Mystique of Cheap

Should food be cheap? Awhile ago in my public policy class I wrote a paper about Farm Subsidies. Basically, we create a system where we artificially lower the price of food, so we expect food to be cheap. But we should really be asking ourselves, should food be cheap.

What if we spent more on food, but that food was grown locally, in a humane way? I saw an interview with a humane farmer, and he said, "I see people at the farmer's market who freak out about eggs that are $3 a dozen while they hold a 75 cent soda." That makes sense. Maybe we should be paying $3 a dozen for eggs that are farmed in a humane way.

But eating a decent meal doesn't have to be uber expensive even in our fast track world. Here is what I had for dinner.





Here is a break down of the cost (amount is for what is included, for example if I used half of something I only included 1/2 of the whole cost of the item):
Avocado: $1.00
Tomato: $0.35
Cucumber: $0.35
Onion: $0.30
Lettuce: $.0.35
Bell Pepper: $0.50
Various spices: $0.50
Total: $3.35

It was so good! I was really hungry, and now I feel totally full. It tasted like heaven.

Anyway, the point is, if our food is cheap because it is filled with pink slime or because it is made with "carton eggs," then maybe we should be questioning how much money we spend on our food. I recently found out that carton eggs are made from the eggs that "come out" with no shell-- without being graphic, you can imagine what those eggs are exposed to. I think a few extra cents at the farmer's market may just be worth it.