Saturday November 3rd, 2007

Today’s Food Consumption Sustainability Index: 85%

I am seriously starting to miss the savoury, tart sensation of vegemite on toast with a good cup of tea. I was thinking about whether vegemite might qualify as a sustainable, de-facto eco-food somehow given that it is made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract and some added vegetables. What can be more sustainable than a healthy (full of vitamin B and minerals) spread that is based on recycled leftovers? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegemite
But given that this experiment is all about trying new foods and investigating eco-labels I decide not to compromise things further by trying to justify a product that travelled 20000km by plane to be on my dinner plate here in Swedn... (but thanks all the same Mum).

Otherwise, still no great adventures in my diet. The same porridge oats, banana, sour milk and rice water for breakfast. Peanut butter on toast for lunch. Meanwhile, I try some organic, fair trade Anglamark milk chocolate as I study, and I must say I am a bit disappointed. Price-wise it is competitive with other 100g bars of chocolate, although usually I would buy the 200g bars which are much better value. But this chocolate is possibly the first example where the taste really is inferior to the conventional product. Oh well, KRAV has other chocolate options out there, so maybe I will just have to experiment further. There are worse tasks in the world...

I did however make a lentil soup from organic lentils, carrots and garlic. Unfortunately, I decided to use conventional onions, potatoes and peeled tomatoes, mostly because I wasn’t sure if I would have to throw the soup away due to the faint whiff of decomposition that they gave off after a 36-hour soak in water since Thursday afternoon. The bubbles that were starting to form on the water surface (methane?) were also more than a little disconcerting. In any case, it hasn’t made me sick so far. And I did top it off with organic lemon juice, (although that also smells and tastes suspiciously like lemonade concentrate).

Economic Sustainability Tip of the Day: Vegemite or Marmite – one pot usually lasts about 6 months even if you eat it almost every day. A little really does go along way, and what can be more sustainable than a food made from recycled industrial waste? Just as long as you don’t rely on a friend or family member to fly it over for you – slap an eco-label on that black gold!