, I didn't care for the sugary oat part too much, but ate them, and ate around the hearts, moons, stars, and clover marshmallows to save them for later when they would get all soft and mushy and big in the skim milk. Those were the easy days. And, whenever we approach St Patrick's day I think about Lucky Charms, with the little leprechuan, and think that they really lived up to their name as a magically delicious treat.

Of course, as I grew up I grew out of my taste for Lucky Charms. (Well, not really. Now, as an adult if I was marshmallows, I just find marshmallows, especially this time of year, when those delicious and unhealthy Peeps are so prevalent. And, just in case you are wondering, they do expand when microwaved. But, their glory is short lived, because then they just die.)

As an adult, and as an adult foodie, and as an adult foodie with a deep social conscious, it got harder. I try as hard as I can to buy local, fitting in with the new term of the late 2000's as a localvore. I try to make sure that I only bring meat and poultry into my house if it's bought from a local farm, where the animals are treated humanely. I care about the packaging of my food, and, of course, recycle absolutely everything.

I am not generally a fan of shopping at the Whole Food's of the world. I don't believe that a chain fresh/organic/quasi-local shopping can really be sustainable at a chain of WF's size. Plus, they aren't unionized, in fact, they are actively anti-union.

Anyway, I always just suspected that something was just sort of off when I saw organic and other wholesome food type products at my neighborhood mega-supermarket and at some other "organic" markets. And, I was right. Many of the big organic food companies are owned by the mega-food corporations here. For example, General Mills, the producer of my much beloved Lucky Charms, also owns Cascadian Farms, which makes organic granola and Muir Glen, maker of organic tomato products likes salsas, ketchup, and pasta sauce.

So much for finding good food from a good, local, sustainable producer.

I didn't find this my own research. I came across a great chart showing who owns organic brands. I found this online from a fairly interesting magazine called Good.

Anyway, so much food for thought, as they say.

And, speaking of thoughts, Three Stone Steps would love to hear yours.

On the road again....

....well, not quite. Right about now I was supposed to be in Phnom Penh, looking for more fun to funky fairly traded and eco-chic goods, yet I am in my kitchen in beautiful Baltimore, Maryland USA.

The night before my flight I was knocked out my the norovirus. Now, this wasn't fun, in fact, I can't remember when I've been taken down by an illness.

In any event, this isn't a rant about some nasty virus, but rather to let you know that I'm still around, but this weird downtime has given me some clarity regarding what new things I'll be looking for.

But, first, I'm going to make my existing items even better. Prepare to see the cotton travelers bags with new longer and wider straps, and some new, shapes. Look for new colors in the gorgeous Angkor silk screen shoulder bag. It's coming along.

I'm hoping to bring back some man purses. Ok. Don't snicker. A man bag. The hard sided briefcase has gone the way of dial-up and cassette tapes, or so has been proclaimed by the Wall Street Journal when they wrote about the Death of the Brief Case. In any event, this sort of makes me sad in the sort of way that no longer having carpools makes me sad. The briefcase reminds me of my father and just seemed so handy. But, I can't say I blame men for wanting a hand's free way to take work to and fro. (I guess I really wish people didn't have to take work home from the office, but that's for another post.)

I also plan to look for more items in sustainable fabrics, like hemp and bamboo, and innovative recycled items.

Please also let me know what you'd like to see, and please stay tuned for some updates from Southeast Asia.