We had the experience recently of having someone stay with us for a few months. All was nice, no problems, had a wonderful time and enjoyed the company. Now we have some great memories of the time and of course a bundle of photos to prove it.
The only issue that raised its head was that of food. If you have read my blog for a while, you will know that my wife and I live in the French part of Switzerland. Our guest came from the so called 51st state. Australia. In food terms this is so very true. Australia like the US is fast food, frozen food, microwave and away food and certainly nothing sold or served with the head still on!
So our first scream of fright came when I asked if fish was ok. Yes was the answer. Until, “Eeeek! Its mouth is open! I can see its teeth! Its looking at me! Oh I just can’t!
I tried explaining that the meat at the back of the head and in the cheeks is considered the best. To no avail. I did the only thing I could do. I went to the kitchen, decapitated the beautifully fried creature, and snuck the extra head onto my plate.
A trip to the market had our guest close to nausea as my wife selected a chicken for dinner. Well, of course the head and feet were still on and the fowl needed to be gutted by the vendor. That’s how we get all the prized pieces for making the sauce. It’s obvious really.
“Why do you wash your lettuce and tomatoes?”
“To get the sand off!”
“Sand? Why don’t you buy it washed and in plastic?”
“Sorry?”
You can see that we were having a time of it. No need to go into the stories about the rabbit, the horse steaks or the snails.
“Why is all your food here, so, so...so real!”
This explained everything. Real food is becoming a turn off. No one wants to know that it really had to be killed. Animal or vegetable. Big guilt trip. It is better to just believe that the food you eat, magically grew inside a plastic bag in a freezer.
In my view, I am certainly much happier to buy and eat food I know is fresh. I can look at the clear eyes of a fish and tell that it is fresh. A chicken, rabbit or steak prepared or cut in front of me allows me to know exactly what I am getting. I can see both sides for a start. Equally with fruit and vegetables. I want potatoes with the clay still on. They keep fresher longer. I want to see a few small insects in my lettuce. Proves it has not been sprayed with toxins.
Our guest has left and returned to the world of ‘unreal’ food. And we are still here, enjoying our ‘real’ food and our luck in being able to buy it. Heads and all!
