Saintless

“Cage free”, “Free Range”, “All Natural”, “No Antibiotics or Hormones Administered”, “Omega-3 of 225mg in Each Egg”, “Vegetarian Fed”, “Organic Vegetarian Feed”, “75 mcg of Folic Acid”

What do all of those mean, what are the differences from one label to the next, and why should you care? Well, to sum it up, here are things to look for on your egg cartons:

• Free Range
• Omega-3
• Organic Vegetarian Feed

Eat Well Guide goes into the specifics about which egg labels are BS, and which are the ones to look for.

Although these types of labels seem to be gaining ground due to consumers’ increasing demand for natural, safe and healthy food products, the labeling frenzy may at times confound rather than help the customer in making purchasing decisions.

And if you’re wondering why you should care, check out Sustainable Table, or watch The Meatrix:

The above post is Ezra Klein’s fault, if anyone cares. He’s got a good blog up today about why more people will be caring in the near future.

One last thing….later this week, a new restaurant is opening in Sugar House, called Au Naturel. If you’re anywhere near, you’ll want to check it out. Hopefully, I’ll be interviewing the owner soon, and can bring you all the delicious facts!

I really, really, really can’t wait for the Downtown Farmer’s Market to open! I’m excited to get fresh, local produce, and see the vendors. I’ve had the opening date (June 14th) set up on my calendar for months. Here’s the information on the opening celebration:

Market Merriment
Gather with the Growers

The Downtown Farmers Market celebrates the opening of its 16th season!
Enjoy a festive evening with farmers, fun, food, and famous ale.

Monday, June 9th, 2008
5 pm – 8 pm
Squatters Pub Brewery
147 West Broadway

$25 in advance, $30 at the door
Local flavors and spirits provided
Proceeds benefit the Farmers Market

For more information contact Danica Farley at 801.333.1105 or
danica@downtownslc.org.

And the info on the actual Farmer’s Market:

The Downtown Farmers Market opens on June 14, 2008. We can’t wait to see you there.

When: Saturdays - June thru Oct Time: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Historic Pioneer Park (300 South & 300 West) The Downtown Farmers Market is a local growers’ market, featuring fresh produce from over 70 Utah farmers. In addition to the produce, the Market also offers a variety of fresh baked breads and pastries, cheeses, meat and seafood, jams and honeys, house and garden plants, arranged planters, and numerous handmade arts & crafts. Unique food vendors also are a part of the Market, offering prepared foods and beverages. Sign up for to recieve “Fresh Peaches” , the Farmers’ Market email newsletter twice monthly to your inbox. http://www.downtownslc.org/newsletter.htm

I think that I’ll get the boys up early that day and find our way over to Trax. They love riding the train, and that will be a great way to start the day. To go along with the food, is the Art & Craft Market:

Downtown Art & Craft Market 2008

Dates: Saturdays - June 14 thru Oct 18 When: 8:00am to 1:00pm Where: Historic Pioneer Park (300 South 300 West) Downtown Salt Lake City The Downtown Art & Craft Market features vendors who create all categories of handmade, non-imported crafts and visual arts; including original paintings, photography, jewelry, pottery, household wares, leather goods, dried flowers, bath products, furniture, and one-of-a-kind gifts.

While I’m writing about local events, I should include these, from the Local First newsletter.

• Attend the Salt Lake City Open House on Conditional Use Zoning on June 11th

Consultants working with the Salt Lake City Council are holding a public open house to review the Conditional Use Zoning Ordinance refinement process and to discuss potential changes to the ordinance amendments. The open house will be held Wednesday, June 11th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Salt Lake City’s Main Library Branch (210 East, 400 South) on the 4th Floor. For more information email Robyn Geist at robyn@wfandco.com.

• Join Local First and Partners at Salt Lake’s City Weekly Summer Rec Fest on June 14th

Salt Lake City Weekly’s Summer Rec Fest was created to boast Utah’s greatest outdoor assets. The festival will include Dutch oven cooking competitions, fly-fishing demonstrations, a climbing wall, live music, food, and prizes! Local First and partners will have vendor booths. Come support the Local First community and enjoy the atmosphere on June 14th from 12 PM to 6PM at the Gallivan Center in Downtown Salt Lake City. Email info@localfirst.org for more information or visit http://slweekly.com.

• Visit the Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival June 9th Through June 15th

The Zion Canyon Art and Flute festival is a gathering of world flute recording artists performing live on stage, flute makers and native artists displaying their original work. Admission is $1.00 per person and takes place in Springdale, UT. For directions and more information visit www.zioncanyonartandflutefestival.com.

Side Note: While I was on the Downtown Alliance web site, I noticed a poll asking if I agreed with the proposed change to downtown parking, requiring payment on evenings and Saturdays. Let them know what you think.

I love buying from local businesses, for a variety of reasons. Partly, I believe this is the answer to Wal-Mart. Buying locally made products or from local businesses helps Utah’s economy, and stimulates small businesses. One of my favorite reasons was reaffirmed for me last night, though.

I crochet a lot, and the yarn store around the corner from me recently moved, so I was buying my yarn from chain stores. But, they have such a limited selection. It’s 90% acrylic, with maybe 3 colors of cotton and some mohair thrown in. My recent projects have been cotton, and I’ve realized how much I despise the feel of acrylic.

Last night, I had about 2 hours before the Salt Lake Democratic Central Committee meeting, so one of the things I decided to do was find a new (local) yarn store.

The first place I stopped had mostly sewing items, and the lady talked to me about how when she first opened 20 years ago, she had lots of “yarn craft” items, but that the big stores were selling yarn for the same price she was able to buy it for, so she had stopped. She was able to tell me where the store around the corner from me had moved, but pointed out that Wool Cabin was just across the street.

Mind you, “just across the street” isn’t as easy as it sounds. 3300 South near 2000 East is a mess, due to a pipe that’s being laid in the middle of the road. So, I had to get back on 3300 South, turn right on 2000 East, pull into H&R Block’s parking lot, get back on 2000 South and then go through the light. Anyhow, I finally made it there, and what a treat!

There were 3 big rooms, just full of a variety of yarns, in a rainbow of colors. When I went in, the lady greeted me with a smile, but didn’t hover. When I asked her a question though, I found a wealth of information just waiting for me. Although she was a self-described “wool snob”, she showed me that not all acrylics are the rough “fiberglass” texture that I don’t like. She also showed me some great cottons, linens and wool yarns, along with blends. She was a knitter, not a crocheter, but she was very helpful when I was trying to determine what yarns I would need for the two patterns I had selected. They have tons of patterns in binders for very low cost (about $3) as well as some great books.

And that brings me back to my favorite “buy local” reason. The service! It was so nice to find the staff so pleasant, along with how knowledgeable she was.

I can’t wait to finish the projects I’m working on, so I can go back and find something to make out of the linen yarn!

I’m proud to admit that I’ve joined Wing Coop’s Hall of Shame. Recently recommended by City Weekly, my sister and I set out to prove that we are “not chicken”.

We went to the Olympus Hills location Saturday afternoon, along with Jacob, and ordered the “11 in 11″, which consists of 11 damn hot wings. You can drink all you want prior to beginning the wings, but once you start, there is no food or drink or even ranch dip to cool your burning mouth until you’re done! If you finish within 11 minutes, you get a free t-shirt and your (red-faced) photo up on their “Wall of Shame”. I’ve always liked hot food, and I have to say that their sauce is great! It’s extremely hot, but it’s got a lot of flavor, too. Apparently, there are 11 spices in the sauce, which is where the name comes from.

If you ever decide to try your tastebuds at it, have a jug of milk ready for when you finish. And prepare to let your sinuses run! And note that when they say that it helps to be crazy, they aren’t kidding.

Apparently, they had a lot of response to being in City Weekly, so the t-shirt is on backorder, but when I get it, I’ll be sure to post a photo of me proudly displaying my free advertising souvenir.

I definitely plan to go back for more, but next time, I’ll be enjoying them with a side of ranch and a beer at a much more leisurely pace. If hot isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options, including the mild teriyaki flavor, to enjoy.

As if we don’t already have enough reasons to buy local, the King of Burgers has given us an extra one, apparently worth an entire penny.

Migrant farm workers in Florida earn 45 pennies for each 32 pound bucket of tomatoes they pick. A whopping 45 cents. And Burger King wants to reward them by giving them a 40% pay cut for Christmas.

In 2005, Florida tomato pickers gained their first significant pay raise since the late 1970s when Taco Bell ended a consumer boycott by agreeing to pay an extra penny per pound for its tomatoes, with the extra cent going directly to the farm workers. Last April, McDonald’s agreed to a similar arrangement, increasing the wages of its tomato pickers to about 77 cents per bucket. But Burger King, whose headquarters are in Florida, has adamantly refused to pay the extra penny — and its refusal has encouraged tomato growers to cancel the deals already struck with Taco Bell and McDonald’s.

And in case you don’t think the immigration debate is worthy of much attention, here’s one that should make you rush to one side or the other:

Migrant farm laborers have long been among America’s most impoverished workers. Perhaps 80 percent of the migrants in Florida are illegal immigrants and thus especially vulnerable to abuse. During the past decade, the United States Justice Department has prosecuted half a dozen cases of slavery among farm workers in Florida. Migrants have been driven into debt, forced to work for nothing and kept in chained trailers at night. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers — a farm worker alliance based in Immokalee, Fla. — has done a heroic job improving the lives of migrants in the state, investigating slavery cases and negotiating the penny-per-pound surcharge with fast food chains.

That’s right. Slavery, right here in the Good ‘ol US of A in the 21st century.

Back to the topic, though. The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, which represents about 90% of the tomato growers in Florida, is making threats against any grower who accepts the extra $.01 for the workers.

Not sure how any of this fits together? Well, if Burger King hadn’t refused to pay the extra penny, McDonalds and Taco Bell would not be backing out of their new agreements which amount to about $.77 per bucket, up from the current $.45.

Burger King has justified its behavior by claiming that it has no control over the labor practices of its suppliers. “Florida growers have a right to run their businesses how they see fit,” a Burger King spokesman told The St. Petersburg Times.

Yet the company has adopted a far more activist approach when the issue is the well-being of livestock. In March, Burger King announced strict new rules on how its meatpacking suppliers should treat chickens and hogs. As for human rights abuses, Burger King has suggested that if the poor farm workers of southern Florida need more money, they should apply for jobs at its restaurants.

I’m adding Burger King to my list of places not to spend money at. They’re right up there with Wal-Mart, in my opinion.

If you’d like to do more, you can always write:

John W. Chidsey
Chief Executive Officer
Burger King Corporation
5505 Blue Lagoon Drive
Miami, Florida 33126

If you’re an investor with Bain Capital, the Texas Pacific Group or Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, you should be aware that these three control most of the stock - which means that could be another avenue of action.

And, again, don’t forget that buying local benefits you and your community. Check out this list of Food and Beverage companies from Local First. And if you know of businesses that should be on this list and aren’t, encourage them to get listed.

(h/t Geekesque, one of my favorite Kossaks)

Tags: big business, Burger King

I just got a call from Sampan. I placed an online order with them, and they called to find out if we were out of their delivery area, because my tip was “big”. It turns out that since my street is a name, and not a number, and doesn’t include N, E, S or W in any form, they didn’t know right off where it was. And on top of their $3 delivery charge, I put an $8 tip for a $40 check. So, they figured I must be over on the west side, where the Sugar House location doesn’t deliver to.

The conversation went something like this (imagine the heavy oriental accent to the lady’s voice, I can’t figure out how to add it in):

Me: Hello
Sampan: Misty?
Me: Yes
Sampan: Hello, I was just calling to confirm your location. You are #### and is that North or South?

Ok, let me interrupt. We’re like 4 turns off of any major road. And our address is confusing. In fact, if you include the E, S, N or W, we don’t exist, according to services like Google Maps. So, I figured they had looked us up, and we didn’t exist, so that was why they called.

Me: Oh, yes. That is actually east. We’re not too far from #### South, but you probably want to give your driver directions from a map, because we’re several turns from the main road.
Sampan: Ok, so what is your West?
Me: No, not West. It’s East. The #### is East, and the street is just north of #### South.
Sampan: Oh, so you are not in the West, because we cannot deliver there.
Me: No, we’re east.
Sampan: Ok, well you gave $11 tip, is that right?
Me: I think so. $3 delivery charge and $8 tip, that’s $11.
Sampan: Oh you are so nice!

Ummm, are there people out there that do not tip delivery well, when it’s something that gets determined before you get your food? I hate getting cold food delivered, unless it’s supposed to be. People, another $2 isn’t gonna kill you, and if it does, you probably don’t need to be ordering take-out. If you do, that driver probably needs the extra $2 far more than you. Tsk, tsk.

While I’m talking about it, Sampan has an awesome “appetizer” called the Bo Bo Platter For Two. If you’re ever in doubt, try that. They also have locations in Jordan Landing and South Towne. And so much better than any chain store could be. Remember to Buy Local.

Tags: chinese food, Sampan