Monday Musings…24th April 2023…I’m alright Jack, Food Waste and Green House Gases, Earth Month Challenges,life of animals on the assembly line.

Welcome to Monday Musings…where my muse pinpoints anything exciting or unusual I have read, seen or experienced during the last week it could be anything that piques my interest…as most of you know waste and particularly food waste is high on my agenda as are highly processed foods and particularly the fact that I still see peoples shopping trolleys loaded with highly processed foods …I ask why ..is it because they are cheaper? is it because of peer pressure or kid pressure?  or is it because they themselves grew up on that same diet? so many questions whirl around my brain…

I look around and see and know so many people with cancer and lifestyle diseases that could be prevented or if not be less severe…I see and hear that health services are struggling…

But most of all I wonder why people don’t see that they themselves can break that cycle..most of my blogging friends know that and do look after their own health…its the rest of the population that don’t and I alone cannot reach or change that so what is the answer…do I say sod it I’m all right Jack so pull the ladder up …Some say that originates from the British Royal Navy where the last person up the ladder would say “I’m alright Jack”.

It was also the title of the 1959 comedy film I’m All Right Jack. It also appears in the lyrics of the 1973 Pink Floyd song “Money”, and is the name of a 2019 song by UB40 which satirises people who do not care about the less fortunate…

Somewhere along the line not only have we become a throw-away society but an “I’m alright Jack” society and that makes me really sad…

Well, I’m not going to break the habit of a lifetime I’m banging the waste drum…

Greenhouse gases resulting from rotted and otherwise wasted food account for around half of all global food system emissions, according to a new study…we need to eat less meat and compost more instead of landfill…

Food waste makes up ‘half’ of global food system emissions

And if you thought I’m finished ..Nope…I’m on a roll..feel free to go and get a cup of free trade coffee…

As April is Earth Month…I am sharing this link I saw on Becky’s Blog Platform No 4

https://www.treehugger.com/earth-month-challenge-7373096

Some great ideas I didn’t realise about emails and pasta water I already use …I use it when I make a real carbonara with no cream but the way the Italians make it they use pasta water, egg yolks and parmesan to make the carbonara sauce …it is also great for adding to stews and casseroles, steam vegetables with, water your plants, make rice, cook beans there is no reason on this earth to throw pasta water down the sink when water to many is a life saver…we need to conserve what we can before it comes home to roost as it will one day maybe not in my lifetime but it may affect my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren…please click the link and give yourself a pat on the back if you are already doing one or more and if you can even only do one more every little helps…I have to believe that or I would give up…

Finally, I have always stated I would never be a vegetarian or a vegan…veal I have never eaten as my grandad who was a cattle farmer explained why we shouldn’t and I never have…

I came across this post when I went to thank this person for following me…I haven’t eaten meat since…just the thought makes me heave..my son told me I shouldn’t have watched it as I knew that meat was killed for my food so why watch it…but I did and I can’t unwatch it…I am just so glad I know an organic farmer and have had a tour…

I agree we make the choice to eat meat plus we do need a balanced diet…what they do to prepare meat for the supermarket shelves is legal…HOWEVER…I drew a comparison as there is so much publicity about the killing of cats and dogs for food and the circumstances surrounding the killing of the animals HOWEVER if you watch this video tell me how different what is done to prepare meat for our consumption compared to the killing of cats and dogs …apart from being legal…

Aren’t these cute? For many OF us one or more of these are eaten regularly don’t we owe it to them to make sure that however short their lives are that they are happy and well cared for and we can enjoy our food safe in the knowledge that they were not raised on hormones and the like as this also affects our health just look at the stats …

It also brings me to this point and I don’t condone either of the two I have spoken about above…the French eat horse meat…I would not… however, if I was born in France then I may well have done…in some countries, cute little guinea pigs are eaten here not so cute rats are eaten …I think my point is obvious … I am happy to hear any comments as long as they are polite your views may differ from mine and that is fine happy to hear them a good debate is healthy…

If we choose our meat wisely we can eat meat…I have found and had a tour of a local organic farm as I don’t trust the supermarkets to tell me the truth when they quote organic…

This video is graphic however if you eat meat surely you want to know that the animals are treated kindly…and not just cruelly slaughtered…

https://mythoughtsforchange.wordpress.com/2023/04/09/life-of-animals-in-the-assembly-line/

If you are still here and reading I thank you as all these thoughts have been churning around for a while and once I started well you know the rest it all poured forth…as always I appreciate your comments and any shares xx

43 thoughts on “Monday Musings…24th April 2023…I’m alright Jack, Food Waste and Green House Gases, Earth Month Challenges,life of animals on the assembly line.”

  1. Kailash Kr. Kanoria

    Thanks for sharing my post… Sorry for the late reply though… I read your article and all the comments posted here … I am really glad and overwhelmed that people are finally discussing these issues of mindless consumerism and not knowing the pain and sufferings involved in what they are eating… So glad that you brought this up through your post… Thanks again:)

    Liked by 1 person

  2. robertawrites235681907

    Hi Carol, I am not going to watch that video, I feel bad enough about what goes on in this world of ours in our so called civilised society. I hear what you say about ‘I’m okay Jack’, but I am tired of feeling sorry for people in South Africa who have a vote and use it to keep voting in corrupt and greedy thugs. I feel my sympathy has worn a bit thin when we have six hours of load shedding a day due to thuggery at our only power utility.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I fully understand, Robbie and agree with your thoughts given the circumstances in SA I would feel exactly the same and do in some circumstances we have been ruled here by the military junta for quite a few years and in the elections 2 weeks ago the people voted overwhelmingly for the Youth-Led Move Forward Party however the talk is that the Junta will do everything they can to stop the change in government…Time will tell…

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…23rd-29th April 2023-Monday Musings…I’m alright Jack, A-Z the letter V, Thursday Thoughts, Arbor Day and Fast Food plus our Immune System… | Retired? No one told me!

  4. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

    As always a compelling post Carol and it is tough to find the balance between eating foods necessary to provide the nutrients we need and humane treatment of the protein we require. The reality is we use to hunt and kill our own food and respected the animal for what it gave us. Now we just pick a pack up at the supermarket. However for parents who have hungry children at home many now have to consider cost rather than ethics and they don’t have the luxury to think otherwise. We are lucky to have a couple of farm to table shops locally and the prices are reasonable and when it says free range it is, nor has it travelled thousands of miles to get here. With the increasing population in the world and the demand for food it is not going to change. Only we can make the individual choices and hope that makes a difference. Food waste in our own households is definitely somewhere we can make a difference at least in our small part of the world.. ♥

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Sadly I agree about the cost Sally however we had 6 children plus us so every meal was for 8 unless there were any extra(kids) friends-smile…My slow cooker and my freezer were my friends, I made pizzas, pasta, casseroles etc(batch) cooked…I couldn’t afford to buy at least 3/4 jars of ready-made pasta sauce even now my kids say how well they ate as children and they cook so I have a hard time agreeing when people moan about cost, time etc.. it’s all about clever shopping, bulk buying, buying in season, cheap cuts of meat, and cooking from scratch even Mcdonald’s back then would have cost a fortune to feed our lot-smile-we have raised(collectively) a generation of lazy parents who want everything without the hassle…I agree with you Sally we should make individual choices and hope it makes a difference but if enough people did that it would make that difference…Hugs xx

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

        You have a great approach to cooking Carol and I agree wholeheartedly with you and I think both of us were lucky to be brought up in a day when our parents also believed in that. I am not sure that is the case for the parents today whose parents were indoctrinated by the marketing and convenience that emerged from the 80s onwards. I was cooking from scratch for 120 children three times a day in 1978 and I hope that the years I did that made a difference to them anyway. Domestic science in schools is virtually non existent these days for girls or boys and you and I also benefited from that. And you and I do our best to share that with our readers and I hope that also makes a difference.. I know you do.. ♥

        Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I struggled but I needed to know my son told me I shouldn’t have watched it but I will be double checking where my meat comes from and their practises and will definitely eat even less of it… it really turned my stomach at the wanton LEGAL cruelty …and to me that is worse than what is done to cats and dogs in Asia and elsewhere as they don’t know the options they could choose to slaughter their meat the civilised world does and still they opt for the ways that are still legal and saves them money…shame on them…

      Liked by 1 person

  6. D. Wallace Peach

    Oh, Carol. This post has a lot of heartbreaking thoughts and statistics, even though I don’t partake in processed food or assembly-line meat, and we compost all our scraps. I’m not a vegetarian, but we have cut way back on meat. I don’t think it’s good for the soul, even when the animals are raised humanely. Food prices have gone up significantly in the US, and having worked with poor families in the past, I know that many families can’t afford to move away from processed foods. Our farmer’s markets accept food stamps, but the prices are still prohibitive. Priorities are messed up for sure.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I hear you, Diana it is always the poorest who get caught up in this endless spiral. Its good to hear that your farmers market accept food stamps but as you say prices are often prohibitive…Priorities are definitely messed I have just received the latest figures…Last week, ReFED, a think tank that focuses on food waste, released updated data that shows the U.S. generated 91 million tons of “surplus food” in 2021 — all food that goes unsold or uneaten — representing 38 percent of U.S. food supply. Yet with surplus food at an all-time high, less than 2 percent was donated or rerouted to those in need. ..2 percent that is travesty…The remainder of what I ma reading is just as harrowing they need to get a handle on food waste…I hope you having a pleasant week Diana and spring has sprung for you xx

      Liked by 1 person

      1. D. Wallace Peach

        Spring has sprung. Like you, Carol, I don’t understand the massive amount of food waste. It can’t be that hard or even that expensive to get food onto the tables of those who need it. In my town, we have one grocery store and one food bank. I’ll have to ask if there’s a connection. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Lorin Black

    I’m not entirely clear as to how composting is going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Surely decomposing food is going to release the same amount of gases no matter where it’s decomposing?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      A very good question Lorin and if done correctly it is better for the environment but there are so many variables as in cross contamination etc..after I return from Oz I will do a post on the pros and cons..Thank you, Lorin for your observation 🙂

      Like

  10. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen

    I have seen these types of films many times and they always sicken me. Everyone who eats meat should watch these. Unless there is consumer outrage, it will not change.
    I never buy meat from the supermarket, even the organic, and do not personally eat any mammals. I buy chicken and turkey from our local small farms and my husband enjoys it once a week, and I eat a bit on occasion. Mostly, we eat plant based and wild, local fish and seafood. I do not trust what they offer in the supermarkets, and have recently seen Chinese scallops make their way back to our shelves after being banned because of safety and contamination reasons. They are cheap, even being trucked halfway across the globe.
    It’s all about money. The manufacturers who don’t care about the pain and suffering they inflict to earn the biggest possible profits, and the consumer who wants cheap meat on their plates three meals a day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      This one really got to me Dorothy I just was speechless until I wrote this post…I agree with all your sentiments, Dorothy I don’t trust supermarkets one iota…as you say its all about profit however it effects us healthwise and no one in power seems to be able or want to stop this juggernaut and the nations health be damned…until we take a stand and in all honesty I can’t see that happening it will continue…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen

        People have to want to change it. I think some of the reason we see grocery carts so full of junk is that many people seem to have lost the skills to cook real good, and it isn’t hard! People watch others cooking on tv, but don’t cook themselves. And more and more of the cooking shows seem to meat orgies.
        Everyone should watch these clips, then make up their own minds how to proceed.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        I agree that people have to want to change, Dorothy and yes they should watch these clips and then make up their minds …Yes, it’s about time these cookery shows got real and then maybe people would cook as you say its easy when you know how …

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Jennie

    You are on a great roll here, Carol. I applaud what you say. I’m a recycler and also repair and use what I have (they don’t make ’em like they used to). I need to be better at what I eat- I’m not bad, just not great. Now I know where the phrase “I’m alright Jack” originates.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Yes, I got it all off my chest in one big rant…That’s good to hear Jennie recycling and doing repairs is high on the agenda here I have learnt much about that and do what I can before I consider replacement and I agree they definitely do not make them like they used to…Now I have found a great organic farm I am happier but do prefer fish to meat…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Jennie

        Well said, Carol. Interestingly, everyone loves our home, but they can’t pinpoint why. It’s because we have our parents and grandparents furniture mixed in. Old and well made never goes out of style. It’s the same for food, too.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        Absolutely I love a home that is a mixture of era’s so to speak and as you say if its made well it doesn’t go out of “fashion” the same as a good coat or pair of shoes my mother always told us to buy the best we could and it would last and she is correct 🙂 x

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Pingback: Monday Musings…24th April 2023…I’m alright Jack, Food Waste and Green House Gases, Earth Month Challenges,life of animals on the assembly line. – MobsterTiger

  13. beetleypete

    When I was younger, I worked for a few years selling sausages, bacon, and pies etc from vans around London for some of the biggest companies. (Richmond, Bowyers, Walls) As part of the induction training, we were taken to the slaughterhouses of the factories to see pigs and cattle being killed, then the meat processed into the products. It was distressing, to say the least. When the trucks arrive and the doors are opened, the pigs begin to scream. (It is so loud and intense, the workers wear ear-protectors) They sense their fate. Cattle are less concerned, seemingly, and stroll more casually to the place where they are killed quickly, with a bolt-gun. Pigs are stunned first, using electric shock. Then they are hung upside down and ‘bled out’ to die, by having a neck artery cut open.
    One one tour, one of the group passed out, and two others asked to be excused after seeing the first pigs being killed.
    If anything was going to make me a vegetarian, it was that. But I still eat meat.

    Today is my shopping day, so I checked both fridges earlier. I have one carton of cranberry juice, three large potatoes, and an unopened packet of Cheddar cheese. So, no food waste in this house, as usual.

    Best wishes, Pete. x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It sounds like you are doing a splendid job of avoiding food waste, Pete…as for slaughterhouses I would be the one throwing up I’m afraid…This film was more than just pigs and cows being slaughtered I found it quite horrific that the practices that farmers and meat producers follow are to me unnecessary cruelty it’s just barbaric …my son is like you, Pete he knows and still eats meat whatever the source…I will not be in future it really turned me off…but each to their own it’s up to the individual if they know how the meat is slaughtered…Thank you for sharing your experiences x

      Liked by 1 person

      1. beetleypete

        I try to buy ‘Free range’ eggs. But what is ‘Free range’? Loose inside a barn, in most cases. I do buy ‘Free range’ pork, raised in Norfolk. I know the pigs have a good life before slaughter, living outside in large groups with nice small sheds to live in in family groups. I know that because there are two huge pig farms at one end of the road where we live, and I can walk there in 5 minutes to see the pigs raising piglets, lying in mud pools, and enjoying being pigs. x

        Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        Unfortunately, Pete most wording in the” rules” are open to much interpretation and I believe should be more specific to close those “loopholes…” I remember seeing all of those when I have travelled around Norfolk and yes happy pigs make for better meat 🙂 x

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