hypocrisy

[circlecross]

Couldn't decide where this should go so it's here.

Not much to do with self sufficienting, but keeping our children interested in the outdoors etc, there is a not very new, but seemingly unusual phenomenon called "forest schools". It is about getting children back outside, and hopefully forms part of the curriculum, and I went on a jolly yesterday to experience the practise of it a bit more. We went into the woods, and down by the river, saw the camp, cooked on an open fire, saw how to make fire with a bow, and bits of wood, saw how to make a whistle out of hazel and had a rather nice time.

"I'll take the rubbish bag" I said, as someone had put the banana skins in I had been planning to take for compost.

When I emptied it this morning, there was:
almost a whole cucmber
a handful of cherry tomatoes
lots of plastic and card
a box of dips, only barely touched
my banana skins
various other half eaten bits of food

It just annoys me because it is not in any way enforcing any respect for the environment we are supposed to be shunting the kids out into.

I shall have a stern word with my lecturer next week. I am desperate to get on a forest schools instructor course, but I think there is a long way to go in other people's minds about what the outdoors is there for, and landfill it aint!

Susan

[ina]

...and it stresses the point yet again that is often made in media that a large proportion of the food we buy is just thrown out and wasted... But people say it's too expensive to buy "good" food, and to pay farmers and other producers a living wage so they could get away from subsidies!

These forest schools - does that mean just occasional outings into the wild. or is it daily outdoors experience? I remember they had forest Kindergartens in Germany. They didn't have a proper building at all, just a shelter for really bad weather. Apart from that they were just outside at all times, all year round.

[circlecross]

it is rare in uk at mo, and is meant to form a regular weekly session within curriculum, but as curriculum is so paperwork heavy, it is hard to justify bureaucratically.

usually forms summer schemes, or is very successful for "disaffected youths" or those who are not academic and have been moved on to "trade" studies.

It began in about 2000 in uk, as an initiative, having been common in europe, but is still in infancy, due to lack of teaching time etc.

[Stonehead]

...and it stresses the point yet again that is often made in media that a large proportion of the food we buy is just thrown out and wasted...

Which raises an interesting question following on from our barbecue.

There's quite a bit of leftover food and much of it is very good, home-cooked stuff (Ina's dessert and fig jam, H's cheesecakes and salads, etc), but what do I do with the commercial gunk some people bought?

We tried some T***o fish skewers last night. Ugh! Sweet, salty and only 60% reconstituted fish. After gagging on the fish, I binned in it, ate some raw onion to clean my mouth out and then ate lots of H's houmous salad. Very yummy.

Other uncooked leftovers include so-called pork sausages (37% pork); chilli beef skewers (60% reconstituted beef); "premium" sausages (48% pork), some very weird salad (full of synthetic mayo with a long list of chemical ingreidents), T***o banoffee pie (really gross, greasy, tastes chemically sweet), boxes of Cadburys chocolates, cans of Irn Bru, bottles of Ribena, and so on. How people eat this stuff on a daily basis is beyond me!

I'm loathe to throw any food away so most of it is bunged in the freezer, but I'm equally loathe to eat it and I'm very definitely not feeding it to the boys. (Last night, the OH and I had the "fish" while the boys had the leftover fidget pie.)

So what do I do with the c**p? Especially as most of it can't be composted.

Oh, and isn't it interesting that the people who brought the supermarket stuff only ate the good, homecooked stuff while leaving the stuff they'd brought!

[Millie]

So what do I do with the c**p?

Keep it in the freezer and then defrost to take back to theirs when they invite you next?

[Stonehead]

So what do I do with the c**p?

Keep it in the freezer and then defrost to take back to theirs when they invite you next?

ROFLMAO

[ina]

Bottles and chocolates are always welcome at any local charity do for the raffle... The rest - I have no idea. Keep for when you have visitors who don't trust any of this homemade stuff; there are people like that around!

[circlecross]

It is strange that processed foods are easy to buy, easy to eat and easy to store, but when listed against homemade things, they sound just vile. I've been on my hubby's case about processed foods - I prefer to make fresh things, he argues a case for convenient food, when we are both tired (all the time) and busy (all the time).
One woman had made a bowl of couscous with bits in, and that all went, someone else brought homemade garlic bread, that all went and I re-used the foil for something else on the open fire, and the choc bananas were minimal waste (once I'D got the skins in the compost), but the chemical dips, sausages, shop bought veggie burgers etc were slow to shift. The veggie kebabs even went, even though some of the raw ingreds are now languishing in my compost bin.

I've found it with kids too - they'll eat chemical crap, won't touch a smoothie because it looks weird, but chop up lots of fruit and give them some skewers and they'll eat fruit kebabs till the kaolin and morphine comes home.

Homemade houmous, potato salad and quiches sound so much nicer than crisps, dips and sausage rolls!
Susan

[Stonehead]

Well, the OH is leaving her teaching job (for a new one) so some of her students bought her a box of Nestle dairy milk chocolates. Now, I'm definitely in the anti-Nestle camp and I'm not much of a one for mass market chocolates, but decided I should try one to see what, if anything, I was missing.

Bleuch! Two chews and I nearly vomited - hastily spitting the allegedly chocolate fudge thing in the bin. Talk about gross - it tasted of chemicals, was grossly sweet, left a layer of grease in my mouth and was unutterably vile. I'm really glad that boycotting Nestle means I completely avoid wretched stuff like that.

The OH said they weren't very good, but she'd eat them anyway as they were chocolates and they were there. And I thought I'd converted her completely to good food. Girls!

Oh, and can someone tell how anyone can possibly eat that stuff. Okay, I have very developed taste buds, but even without that I suspect I'd still think the chocolates were gross.

So, it was back to the green tea and a slice of caraway seed cake. Much better.

[Boots]

Well, I have never understood men who don't get the chocolate thing. Chocolate (especially Cadbury's) really should be a staple. Every woman has every right to ensure it forms part of the monthly shopping list, I reckon.

The OH was probably secretly grinning, ya know Stoney? Tis hard for a girl to share her chocolate!

[Stonehead]

Well, I have never understood men who don't get the chocolate thing.

Oh, I get the chocolate thing but I can't stomach the mass market stuff that is passed off as chocolate.

I love "proper" chocolate with no vegetable fats, no nasty additives, and little or no gunge encased in the chocolate. Sadly, I can longer afford to indulge in that sort of chocolate so I'd rather go without.

But if you can afford to indulge, then I'd suggest:

Amedei - 9 and Chuao in particular, nicely bitter. Their Porcelana is good but over-hyped.

Michel Cluizel - 1er Cru de Plantation Tamarina (a late night chocolate), Noir de Cacao 72% cacao (very strong), and Noir Infini 99% cacao (very, very strong)

Domori - Grand Blend No 1 (a bit more accessible than some of the ones I like), Puertofino (strong again)

Neuhaus - Occumare Venezuela (if you're into smell, then this is the one and the flavour is awesome too).

Ah yes, the three things I miss from my more affluent days - fine chocolate, fine coffee and fine single malts. Still, all the other good food we have more than makes up for the sacrifice - well, 99% of the time.

[Muddypause]

ensure it forms part of the monthly shopping list, I reckon.

Monthly??

Monthly???

Every-other-daily at the very least. I didn't get to be the man I am today without copious amounts of chocolate.

[AnnetteR]

Some convenient foods require just as much attention and time as fresh cooked foods. I make tabouleh salad just about once a month during the summer. Sure, cutting everything up takes a bit of time, but the salad lasts a couple of days. I'm getting plenty of food for the effort - and I wouldn't really consider it much effort at that.

I think there are as many simple dishes made with fresh foods as there are horrible tasting convenient foods. There are also as many so-called convenient foods that take as long to cook as it would to prepare something fresh.

Since I'm on a roll. I don't think fast-food is all that fast either. Depending on what I choose to make I can prepare a dinner in less time than it will take me to get everyone into the car, drive to the fast-food pit, and get our dinner. You also get a lot more for your money making something fresh, so that blows the whole notion of fresh foods being too expensive. If you can throw away money on fast-food you can certainly afford fresh.

[Stonehead]

I've had a couple of people asking via PM and email about where to get those chocolates, and also asking about gourmet chocolate.

Well, the Telegraph did a good piece on chocolate, that explains the whole "real" chocolate thing.

As for where to buy gourmet chocolate, most of the shops are in London (Fortnum & Mason are good at chocolate) but you can get it online. By far the best is Seventypercent.com's Chocolate Shop.

If you want a British chocolatier, try L'Artisan du Chocolat. Not long after I met the OH, I bought her a box of their artisan truffles in a wooden box and that was it - she was hooked!

But be warned - once you get a taste for real chocolate you'll never go back!

[Boots]

Every-other-daily at the very least. I didn't get to be the man I am today without copious amounts of chocolate.

Now that's the spirit Muddy!