Beyond Beeton» sanity

The truth about the supermarket and what you can do about it

Rachel — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:20:46 +0000

There is something incredibly dreary about every supermarket ever known.

As soon as you walk into one your heart sinks and you become a grumpy trolley shuffler, unless you're one of those crazy basket people that goes to the supermarket at 6am after a brisk jog (in which case you should go away and eat a carrot now and leave us all alone), or you're 2 years old, in which case it is your god given right to chuck a giant tantrum.

photo credit: jumer

The traffic inside most supermarkets is just as bad as roads in any modern city. The same women who can't manage to reverse without an oops or two are let loose here on far more dangerous vehicles without a licence.

You'll find those horrid perky athletic types in the supermarket too - jogging on the spot while contemplating whether they want 5 packets of lean cuisine spaghetti low-fat extra-goo or the smooshed up packets of tofu burgers with added tar that are on special this week.

There's always at least one newlywed couple - arms around each other, romantically deciding whether they should have a bright yellow packet of tacos or frozen lasagne for dinner tonight.

The aisles are set up like one of those awful hedge mazes that landscape architects think are "charming" and "quaint" but there is nothing at all quaint about an entire aisle of noodles served with varying kinds of sludge in styrofoam cups. This aisle is a particularly dangerous one and must be avoided at all costs, lest you accidentally tarnish your ears with the existential rubbish that can only be emitted from first year arts students.

When you run away to safer ground you find yourself surrounded by last year's apples, floury and tasteless. Or maybe they're the potatoes? It is hard to tell.

photo credit: Lab2112

A fact about supermarkets that you should know:

'Fresh' fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves can actually be around a year old when you buy them. The Sydney Morning Herald bought apples from Australia's major supermarkets and sent them to the Sydney Postharvest Laboratory for testing. The tests revealed that the apples were up to ten months old.

Despite common misconception, apples are not grown year round in Australia. In order to meet the year-round demand, supermarkets purchase apples from growers during the short season and then keep them in cold storage. While the cool temperatures can help the apples last longer, it has a negative effect on the quality and flavour of the apple.

So what can you do if you want to eat produce that is actually fresh, full of flavour and nutrients?

photo credit: tanguero (BLOCK, rinse, repeat)

The answer is simple. You need to embrace the slow food movement and buy nearly everything from organic happylands where everyone wears hemp, talks about ecosystems and sustainability and smiles a lot.

The hippies have got it right. The birds sing and frolic as you stroll along at farmers markets or at those wonderful greengrocers that actually source fresh produce. I promise you will taste the difference. Nobody will smack you in the shins with a trolley. You will be able to identify everything on the stands and if you can't, a friendly person over the age of 12 will be able to explain it to you.

So how much extra should you pay for fresh? Almost nothing at all. Sure, the prices look more per kilo but somehow my basket, laden with fresh goodies, costs less than the equivalent from the supermarket.

photo credit: Indiana shutterbug

Fresh lasts longer too, so you won't need to resort to stringy lettuce or frozen peas at the end of the week. Is it any wonder that most kids don't like vegies? Get them to choose the fresh veg from the stands and see what happens next. You can thank me later.

If you can find a quality butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer or farmers market and wholefoods store you will come out ahead financially and have the knowledge that you're supporting your community, your own health and the environment too.

If you haven't got access to a fresh market, have you considered starting your own or a community garden?

How can neon lights and plastic wrapped in more plastic compete with that?

Housework the easy way

Rachel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:59:11 +0000

photo credit: lille abe - annoyed by the pro account

At 81 years of age, my grandmother still cleans her kitchen floor every day with a rag, on her hands and knees.

She tells me that by scrubbing it by hand she gets a better clean than she would get with a mop. I don't deny this is a fact.

My grandmother has a sparkling clean kitchen floor.

Yesterday, however, she asked if I could recommend a mop. At 81 my grandmother has realised that sometimes near enough IS good enough.I think this is a pretty significant thing. Some of us have difficulty doing anything at all at less than 100%. This type of personality often finds themselves working in the law or in the medical field and hopelessly overcommitted.

Everything needs to be better, neater, more efficient, faster. We need to be high-achieving, career-driven, family-focussed, well-presented, socially-conscious, environmentally-friendly and more besides. Something has to give. And it may as well be the housework.

At this point in my life I have more money than time, but not enough of either. Personally, I'd rather clean the house myself and have more money left over for shoes and pretty handbags. My sister and her boyfriend however are quite happy to pay a lovely man to come and clean for them.

Now this is my cheat-list. As reluctant as I am to share, these are the tools and ways my house stays clean.

My husband does not sabotage my efforts to keep the house clean. More than that (and I know this is shocking) he contributes. A lot. No, the division of labour is not equal. Right now he is doing a lot more than I am because I'm still not 100% mobile. At other times I do more. I call it the see-saw of division of labour and I am convinced it is the only way to maintain sanity. I'll write more on this later.

Kill the clutter. I have a notorious aversion to 'stuff'. I just don't get it. Why waste money on things you need to dust when you could buy handbags instead? Make your life easier and kill the kitch. If you really must have it, accept that dusting will take you longer. Everything has an opportunity cost - balance it in your favour.

Buy a quality vacuum. Back in the olden days when I worked part-time selling electrical appliances to get me through law-school, people would constantly say "I hate vacuuming" and then proceed to buy the heaviest, most cumbersome and cheapest vacuum, garanteed to make the task more horrifically awful and time-consuming than it needs to be. We bought a Dyson barrel thingamybob 5 years ago. It does the job with a minimum of fuss and is light enough for me to drag up the stairs. Yes it was more expensive than a Sanyo but it does a better job and I barely remember how much the difference in price was now.

Clean on a regular basis...daily. This is the one thing that can really make the biggest difference. A quick swipe of the shower screen and tiles when you get out of the shower will save you a lot of scrubbing later. I'm personally fond of Enjo but you can use any reasonable quality cloth/squeegee to clean and dry the bathroom when you're done. Likewise give the kitchen a quick clean and clean up dishes after every meal or while you're waiting for something to cook and you'll barely ever have to do a deep clean.

Protect your clothes with quality laundry appliances. It wasn't that long ago that we were washing things twice due to my husband's horribly inefficient old washing machine. One cycle in the beast took about 50million years and then we'd often have to run it through all over again. Frustrating, time-consuming and terrible for the environment. We replaced the washer with a front-loading Asko with a great delay start feature. This is my best friend. It washes gently and beautifully and I never have to run it twice. Clothes and powder goes in at night, the machine starts (as near as damnit to silently) while we sleep and finishes first thing in the morning in time for my husband to hang clothes out or transfer to the dryer. I hate hanging clothes on the line and am grateful for any machine that makes it convenient for my husband to do it for me.

Steam it up. If you're living in a pinstriped prison (or worse, you're also married to someone living in a pinstriped prison) you probably have a hideous towering pile of ironing. I do. I have a lovely Laura Star steam station that pumps out lots of lovely steam and irons like a dream in double quick time. It can also steam suits (while on the hanger) to keep them looking fresh in between dry-cleans and can iron on silk, lace and embroidery. Yes, more expensive than a regular iron but way more efficient.

If you're renovating or building a new house like everyone else in the known universe, pay attention to floor coverings, wall tiles and try to avoid fussy detailing. Smooth clean lines are easier to maintain and keep clean. A little bit of scrimping may cost you big time later when you need to replace it all again. Buy cheap, buy twice. That doesn't mean avoid a bargain - just work out a good balance based on your budget and expected replacement time-frame.

Outsmart the oven. If you don't have a self-cleaning pyrolytic oven these are my tips to keep your oven clean. I'm allergic to oven cleaning chemicals and I've never used them. When you're baking, move the large grill tray from the top of the oven to the bottom. That way any drips go on the tray, which, with any luck is either oven safe or easy to clean. Wipe up any spills on the walls or door of the oven with a damp cloth when the oven is still slightly warm. While you're at it, wipe out the exhaust fan (make sure you get one that is externally vented) or better yet, choose an exhaust fan with dishwasher safe filters.

My house is far from spotless but it is always reasonably clean. And that is good enough for me.

I'd love to hear your tips or questions, so please post a comment.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder..or forget. One of the two.