I stopped shopping at supermarkets years ago, like most people the supermarket is just normality that we just don't question, the supermarket or mini supermarkets are convenient and cheap, we get suckered into the deals and buying packaged items that aren't healthy for us just because theres a buy 1 get 1 free offer. Not to mention the fruit and vegetables are usually quite old, shipped from miles around or come in loads of packaging.
Even though you might think you know everything about your local area, keep your eyes and ears open. I never forget when I was living in Oxford, I was walking home from work one day and I saw a van it was called 'organic veg box' or something like that, i researched it a bit and found out it was a local farm delivery reasonably prized veggie boxes, so I started ordering from them and it really changed my life and most importantly my cooking and nutrition.
When I moved to where I am now on the Catalan coast, we were picking up veggies from local shops or the weekly market, the vegtables were good quality but there was a question market if it was organic. there were a few local organic stores but they were really pricey. A swedish guy kept telling me about there being an organic boutique. When he used this work boutique it really threw me off, he is quite a vague guy and didnt really give proper directions to it. Anyway one day it all got figured out and it turned out it was a farm shop that sells freshly picked organically grown produce.
Some stuff they order from other small farmers, like the strawberries and the honey come from the mountains. The couple that run this honest business are really lovely and sometimes give us discounts on the food if we come at the end of a busy weekend. They remember us because we are always coming week after week and the service just feel so much more personal than when you shop at a large store. you just know that your own hard earned money is being given to someone who cares and loves what they do.
With these large companies you see how the staff get treated like machines and the work can be quite unfulfilling, I know because I have worked these job where you are just a number and it becomes very draining, not only that supermarkets in general are very unethical and I would like to see the power go back to small businesses like these.
I recently got into a debate with a vegan about buying vegan products in tescos and well i basically told him that as a vegan he should be looking not to spend his money there because ethically speaking its one of the worst companies and especially for animal wellfare, obviously not to mention they sell lots of animal products. He honestly didn't see an issue with it and in fact he said that without supermarkets people would starve. That statement seemed kind of crazy to me, because there was a time when supermarkets didn't exist and people just grew their own or brought from a green grocer. It's crazy that some people are really brainwashed in to thinking that supermarkets are preventing us from starving when they produce so much waste and cause so many global issues.
One of my goals is to grow more of my own produce, so I can be self sufficient. Right now i'm just growing in containers and getting used to all these green fingered stuff because it's all kind of new to me! I don't exactly have the fund or space right now but neither am I quite ready to get growing, I can see a lot of planing is involved and im not quite organized enough for it yet either. But it's the only way I think to take the power back to the people, I imagine a day when food is actually free and growing everywhere in containers, parks, roof tops, side walks.... I guess you could call me a freegan.
✌️Join the food revolution now✊
