The Trouble with Chicken

The trouble with chicken and other food. Maybe it's the mother hen (haha) in me or that I need other interests in my life, but I have become a little obsessed with food. Where it comes from, where is it made, what's in it, how much it costs. With boneless chicken breasts being one of the main staples of my cooking repertoire, I have become really picky about it. I refuse to buy those grocery store jumbo packs of "Southern Grown" chicken-- they look really creepy to me. But the last time I bought Washington-grown chicken, I was also creeped out. They were freakishly big. Now that looks weird when typed out when talking about breasts (of any kind). Anyway, I've tried Costco's fresh chicken, frozen chicken, Draper Valley, Foster Farms, Tyson's frozen tenderloins-- Which I think the price per pound was over $4. What am I to do when about half of the things I make for dinner are chicken? Maybe it's a good thing I don't know so much about ground beef or we might become vegetarians.

A couple of months ago, while munching on dill pickles with lunch I was appalled to notice that my Nalley's pickles were labeled "Product of India." The slogan on the jar says "Great Taste of the Northwest"-- must be Northwest India? So now even our condiments are outsourced. Of course, last week, it was front page news in Seattle. That story also pointed out that Farman's, another "northwest" brand, also included Indian pickles. Both companies now owned by a corporation in Wisconsin. I am a label reader, but I didn't think I had to read the labels of products I thought were from the northwest. When Tyler and I talked about it, I thought he made a good point about how he'd give up these local brands that seemed to be a little deceptive in favor of a national brand that promoted itself a little more honestly. So next time I have to buy pickles, I will check to see what the Vlasic stork says.