Epic Diamond Road Trip - Day 1: Boston, Concord, Montpelier, Waterbury

Hello from Waterbury, Vermont!!

I’m just going to say first that this place is GORGEOUS.  Surrounded by mountains, breathing the fresh air, trees everywhere I turn, this feels like heaven, and I absolutely can’t believe it’s only a few hours from Boston.  It feels like another planet. 

James and I picked up the rental car this morning – a trusty “mid-size SUV” that we promptly drove back to the house, and folded down the back seats to see if we would actually fit into.  Turns out, we do, though James is pretty tall, so I definitely have more stretch-out space than he does.  We loaded it up with our clothes, toiletries, sleeping bags, and the cooler that I packed with some food and water for the first few days.  It’s not going to stay cold for the whole trip, but we figured we’d buy ingredients for sandwiches for the first few days, and save some bucks on breakfasts and lunches.

Then – off!  We got onto I-93 North, and started the adventure. 

The two adventurers and our trusty steed/home for the next 5 days.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.
I LOVE taking pictures of this bridge, it's so easy for them to be gorgeous.

Our first stop was Concord, New Hampshire, where we stopped at an Eastern Mountain Supply for iodine tablets for the mountain climbing adventure that will take place on Wednesday.  I mean, we’re planning on carrying plenty of water, but I can get mighty thirsty when I’m NOT trying to scale a mountain, so I’m just not taking any chances with that one.  Better safe than sorry, and I’m also pretty stoked to feel majorly outdoorsy when I’m treating my stream water, haha. 

We followed that with a quick trip to Market Basket.  Now, that whole experience is worthy of another blog entry entirely.  I’d never been to one before, and all I have to say about it is CHEAP FOOD and tons of it.  Crazy cheap.  So we got a few things that we wanted for lunches, and blasted towards the state house.  (Now, just a point of clarification for my West coast friends: over here, people call their state capitols “state houses”.  Yeah, I know.  I don’t get it either.)  Concord’s had a gold dome, same as Boston’s, and we ate our picnic lunch outside, right next to it.  

James and the delicious spread

Sammiches!

Glory shot.  The rolls were from Clear Flour Bread - a bakery near my house
that I've blogged about before.  Incredible baked goods of all kinds. 

J and I at the capitol in Concord.

It was sunny, a perfect temperature, and I was in sandwich and chocolate cake heaven.  We packed up, took some pictures, had a short but polite conversation with a man who approached us on the street and tried to save our souls for Jesus, and blasted towards Montpelier, Vermont, and the third state capitol on our list for that day.

An Irish CAT?  ...only in New England, ladies and gents...

Montpelier, VT: small, beautiful, also has a state house with a gold dome.  We came, we saw, we took a few pictures (one that turned out to be an epic fail, trying to get a jumping picture, and having some user error issues with knowing when the timer was actually going off), and we moved on.  We had an appointment with a few men about some ice cream in Waterbury.

User error in the timing function of my camera.
This was going to be a cute leapfrog jumping picture.
Instead it is a little bit weird and a little bit awkward, and
so representative of James and me that I'm posting it on
here anyway.  

Montpelier, VT

That’s right.  We had to make the Ben and Jerry’s factory tour before it closed for the night.  We zoomed up to Waterbury, got immediately in to the 4:50pm tour, and were learning about the history of some pretty amazing ice cream within minutes.  

Deliciousness lies ahead!

In the bathrooms - Vermont granite.
Yes, I'm into food, but I think that it would be great to source
a lot of things more locally - food and otherwise.

Shameless selfie in the bathroom...or I guess I could just say
that I was trying to showcase the Vermont granite, hahaha...
we all know the truth.  :)

James is super stoked on this tour about to start...

...as was I.

Our tour guide.  He was enthusiastic as all get out.  It was great for  us,
but I simply couldn't imagine having that much energy every single day.

cows

cows

MORE COWS!  ALL COWS ALL DAY!

Production wasn’t happening when we got there, but we got to see a bird’s eye view of the floor anyway.  Then we moved on to the tasting room, where the first thing that caught my eye was the sign that said we’d be tasting Stephen Colbert’s signature flavor, AmeriCone Dream, which is already one of my favorites.  The second thing I noticed was the framed and prominently displayed kosher certification for the tasting room of the factory – not the scoop shop that was in the next room, not any of the ice cream anywhere else, just the scooped samples in that tasting room only. 

Basically, I freaked out when I saw this.  So cool.
(Enter this under things you just don't see very often on the West Coast.)

The tasting room is certified by KOF-K, one of the United States’ foremost kosher certifiers, located in Teaneck, NJ, and the certification expires in March of 2014, meaning that even if no processes change at the factory, a rabbi will have to come up to Waterbury to re-certify the tasting room in about 8 months.  There’s so much more to know about kosher certifications, but as soon as I was getting ramped up to tell James everything I knew, the tour was over, and we left the building to get some real sized ice cream scoops.

Then there was this - information about the Fair Trade USA fair trade
certified ingredients in the ice cream we were tasting.  In AmeriCone
Dream, the vanilla used in the recipe is Fair Trade Certified.

This look from James says several things:
1. Stop taking pictures of me.
2.  No, I don't care to hear about the particulars of kosher certification right now.
3.  There are screaming children and babies EVERYWHERE and I just want some ice cream.

I got Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz (apparently because I never wanted to sleep again) and James selected the Salted Caramel.  I got a small, and it was two massive scoops – more ice cream than I thought I wanted, needed, or could possibly handle.  Well...yeah.  Took it down.  No problem.  J 

Post ice cream, so good.

This was behind the factory, pretty cool to have the labels on.

Then we climbed a little hill in back of the factory to their Flavor Cemetery – a little plot where retired/expired flavors have placards and rhyming couplets written about them.  It was cute – and there were lots of flavors there that I would have loved to taste that are no longer being made.

Believe me, after all that ice cream, the short walk wasn't unwelcome.

James thought he'd race me up the steps.

I couldn't even begin to imagine the Ben and Jerry's factory in a place as beautiful as this before I saw it with my own eyes - it was so peaceful.  

One thing Ben and Jerry’s is known for is their resistance to and advocacy against using milk from cows treated with rBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone.  (Also known as rBST or recombinant bovine somatotropin.)  Basically, it’s a hormone given to cows in order to increase their output of milk.  Now, I know that sounds wonderful – more milk, right?  Well, there are some serious issues.  Now without getting too graphic, let’s just make sure everyone is on the same page here.  Cows give milk through their udders.  Udders are, well, overworked and underpaid to begin with (just ask any new mother – all my friends are having babies, and I read enough baby blogs to know this even without firsthand experience.) 

So there’s the cow, already hooked up to milking machines or getting milked by hand a few times a day, which I’m sure isn’t barrels of fun, and you’re injecting hormones into the cow that will make her produce even more.  Suffice to say, there are plenty of gross things that can be introduced into milk from cows given this hormone besides the hormone itself (which is plenty controversial, as many hormones and antibiotics are).  Use of this hormones have been proven to correlate to more instances of mastitis in the cattle, and when your cow has mastitis, you have to give her antibiotics to clear the infection. 

There is a lot of controversy about rBGH, but it’s worth it to take a look at the labels on the dairy products in your fridge.  I’ll try to post about rBGH more in detail a little later, it’s pretty fascinating.  Ben and Jerry’s had a bunch of information about rBGH posted up all over the property, and it was awesome to see people stopping, looking, and educating themselves.

TEACH ALL THE WORLD ABOUT FOOD THINGS!!

After we left the factory, we drove into downtown Waterbury, and stopped in at the Prohibition Pig, an incredible place that deserves its own post for the crazy/amazing experience.  I came expecting pulled pork and beer, and left full of so many other things…that were so much better.

Day 1: Part Two coming up soon!

Until then, happy eating!

-Bethy

"Makes one dope ass drink"

If you know me at all, you know how much I appreciate a good drink.  And by drink, I mean an ice cold gin and tonic.  Usually with frozen blueberries, because that's my jam (AND because I tell myself that what with the gin and the blueberries and such, I'm just sipping on an antioxidant superpower).

Turns out, Thug Kitchen (one of my FAVORITE websites on the entire internet) has the same idea that I do.

Go here, and witness the glory.

Calories vs Everything Else

So, I'm still around.  And I was pretty good at writing up the daily adventures I had while on my roadtrip with James, BUT I was not as good at having adequate internet connection to post said blogs.

SO, while you wait with bated breath for pictures of all the things I ate in several states and countries, and while I actually finish putting all those pictures up, I give you this:

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/mcdonalds-veggie-wrap/521f4f3a02a760133c000059

A conversation from Huffington Post about fast food, calorie counting, "healthy" options vs actually healthy options, and the marketing of it all.  It's a fascinating subject, spurred on by McDonald's new veggie wraps that they are selling in Canada.

If you eat fast food more than once...(a week? a month? a year?).  No.  Just once.  Ever eaten fast food? (Your answer is probably yes)  Ever thought about how what you eat at that restaurant is sold to you?  Marketing is EVERYTHING to fast food places, so I'm not reprimanding anyone for eating fast food, only for eating fast food without considering the implications of eating it - health wise, environment wise, labor wise.  Fast food is complicated.

The video here is a little bit long - it's 25 minutes.  But for the most part, there's not a whole lot to see in the video, so what I did was turn it on so I could listen to it while did some dishes.  It's worth it to check it out.

...and I'll keep trucking on those road trip blogs, promise :)

-Bethy

Epic Diamond

I’m going on a road trip.  (Well, ok, technically, I’m already on it, but whatever.)  My friend from home, James, is coming to Boston, and we’re going to explore the Northeast the right way – by renting a car, and driving place to place to place for 5 days, weaving in and out of 4 different states, sleeping in the back of the car, and seeing parts of Canada as well as the US. 

Thursday was my last day of work at Clover.  It was time for me to leave the truck, and I have so many feelings about not getting up early every morning, and spending 8 hours a day slapping together gorgeous sandwiches, plating and baking barbeque seitan, and running lunch rushes like a beast.  I’ve spent the last 11 months learning, growing, and leading on that truck at MIT, and I’m honestly going to miss it a lot.  But, life moves on, and it was time for me to do the same. 

So, what better to do with a new life of unemployment (hopefully not for too long!) than to see a huge part of New England and Canada that I’ve never explored right before classes begin again??  Now this is what I call FUNemployment!

Our route begins and ends at home in Allston, and fans out to a huge diamond shape, with Allston at the bottom.  Our stops include:

-Concord, NH (because James and I are HUGE state capitol nerds)

-Montpelier, VT (same reason)

-Waterbury, VT (Ben and Jerry’s factory!  And to have some Heady Topper!)

-Burlington, VT (I want to show him one of my favorite places on the east coast)

-Montreal, Canada (I’ve never been there, and haven’t been out of the country in too long – it’s time for a little international flavor)

-Quebec City, Canada (same reason + POUTINE)

-Mt. Katahdin, Maine (epic climbing adventure)

-Portland, Maine (I love Portland, and I haven’t been there yet since moving to Boston a year ago, plus lobster rolls.  I need not say any more.)

Yeah.  It’s a lot.  This was pretty much a crazy “where do you want to go in New England?”  “Um, I don’t know, how about ALL these places??”  “Ok.”  kind of conversation that completely materialized in the best way. 

As always, I’m finding all the foodie type topics and places, and issues to be popping out at me, proving once again to myself that I’m DEFINITELY in the right Masters program…

Love it.

-Bethy 

Two of My Favorite Things

I am an unabashed reader of BuzzFeed.

It is an amazing website, colorful, readable, and funny as hell that is great for those times when I just can't take any more reading that is even close to academic.  Their food section is especially awesome, letting my brain take a break while still reading about foodie stuff.

So, imagine my delight when I saw this post today -

11 Kinds Of Junk Food That Cost Almost Twice As Much As Something Healthier

Turns out, it was a project from CSPI - the Center for Science in the Public Interest - a DC based advocacy group that has been working since the 1970s to set Americans right about nutrition, food and alcohol policy, and healthy eating.  They are movers and shakers.  And they are an organization to watch.

Go and look at this post...even if you already eat your fruits and vegetables, and don't touch junk food.  If you are a great healthy-eater, let it reinforce your good habits.  If what you eat leaves something to be desired, let it be a subtle reminder that you can be eating healthily on the cheap.

Sandwiches

Let’s talk about sandwiches for a second.  I really like a good sandwich.  But the key word there is “good”.  You can’t make a good sandwich without good ingredients.  Anyway – we’ve had a hot July here in Boston.  Really hot.  Hot hot hot.  And I do not do hot well.  And I do not have air conditioning in my apartment.  So you’ve got to know that there was NO WAY I was heating up ANYTHING in my house.  I was sweating just standing there, hot food wasn’t going to be any part of that equation.

When I was working on Meyers Farm in Bethel, I used to eat lunch with the Meyers family every day.  Lisa used to come up with some of the most creative delicious meals that I have ever had – she had a way to make a pot of beans taste like heaven – but one of the most memorable meals that I had on the farm was one day when Lisa was out of town. 

Tim had been working with me all morning in the field, and as we went into the house, I saw him carry in a bag with cucumbers, a head of lettuce, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes.  I washed my hands, and Tim sliced the veggies thickly, slathering mayo on homemade wheat bread, and piling them on.

He placed a sandwich on a plate and handed it to me.  I’ll admit, I was skeptical.  There was no meat.  There was no cheese.  Veggies were great….you know….to go with something.  Right??

WRONG.

I took a bite, and was in sandwich heaven.  I couldn’t believe the taste.  The crunch.  The juicy tomato melding with the mayo.  (I’m getting hungry just thinking about it).

So a few weeks ago, when I opened my CSA box and discovered lettuce, cucumbers, and a tomato, I knew I had to get my hands on a good loaf of bread. 

I walked around the corner of my house to Clear Flour Bread – a delightful bakery that just won the 2013 Best Bread in Boston award from the Improper Bostonian, and was instantly overwhelmed (in a good way!) with all my choices.  I would like to say that I asked the ladies working there to fully explain each breads’ ingredients before choosing one.  I did not.  I picked two at random, asked what made them different from each other – and chose one of them.  I ended up with pain meunier – an incredibly tasty bread that has a funhistory.

Bread in my bag, I walked home, and set to work. 

Bread – check.  Mayo – check.  Tomato, cukes, lettuce – check.

  

BEST. SANDWICH. EVER.       CHECK.

           

Frozen in the Egg Aisle

     I've been studying food policy in grad school for almost a year now.

     Whew.  That feels like a long time when I type it like that.

     But the truth is that I've been learning about how food is organized, labeled, and kept safe to be sold - on governmental levels of all sizes, and when I sit down to think about it, I really do know a LOT about our food system.  I thought I knew it was broken before - turns out, I didn't even know the start of it.
     I've learned a lot about labeling - how all those words get onto your milk, meat, and prepackaged salad bags.  Every word is the result of a regulation.  Some mean something very specific ("Certified USDA Organic"), some mean something a little less specific ("cage free"), and some - sorry to break it to you - mean absolutely nothing at all ("all natural").

     (Sorry if I just made you cry when you scurried off to your pantry/fridge to see lots of foods with the "all natural" label on them...I'll post about it later, it has absolutely no regulation, effectively making it an absolutely useless value claim.)

     Anyway - the point is, I've been learning a lot, but as I'm running 16-18 hours of every day between work and school, training for my marathon, singing at church, and having some semblance of a social life, up to this point, my eating hasn't changed that much.  (The one big exception here is clearly my purchase of a CSA this summer, which I will also post about later).  Though I know about values claims on labels on foods, I'm living a pretty standard "what is the most convenient, nutritious food that I can get for the lowest price?"
     Now, I've always eaten eggs.  My mother raised me on them, and since I don't tend to cook a ton of meat at my house, I've always seen them as a great source of protein for not that much money.  While I've eaten farm-fresh straight-out-the-chicken eggs (and they are INCREDIBLE - if you haven't had that egg eating experience, find a farmer right now, and buy some eggs from him/her. (If you need help locating a farmer, the USDA is here to help you with their Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food website)  You won't regret it) I don't have the time to seek out/go to a farmers' market here in Boston to find those eggs here.  Thus - I eat store bought eggs.
     I eat a LOT of eggs.  If I'm making most of my meals at home, I could take down a dozen eggs in three to four days.  (I usually don't, but that's just because I don't want to be going to the grocery store that often).  As a combination of loving eggs, and loving finding good food at grocery stores for cheap (THAT is just a combination of my frugal nature, loving deals/steals/couponing, and not feeling guilty for buying food because, well, I have to eat) I have always just bought the cheapest eggs at the grocery store - the large, white, store brand "normal" eggs.  Usually they're between $1.19 and $1.99.  Not a bad deal for a few days worth of protein.

     So, it was about a week ago, and I hadn't been in a grocery store for a while (an result of the CSA).  I had no eggs at home, and was walking towards my apartment from campus.  I was right next to the Star Market, so I went in there for a few things instead of going to Trader Joe's like I usually do.  I walked back to the egg section, imagining grabbing a dozen of Star Market's finest.  I stopped in front of the refrigerated case, and was instantly so overwhelmed.  The cheap eggs were $1.29 - a great deal!  And yet, this is what was flashing in my head -

     Now, I have known my entire life about the realities of egg production in huge industrial systems.  And it's terrible, but it's never changed the reality that I want my eggs, and I don't always have $5 to hand to a farmer who I know isn't keeping his/her chickens this way.  To cut to the chase, whether or not it should, knowing has never changed my mind before.  And yet, there I was, standing in front of that case, and I couldn't even look at those $1.29 eggs.

     So, I turned to my other choices - and by golly, there were a TON of other choices, ranging from $1.99 to $5.49 a dozen.  I was assaulted by labels like:

• certified organic
• all natural
• omega-3 enriched
• cage free
• free range
• humanely raised
• vitamin D enriched

     These were in all sorts of combinations, and appeared on both brown and white eggs, all toting supposed health benefits, when, really, all I wanted was some cheap protein.  But, since I knew what all these words meant (and which meant anything at all) as I was standing there, I knew I was going to just have to figure it out.

     It took me the better part of 20 minutes to do it.

     I ended up with Born Free brand Free Range Certified Humanely Raised and Handled Omega 3+D brown eggs.  They were on sale for $3.49, and I felt good about leaving the store with them in my bag.  But as I was walking home, I realized that this was the beginning - that the things that I learned in class were no longer just things I knew in my head, and could easily separate from the life that I led outside of class.

     It is terrifying.  I've come to terms that my cooking and eating habits have just taken a turn for the educated, and that means a whole lot more thinking about my food outside of class, and inside my kitchen.  I guess it's just the moment when the learning becomes synonymous with my actions.  Scary - but exciting - as all important life decisions are.

     And that's where I'm at now.  Actually taking a really hard look at what I'm buying when I go to the grocery store.  And, in effect, going to the grocery store a whole lot less.

     So, go - check out your egg section the next time you're at the store.  Even if you buy the cheap eggs, look at the other ones.  Learn about values claims on eggs - what all those terms mean, who is regulating them, what the laws are in your state/city/region.  Even if it hasn't before, it might change your mind this time.