In Which I Am a Cynic

Pictured here: the farmstand at my local farm, Everett Family Farm, where I went yesterday instead of the west side farmers market. The traffic was terrible. I came home with eggs, strawberries, sugar snap peas, carrots, and basil. One of the eggs was a double-yolker.

So. Confession.

I don't know how long you have been online, but I first got onto the internet in 1993. (Before that, back in 1989, we were among the first members of Mac-only AOL.)

Back in the very earliest days of the internet proper, there were only a handful of websites with any kind of content and style, and mostly you could surf for hours, encountering grey background after grey background, flash tags, and "Under Construction" icons so ugly they'd make your eyes bleed. Back in the day, when I was known as Diotima, and "Diotima's Evolution" (complete with "Diotima's Discoveries": gorgeous guys who constituted .000001% of the cuteness then available on the internet) had its day in the sun. It was fun, and I am sometimes nostalgic for the quietude.

And there was this website called "The Spot," which was the unfolding drama of a houseful of Twenty-Somethings. The saga involved what, in retrospect, was prototypical blogging. At some point, I sent an e-mail to one of the residents, and when I got a response, I realized that these people were actors, and that I had fallen for it. Completely. And as soon as my embarrassment passed, I had a small scar of cynicism to show for it. It was a valuable lesson.

That little scar started to itch yesterday, when I read a pretty good piece on Yahoo: "The Must and Myths of Organic and Locally Grown" by a writer named Maggie Nemser. She did her research, including the so-called "Dirty Dozen" of fruits and vegetables you never, ever want to eat if they're not organic. I was impressed. And then I scrolled down to read comments, and the bile rose in my throat when I encountered an idiot named "briankim7777" who said:

Another stupid article.  Most pesticides do not get into foods....it is highly rare. Just plain stupid

Hi, Crazy! Are you enjoying your Fox News education? It would be highly rare for you to breathe with your mouth closed, I'll bet. 

I didn't care to read any more comments after that, I was so distressed. But I returned to the article twice last night. Something was bugging me more than the fatuous commentary. First of all, there was no way to contact the author directly. (On her bio page, the "email" button merely lets you email the page to "Friends.") That bugged me. Then I Googled "Maggie Nemser." I got exactly ten hits, and two were on Yahoo. What kind of writer gets a gig at Yahoo with such faint credentials?

I started staring at the picture of "Maggie." What an ingenue. What wide, trusting eyes.

I've convinced myself that Maggie Nemser is a marketing ploy by Yahoo to mask the true identity of whoever wrote the piece on local/organic. How do you get to be twenty-something in the heart of the media world, and have your name in fewer than ten online documents?

Nevertheless, I gave "Maggie" five stars for effort. Yahoo has a long way to go, but it's a step in the right direction.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Luckily, I am not cynical about everything, which is why I accepted an invitation to join Building Local Food Networks, which was started by a group in Portland, Oregon (which honestly has to be the coolest place to live that I can think of). Portland is to San Francisco what Chicago is to New York, it seems to me. (I love New York, but do not like the Mininum Daily Requirement of being forced to listen to New Yorkers proclaim, needily and demandingly, that it is the greatest city on earth. ou know those people who say "I love you" with that lilt at the end, indicating that you must say "I love you, too"? That's what it can be like. In this house, we often use the Han Solo approach. When Princess Leia says, "I love you," he says, "I know." A great line.)

So I joined BLFN, admiring what I saw in the vision, and not sure how much I can participate or what I bring to the community. Still, I think it's a good thing, and several friends have accepted my invitation to join as well.

• • • • • • • • • • •

And with that, I'm getting ready to go out for the morning, but wanted to point out some blogs you may not know about:

A Cooking Life
GG Mora is one busy woman, but when she manages to find the time to write, you could short your keyboard out with drooling. She's a gardening fiend, and her line of preserves, pickles, and other canned goods (and spice rubs) are coveted. (I have part of a jar of her Sun-Cooked Strawberry Conserves hidden in the back of my refrigerator, and it's booby-trapped to keep Bob out of it.) Leave her a comment, whydoncha?

Cachuagua Store
It helps to know a little about the social dynamics and history of the Carmel Valley, but even if you don't, this blog is beyond intelligent and very entertaining. Some day I'll get myself out there for one of the famous Monday Night Dinners. (Speaking of the Carmel Valley: Michael Moran, are you reading this? Will you please e-mail me?)

Cook Here and Now
Self-explanatory, San Francisco-based food blog by a displaced Roman. I haven't managed to get to one of Marco's dinners, but they look fabulous, and I like his open spirit, and the careful attention he pays to the seasons.

• • • • • • • • • • •

That's enough to chew on for today, I think. I'm off to the farmers market.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY, apropos of nothing. "You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer's heart." — Fred Allen

Thanks for visiting.

Comments

[Amy Sherman]

I was recently told by a farmer that some organic pesticides, (and most pesticides in the US are organic) are highly toxic and not good for plants or people. His feeling was that an integrated insect approach is much safer than using organic pesticides and that sometimes conventional insecticides are better for the plants and for people eating the produce than organic ones. Food for thought, to be sure. I need to do some more research before I post about it, but it sure got me thinking...

[Tim Young]

Just want to say that we love your blog!

Tim and Liz
www.naturesharmonyfarm.com

[Jeff Fiorovich]

Amy
I was baffled by your comment, 'most pesticides in the US are organic', was the farmer refering to organic vs inorganic in the chemistry sense of the word? When using 'organic' this way it means containing carbon. There are many 'organic' materials not allowed in organic agriculture.
Jeff

[McAuliflower]

regarding organic pesticides being toxic: they're called pesticides for a reason. Funny how we can forget that.

[Dharma]

Maybe he meant organic as in they contain carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen - in other words, they aren't elemental like Paris Green, sulfur, and arsenic (though sulfur is still widely used, and I guess arsenic probably is too in some instances).

Anyhow, what a great post and excellent blog. I know exactly what you mean about the infancy of the internet. Ah, those were the days...now I feel old.

[Federico]

I really didn't like "Maggie's" article. It was poorly written, without actual numbers and full of organic hype. Nothing against organic, but if you are going to cheer someone or something, cheer it with the proper writing and the right credentials. I didn"t find her on the net either.

[Morgan]

I think this entire post and the speculation about "Maggie" is hilarious. You want to know why? Because she's my cousin. She officiated my wedding. She's one of my best friends. And you know what? She's a real person, not a Yahoo creation or whatever you conspiracy theorists may insinuate. She's Food Editor of one of the world's largest online news sites. Let's not denigrate people irresponsibly on the web (though some people think that's what it's for) -- especially a well-meaning blog that strives to be credible.

[Fred]

My favorite post is right on the mark:
20. Posted by scryer_360 on Thu, Jun 28, 2007, 8:59 am PDT

To the guy who asked about Organic Milk: do not buy it! To be organic, a product must come straight from the farm to the grocer shelve, only stopping for packaging. That means Organic milk is going to be unpastuerized! And to the BS pserson saying "doesn't it make you feel better that you can pronounce" the ingredients: it should not! Notice how that organic spinach was pulled from shelves? IT was organic, the company that produced it admitted it, and WholeFoods did too. Ask yourself this: when was the last time you read about someone dying from the pesticides in a food? Now ask this: when was the last time food poisoning killed someone? What most people do not know is that most plants naturally produce their own pesticides. Where do you think humans got them? We just came up with the stuff? No, we refined and produced existing ones, from the plants. As for bacteria: non organics will be covered in less. Why? Because those foods are irradiated to kill the bacteria. Thats what the processing does. For a final word: I currently am at school at Missouri State University. Our professors in the subjects of Botany and Agriculture have both stated that there is no scientific basis for Organic foods to be healthier than Conventionally grown foods. I took a course on Botany, and will say now that nutrient density is not based on the amount of pesticide sprayed. The words straight from my professors mouth: "The Organic craze is nothing but un-researched, hippy-spread bull****." Believe organic is better for you all you want. And believe too that mom-and-pop farmers do not use pesticide. I live in such a place that I know many farmers, and many people studying agriculture. Ask any Professor of Botany, Biology, or Agriculture the truth about the organics craze.

[Fred]

Oh, by the way, organic is wasteful. Quit trying to move us backwards to the past. Oraganic is a scam along the same lines as: oxygenated fuels
freon free airconditioning
the RoHS initiative
battery powered Prius type vehicles

These items all cost more, pollute more and are less effective..why do people like you push this stuff?!!

[missgreentea]

Commenting a year later...I wouldn't be surprised if this Fred character is suffering from some sort of cancer or illness...does he not read up on what toxic things humans have put into our food and atmosphere? So ignorant are some people. What we're eating and living in today is why there are so many sick people...they might not be dying - but they are sick with disease. Wonder where it comes from Fred...