Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 7

This weeks blog post is a comment on another students blog post about her experience at a farmers market in LA and the access of different foods based on income.

Hi Hannah,

Since moving to LA this past September, I haven't been to any farmers markets, but I have been wanting to check some out. Something interesting I wanted to say was that at my previous community college, we had a guest speaker come in that worked in agriculture with a private company in Orange County. She was a big time advocate on organic foods, growing your own fruits and vegetables and healthy living. She had told our class that a lot of times farmers markets are not as organic as you think. She told us about little tricks some of the people do. One of the things she said was that sometimes they will have fake signs that their food is organic, and the only way to be sure is if you see or ask for there certification that is done by the state. Another thing she said is that legally some of farmers fruits and vegetables are allowed to have a certain percentage that is not organic, so sometimes you may be buying something that actually in fact is not organic. Another thing that she informed us about is that, some farmers will have an idea of when state inspection will come in, and if they have enough time before state comes in, that they will actually spray all the harvest with some pesticides, and by the time state comes in they really have no way of telling if pesticides were being used or not. 

There are a lot of tricks and lies in the business. I am not trying to label every farmer this way, but it does happen. I don't even know if you mind, but it is something to consider and is interesting to know about. She told us that, the only way you can really be sure that your produce is a 100% organic is to grow your own produce. This is a goal that I want to accomplish one day when I have the right yard. 

I also thought it was interesting what you said about the change in food access with income. I have noticed that around the UCLA vicinity, it is not very common to come by a fast food or drive through restaurant. Having been in and driving through different parts of LA, I have noticed it is easier to find these in lower income neighborhoods and/or industrial, business type areas. 

What you said about Mark Bittman saying that it is a misconception that fast food is cheaper than food from a grocery store. I think I do have to agree with that. There are certainly items on a fast food menu that are very cheap, but to get the best bang for your buck is to actually buy your own food and make it yourself. Being a student on a budget, cooking my food on a regular is way more cost efficient then eating out at a fast food restaurant on a regular. Maybe its more about the conveniency. People working all day either too tired or not having enough time to cook, leads them to eat out at fast food restaurants as the cheapest alternative.

Here is a link to her blog post and my comment.