We were given Velveeta, an artificially yellowed block of plasticine able to withstand a nuclear holocaust. And Cheez Whiz, it's liquified counterpart. Then there's spray cheese, for those who are too inept to handle a butter knife. Rubbery Squares of hermetically sealed Kraft Singles. Bags of shredded orangeness dusted with non-caking agents. Flavored spreads filled with guar or xanthan gum stabilizers. All of these fall under the category of Pasteurized Processed Cheese Food...if you want to call it food. And why? Because there's not enough cheese in the product for it to be technically labeled as cheese.
It is a daily battle of mine, convincing people (particularly those from older generations) to put down the "product" and pick up real cheese. It's just better for the body. People wonder why new food allergies have popped up, why obesity and diabetes have exploded within the population, why food borne illnesses are becoming more prevalent...it's because of our processing. Nearly everything we eat goes through some sort of process, whether it's to keep bugs away or enhance it's edible desirability. The result being a society raised on large amounts of fake food and accepting it as the norm.
The idea of going to your local market and simply shopping for tonight's dinner has become a novelty in America. Farmer's Markets are events, not community staples. It's all about how much you can get for spending as little as possible, which has made places like Target, Walmart and Costco thrive. Don't get me wrong, Costco is great for things like socks and toilet paper, but not for food.
I have a regular customer who bought a huge chunk of Cambozola at Costco because it was cheaper there than buying it from me. Financially understandable, but then she asked me why that Cambozola she bought was hard and chalky, while mine was smooth and creamy. The answer is in the process. Costco cheeses are bought in pallet deals, meaning the distributor cuts them a break for buying large amounts at a given time. Because they're purchasing so much, the cheese is delivered before it's had a chance to ripen properly. Sometimes it's even frozen (a big no no), which turns the aging process into the rotting process. So, you may get a great deal on a giant piece of cheese, but the quality will be severely lacking. I told my customer to wrap the cheese in wax paper, leave it in a dry, cool part of her refrigerator, and hope that it will ripen with a little time. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this did not work and she had to throw out the cheese. She then told me when it comes to cheese, she will always purchase it from me. It may cost more, but at least she'll be able to eat it!
So, there is hope. Consumers are starting to read labels and question what ingredients are being added to their foods. Despite the downturn of the economy, people are trying to buy fresh and local, even though it can be more costly and you may not yield as much. But I feel this is a case where less really is more. It has forced some manufacturers to discontinue using fillers such as hydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup, even though it's for marketing purposes and not health reasons. People are also falling in love with "organic", "local", "green", and "slow moving" foods, which is a great step in the right direction, but it's really just advertising for what is essentially the way food used to be. Don't ask if it's "organic"...ask if it's real.
A little ironic to use Cambozola - a patented cheese developed for industrial production - as the example to contrast against Velveeta.
ReplyDelete