Figures . . .

We got an automated call tonight from the Big Box store we often shop at. It seems that the five pounds of ground beef we bought from them last May has been recalled. Good to know. All of that beef was browned, sauteed with onions, and thrown into a five-gallon stock pot as a main ingredient in the enormous batch of chilli we cooked up for the neighborhood potluck we hosted last Spring. Luckily, none of our neighbors complained of being ill after our party.

Now, we know exactly what day we bought that meat. I remember the way heavy package felt and how odd it was that the meat was pink on top, but brown in the middle. I remember all this because it was the only time this year that we have bought feed-lot meat. That is, meat from cattle raised on whatever food will help them grow fast - often corn that their four-chambered stomachs have trouble digesting - and housed on big feed-lots that create enormous stench and ample opportunities for disease. Knowing what feed-lot meat is, it really is a wonder more people don't get sick.

With that one exception, all of the beef we buy is grass-fed and humanely raised. There are many reasons why we do this. For one, grass-fed beef often comes from small, local farmers that keep the $5/lb we pay for their beef in our hometown. Another reason is that studies show grass-fed beef is higher in nutrients than feed-lot beef. Lastly, we buy grass-fed meat because it respects the nature of cattle. We doubt that cattle were created to be raised on dirty, barren plots of dirt and fed food for which they were not designed.

Clearly, we pay more for our meat and, because of that, we buy and eat less. That's o.k. Meat doesn't have to be on the menu every day. We're not vegetarians, but by making a commitment to eat humanely raised meat, we eat more meals where plant foods are the featured dish. With a culinary repetoire that includes eggplant parmesan, tofu stir-fry, and tasty black bean soup, we're not exactly suffering. And when we do eat meat, we know it is going to be very good - and not likely to ever be recalled.

Potato Pizza

Our youngest was recently diagnosed with intollerances to potato and the sucrose/fructose combination (his body has trouble digesting sugar and fruit at the same time). While we are thrilled to have answers to - and relief from - his hives, swollen hands, eczema, and sore stomach, his diagnosis has changed how our family eats. Potatoes, we have found, have everything to do with pizza.

Do you have any idea how many products at your local supermarket have potato in them? We don't exactly, but in the past week we have learned that potato is definitely not limited to those bins in the produce section and the frozen french fries on Isle 7. Many commercial flours are processed with a potato product. Most skim and low-fat dairy products are fortified with Vitamin A palmitate - a potato product. Packages of shredded cheese are coated in potato to keep the cheese from sticking together in one big glob. Processed meats often contain dextrose, a potato product.

We are not health experts of any kind, but our son's food issues are not unique among his friends. A boy our kids play with regularly has severe tree nut allergies. Another friend has food intolerances similar to our son, but is also intolerant to soy. We wonder if God intended potato to be put in milk? Or if our children are paying for our efforts to preserve food and extend shelf life. We ponder these things as we make our own pizza crust, search in vain for whole-milk mozzarella, and leave the potato-containing pepperoni off his his part of the pizza.