The thought of not having chocolate chip cookies drives me to a character that is a mix between the cookie monster and a psychopath. Maybe they are one in the same. I do consider myself a “chocolate chip cookie connoisseur” of sorts and have found quite an extraordinary set of cookie specimens over the years. So before I get into some of the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll find on planet earth, let me give you a background on what constitutes a great chocolate chip cookie and how you should indulge in these heavenly treats of cookie goodness.

Table of Cookie Contents

1. What Makes a Great Chocolate Chip Cookie?
2. Top 5 Chocolate Chip Cookie List
3. How to Eat a Chocolate Chip Cookie

What Makes a Great Chocolate Chip Cookie?

Chocolate chips

This is the key. A chocolate chip cookie with a couple chocolate chips in it is like car with 1 wheel that’s supposed to have 4. No matter how much you try to use it, it’s not going to work. The chocolate should be soft and gooey. Never hard like a piece of Hershey’s chocolate but a mix between the hardshell and soft center of a Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle.

The Cookie dough

This is like the insulation for our cookie. It’s keeps everything warm and toasty. The cookie dough is like a blanket for chocolate chips. In it’s cooked form, the cookie dough should be soft to the touch. Not so soft that picking up the cookie breaks it apart. Here is a test: If you grabbed the cookie from it’s edge it shouldn’t bend immediately. It should take a couple seconds to sag. Any cookie that is crispy is no longer a cookie. (in my book) I like to call these cookie impostors “Frackies” . What are Frackies? These are fake cookies that snap like crackers. Although they try to act like they are cookies they are actually covert crackers who have infiltrated the cookie space.

Sweetness

This is tricky area. The sweetness must be right. Some might think that pouring more sugar into a cookie is a guaranteed “This is going to taste like Grandma’s cookies” slam dunk. No, you actually threw an air ball. If you look at the ingredients of most chocolate chip cookies you’ll notice something called S-A-L-T. Even ice cream has salt in it. They need to balance the sweetness with several other ingredients and the weapon of choice for most cookie manufacturers is salt.

Top 5 Chocolate Chip Cookie List

Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies (OS)

The first time I encountered these rich chocolate chip cookie delights was my junior year at Syracuse University in 1997. Dang I’m old. Syracuse University has the Shine Student Center (SSC) right on campus. At the SSC, they have a store where you can get books, university paraphernalia, houseware stuff, and other odds n’ ends. In the back of the store they have a 7-11-like area and this is where I was hit with the sweet chocolate doughy scent of Otis Spunkmeyer (OS) cookies. OS cookies actually come with a special micro-oven so they can be cooked fast on the premises. The bad part is OS cookies cannot be bought in stores. You have to order them directly from the manufacturer and they come frozen. Wait, don’t freak out this is a good thing. The come in these 1 inch frozen doughy chocolate chip balls and 72 come in a box. I was given this as a gift a while back and it took ages to finish the whole box. What is really nice is OS cookies are extremely rich. You can only eat 2 at a time. It takes 45 minutes to cook them, but it’s worth every minute. Soft, tasty, and beautifully rich. During my college days, my roomates and I would make Friday runs for OS cookies. Eventually it became a Friday tradition.

600 1b Gorillas Chocolate Chip cookies

Found this brand during a casual walk in the frozen section of my local Stop and Shop. Similar to Otis Spunkmeyer, these cookies are 1 inch frozen balls. The cooking time is a lot less than the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and you can find them in your local supermarket. These cookies are 600 1b of chocolate cookie goodness.

Ben’s Cookies

My wife has been eating Ben’s Cookies in Saudi Arabia for years. Ben’s Cookies have stores in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Trust me, as soon as they get to the U.S. Ms. Fields is going out of business. I went to England in 2010 with the family. The trip was wonderful, but what made it extraordinary was Ben’s Cookies. Okay it was really meeting my family that made the trip amazing, but Ben’s Cookies really helped. These are my favorite cookies of all time. I can’t even find the words to describe how good these cookies are. At times, I’m tempted to do a trip to the UK just to pick up these cookies and come back the next day. You know you are dealing with a real cookie shop when they have ice cold glasses of milk on the menu. These cookies are freshly baked on the premises. Soft and the chocolate just oozes out with each bite. Ben, you have done a wonderful thing for humanity.

Tollhouse Ultimates™ Filled Cookie Dough Chocolates

This cookie specimen was found about a month ago. Normally I’m not a big fan of Toll House but when I saw a chocolate chip cookie with a fudge chocolate center, I had to give it a shot. I must admit, these cookies are pretty good. The key to these cookies is to get the cooking time and temperature right. a couple minutes too soon, they’ll be too soft, a couple minutes to late, they’ll be crispy wafers that have been turned into “Frackies”. So preheat your
oven at 375, cook these refrigerated doughy squares for 14 minutes exactly, wait for about 5-7 minutes to cool and you are on your way to chocolate chip cookie decadence.

Trader Joe’s Charmingly Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookes

This is a very recent addition to the chocolate chip cookie list. I found this treat while I was shopping at Trader Joe’s last week. What really grabbed my attention was the fact that they had Chewy in the title. Now some cookie brands like Nabisco have done this with Chips Ahoy Chewy, but these cookies are pretty nasty. I was wondering if Trader Joes was trying to pull a fast one, but I had faith that a brand like Trader Joe’s would not partake in such cookie deception. I took a leap of cookie faith and I’m happy to say that these cookies are delicious. This is the only brand cookies on this list that are ready right outside of the box. They are smaller in size than the average cookie but they are worth ever bite. Just remember, big things come in small packages.

How to Eat a Chocolate Chip Cookie

Most chocolate chip cookie amateurs will say, “Well that’s a no brainer, just eat them”. If it were that easy would have spent more than 1000 words explaining the art and degree of expertise regarding chocolate chip cookie science? Just kidding, (not kidding about the 1000 words part). Here’s what you do and in this order:

What you need:
- A big glass or cup to hold your milk
- Cold milk (Whole is best, but for those watching the waistline you can go with 2%)
- A plate or bowl for your cookies
- A microwave (optional)

1. If you are not cooking your cookies from a refrigerated or frozen ball you’ll have to warm them up in a microwave. Only about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Adjust accordingly depending on how soft you want your cookies
2. Place the warm cookies on our favorite bowl or plate of choice
3. Pour your cold milk into your milk glass or cup of choice
4. Delicately (because they will be warm and soft) grab your chocolate chip cookie and take a handsome bite out of it.
5. Immediately follow up that bite with a mouthful of cold milk
6. As you chew your cookie you should now have a chocolate chip cookie milk slush washing around. Now, swallow
7. Repeat step 4 until you have no more cookies.
8. Bask in chocolate chip cookie heaven for about 5 minutes. Relax then think about when the next cookie adventure will be

Cookie Tips

• Place your milk in the back of the fridge. Stays nice and cold.
• Do not eat already made cookies after 2 weeks. At that point they are stale.
• Always share your cookies with a fellow chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. Even if you have one cookie, you break it in half to share it with your fellow. The general rule is you don’t have to share with more than one person if you only have one cookie.

It’s been over a couple weeks or more since my wife (Sarah), son (Saud) and I have come back from England. It was a wonderful trip. Got to catch up with family and take a break from the work grind. Not that I got anything against Washington D.C. for being the original “Chocolate City” but Cambridge in England is the “REAL” Chocolate City. New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta got nothing on Cambridge. Okay folks, I’m not talking about people, but chocolate. Although Cambridge has become a bit more “beige” over the years due to more diverse cultures moving into the neighborhood, chocolate is still king.

Let me put it plainly, Sarah and I are chocolate fanatics. I probably wouldn’t pause for a second if someone offered me an intravenous drip of chocolate into my veins. England, not to mention Europe in general, is somewhat of a “chocolate paradise”. It’s Willie Wonka’s for adults. Every type of chocolate exists. Go into the average corner store and their chocolate selection looks like the cereal aisles in the U.S. supermarkets. It’s not only their chocolate, but all the other cakes, ice-cream, candy, cookies, croissants, etc that utilize this wonderful chocolate in the most ingenious ways. Even their KitKats taste better than ours. I wish I took more pictures of all of our chocolate adventures but below is a slideshow of some of our favorites.

[Show as slideshow]

First things first, shoutout to Allah (SWT) for keeping me in the right frame of mind thought out this process. Shoutouts to all my family and friends who kept pushing me thoughout P90x. Big shoutout to all my twittereez out there who picked up on my tweets and kept me pushing play while bringing it! Shouts out to @krprice , @SeattleWorksOut, @P90XXXer, @ashleygbowden, @Fittuck3, and many others.

Well, Today is day 90 and I’m feeling pretty dang good. All the blood, sweat, exhaustion and ripping of muscle has paid off tremendously. This is just a guess, but I’ve probably lost about 15 pounds. Should of weighed myself earlier but too be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get this far. So the first thing you are probably thinking to yourself is “Where are the before and afters?”. As I’ve said throughout these 90 days, because of religious reasons and modesty I can’t. But in a month I’m going to demonstrate the power of P90x and I’ll be posting a video of me doing 5+ free standing hand stand push-ups. I’m in training now and will be working on it for the next 30 days while continuing P90x for another 90 days.

I bought P90x almost 3 years ago and it remained on the shelf for 2 1/2 years. The first time I did P90x and did the fit test I failed miserably. In ignorance I tried to do P90x and just couldn’t do it. So what changed? Did I train for 2 1/2 years to build up the stamina to do P90x? No. Did I find some youth elixir that gave me the strength to do P90x two years later? NO. What happened is I got out of my head and got the courage to “Keep pushing play” even if I stumbled. My failure wasn’t physical it was mental. Once I got over that it was better days ahead. For those who are currently doing P90x you’ll notice through out the program there are these “sticky” motivational quips that keep you going. “Set it and forget it”, “Keep pushing play”. “Do your best and forget the rest”, and most importantly “Bring it”..

So how did I do during the 90 days? Well I might have missed a couple days here and there. Yeah, I might have missed a recovery drink here and there. Maybe I cheated on the food a bit. Maybe some days I didn’t push as hard as I should have, but what I didn’t do is stop pushing play, and beat myself about missing a couple steps here and there. I kept pushing, made the necessary corrections, and kept bringing it. That’s what it’s about. KIM, Keep it Moving. On my last week I sprained my ankle missing a step coming of the subway stop, but did that stop me? No, didn’t do any program that were heavy with the feet, did upper-body for the week and when my foot was back to normal, did my plyometrics at the end of the week. What ever missteps I made during the first 90 days I’ll correct them in the next 90 days. The lesson here is that you are human. This is not a PSA to screw up intentionally but just keep pushing no matter what weaknesses or short-comings may happen. There is always tomorrow.

P90x allowed me to push my body to the limits. I wasn’t aware my body could do the things it does today. Many times my wife would see me drenched in a puddle of sweat and wonder if I took a shower with my gym clothes on or is P90x really pushing my body to it’s limits. At this moment I don’t need anything else. My gym membership would be cancelled if it wasn’t costing me such a small amount every month ($10 bucks a month at Planet Fitness). You don’t really need a gym membership if you have the room space and time to do P90x.

So what’s next? Well I’m going to start another 90 days of P90x, but I’m going to change it up a bit. After 90 days you get a sense of what areas are your weaknesses and strengths. I’m going heavy on a couple areas to build a bit more mass, but I’m still going to stay focuses on the cardio. Nothing compares to Plyometrics. It’s the ultimate fat burner.

For those interested, below you’ll find a list of every tweet I did for the 90 days. For those days that are empty I either could not get up because I was too tired, was sick, it was my rest day or was just plain lazy. (trust me it happens)

I’m looking forward to the next 90 days and whenever you have doubts about this, just “Keep pushing play”, “Bring it”, and always make it “X-like”. Good luck!

• Official Site from Beachbody: P90x
• Hexagon Dumbbell sets
• MaxMat™ 1/4″ Extra Thick, Extra Long, and Extra Wide Yoga and Exercise Mat
  (84″ x 36″)
• Kulae Hot Yoga Hand Towel Ocean
  (I know it might seem a bit insane to spend about $18 bucks for one hand towel but this towel is insane. The amount of sweat that will be pouring off you, you’ll need it. You can suck up the Atlantic Ocean with this towel)
• Recovery Drink Reviews

P90x Diares

P90x – Day 1. First day for P90x workout. Hoping I don’t end up in the hospital.

P90x – Day 2. Great, I didn’t put myself in the hospital. I’m still alive. Ready for Day 3 tomorrow.

P90x – Day 3…ending with Side Tricep Rises..Is this guy insane? Every day this workout gets better and better.

P90x – Day 4.. Yoga X was okay. I got some good stretches but it was pretty dang boring. I will probably substitute Stretch X for Yoga X.

P90x – Day 5. Umm..Single Leg Wall Squats. This cd is by far my second favorite next to Chest and Arms. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

P90x – Day 6. Had to substitute my Plyometrics cd because my Henpo X cd didn’t work. Still had a phenomenal workout.

P90x – Day 8 . After only one week I’ve increased my strength. I need to get more weight. Amazing program.

P90x – Day 9. Still pushing hard. I’m about to go pick up some Reebok Push up Bars which apparently are the Bentley of static push up bars.

P90x – Day 10. The great thing about P90x is it’s never boring. Up your weight & goals and it’s like working out for the first time. Bang!

P90x – Day 11. Did Stretch X for the first time and it was great. I have a new respect for the power of stretching. Legs and back tomorrow.

P90x – Day 12. I never thought after all these years (10+ years) of doing pull-ups that I could increase my pull-up strength Wow! 24HGW!

P90x – Day 13. Did Kenpo X for the first time. Starts off slow but my body was was broken as things picked up. Ab Ripper X tomorrow.

P90x – Day 14. Did Ab Ripper X for the first time and I realize my core is made out of mash potatoes. I’ll have to push hard to get better.

P90x – Day 15. Used my pushup bars for the first time and gave me the leverage to push hard and get those extra critical reps in.I’m amped!

P90x – Day 16. I have to blend my recovery drink in the closet so I don’t wake up the baby. I run an extension cord from the kitchen.

P90x – Day 17. One of my favorite moves for shoulder n arms is static arm curls and side tri rises. Killer!

P90x – Day 18. Did Yoga X from end to end for the first time. I actually enjoyed it this time. It is by far the hardest DVD from P90x

P90x – Day 19. Today is my rest day but I’m going to hit legs and back hard tomorrow.

P90x – Day 20. What a great workout. Nothing like pushing hard after a break. Two words. Recovery Drink.

P90x – Day 21. Had a great stretch routine with Stretch X this morning and the timing is perfect considering I did leg and back yesterday.

P90x – Day 22. I was a bit sluggish in the beginning of the workout, but pushed hard toward the end. Back and Chest is my favorite

P90x – Day 23. Plyometrics is like playing full court basketball on a court the size of a football field with lead sneakers and a steel ball

P90x – Day 24. Strength continues to go up. I can’t believe it how fast this is happening. I can’t get enough of static arm curls.

P90x – Day 25. Torso Twist, Crane, and Half Moon are just a few of the most insane positions that your body will ever go through.

P90x – Day 26. Got through single leg wall squats for the first time. Toe Roll Iso-Lunges busted me down.

P90x – Day 27. Kenpo X. I might add some light hand and leg weights to this. I’m going to contact the Beach Body folks on this one.

Day 28. Today is my rest day. Got my crazy exercise bands yesterday for my pull-ups tomorrow so I’m siked about getting more reps.

P90x – Day 29. I did not think I could do something that was more difficult than Yoga X. Core Synergistics sent me into another dimension.

P90x – Day 30. I’m 1/3 of the way through the program. I can’t believe it’s been a month. I’ve lost about 10 pounds and building nuff mass.

P90x – Day 31. Nothing like a good X Stretch in the morning. Tomorrow, Core Synergistics. Banana Roll should be called the Human Pain Roll.

P90x – Day 32. Once I can get through an entire session of plank to chaturanga runs then I know I’ve reached the zenith of P90x. Very tough.

P90x – Day 34. Today is my rest day, but Yoga X tomorrow.

P90x – Day 36. Last week was my rest week, and now these next 3 weeks is all about mass. It’s time to get busy, Flex Wheeler style.

P90x – Day 37. Jump knee tucks straight into Mary Katherine Lunges. Whew!. Get to finally try out my new pull-up bands tomorrow. Bang!

P90x – Day 38. Great workout today. Many people are astonished at how much weight I’ve lost. @P90x works. Bring it, son. What What! Nah mean

P90x – Day 39. Had my best workout yet with Yoga X. I can’t believe I was hatin’ on #Yoga when I first started this. Malik = Humbled.

P90x – Day 40. Rest day today and to be honest my arms so sore from yesterday that I would barely get through back and legs today.

P90x – Day 41. Today I had my best workout yet for legs and back. I was finally able to get through single leg wall squats. Bring it!

P90x – Day 43. Another phenomenal day. My friend is about to get started with the #P90x. Remember those last 3 reps are the ones that count.

P90x – Day 44. Just when you think you can’t push anymore,#P90x brings the best out of you.One of my favs tomorrow Biceps and Back.Bring it!

P90x – Day 45. I can’t believe it, but I’m halfway through the #P90x program. Had a great bicep/back busting workout today. Bring it!

P90x – Day 47. Had a rough start this morning, but was able to push through. Ab Ripper X time!

P90x – Day 49. You know..Ab Ripper X is one of the most painful ab workouts out there. Pain = Good.

P90x – Day 50. What an amazing workout this morning. My best yet for for chest, shoulders, triceps. My favorite next to back.

P90x – Day 51. #P90x tip. After you’ve reached your last 3 pushups (normal) [THE BURN], go on your knees and max out your reps [CRAZY BURN]

P90x – Day 52. I luv me sum strip set curls..burn baby burn. Still wondering if #P90x works? Yes, it does. What are u waiting for? Bring it!

P90x – Day 54. Been sick over the last couple days. Lots to make up. No P90x in the morning is like not having the sun to wake you up.

P90x – Day 55. After missing 2 days of #P90x(sick), then working out today..I feel relief like the tin man getting oiled for the first time

P90x – Day 57. Misplaced my P90x dvds cleaning up the house yesterday,but did an arm blasting 1 hr alternative #P90x like push-up routine.

P90x – Day 58. Forgot how mind blowing Core Synergistics is. I feel like I jump into a pool. Bring it!

P90x – Day 60. I can’t believe it. 30 more days to completion.

P90x – Day 62. Now that I’m reaching the end of my recovery week, looking forward to phase 3.

P90x – Day 63. Superman, Banana Roll, Plank to Chaturang Runs, Sphinx Push-up, Walking Push-up oh my. I dare you to try it! Yeah you.

P90x – Day 64. Nothing better than finishing up with Dive Bomber pushups. Yes!

P90x – Day 66. It’s amazing what a recover week (last week) can do to the body. Where did all this new found strength come from?

P90x – Day 67. Great workout this morning. Drenched and bringing it X-Like.

P90x Day 69. During my cool down I was think of a the cream of asparagus soup I made a couple days ago. ”

P90x – Day 70. 20 more day left. The count down begins.

P90x – Day 71. Two words: Bring it! (Ab Ripper X)

P90x – Day 72. By far one of my favorites. Chest and Back. More Dive Bomber Pushups please. Jeah!

P90x – Day 74. Took a break yesterday because my neck was strained but I’m back on track. Plyo + Ab Ripper X . “Drink your water people!”.

P90x – Day 75. Is there any reason why anyone still has a gym membership?….psst #P90x. Crunch, Ballys, NYSportsclubs are featherweights.

p90X – Day 76. There are two things that get me amped to keep pushing. #P90x and #bartendaz http://bit.ly/c6KJ0I

P90x – Day 77. Although this is my rest day, I did get to do some abs and practiced my free-standing push-up project.

P90x – Day 78. Was able to do plyo clap pushup for almost 10 reps. Goodbye ole regular clap pushup

P90x – Day 80. 10 more days till victory!

P90x – Day 82. Struggling today, but I’m still pushing play. Legs, Back and Ab Ripper X. Never give up!

P90x – Day 86. Now I’m in the stretch…finish line around the corner.

P90x – Day 88. Feeling gooooood today. I can smell the finish line. Dive bomber pushups does the body good.

Part I: The Politics of Food Production and Consumption

This blog post will be apart of a three part series called “What’s Eating Malik? (a spin off of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) where I will delve into a set of very important topics that have been troubling me lately. Here are the topics:

• Part I: The Politics of Food Production and Consumption (food and capitalism)
• Part II: What is the true cost of music? (education or entertainment)
• Part III: Why are our relationships so disastrous? (the human cost of ignorance)

So here goes Part I….there are 3 pieces of media/journalism that have truly transformed my awareness of the environment and my food eating habits. Animal slaughter videos from Peta.org, The Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

I just recently finished reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma which delves into the history of how fruits, vegetables have been produced, how animals are currently slaughtered and the politics behind food production. While reading this book I took down over 2 dozen interesting “factoids”. I won’t delve into ever single one, but I’ll throw out a couple.

How Super sizing was created, pg 105, 106

Kroc remained skeptical, so Wallerstein went looking for proof. He began staking out McDonald’s outlets in and around Chicago, observing how people ate. He saw customers noisily draining their sodas, and digging infinitesimal bits of salt and burnt spud out of their little bags of French fries. After Wallerstein presented his findings, Kroc released and approved supersized portions, and the dramatic spike in sales confirmed the marketer’s hunch. Deep cultural taboos against gluttony—one of the seven deadly sins, after all—had been holding us back. Wallerstein’s dubious achievement was to devise the dietary equivalent of a papal dispensation: Supersize it! He had discovered the secret to expanding the (supposedly) fixed human stomach

The taboo of “going back for seconds” was transformed into putting the second serving in one purchase. Super-sizing has been around for the last 20 years, and it has clearly shown its contributing impact on the growing waistline of America.

Marketing and shifting food eating patterns, pg 301, 302

The success of food marketers in exploiting shifting eating patterns and nutritional fashions has a steep cost. Getting us to change how we eat over and over again tens to undermine the various social structures that surround and steady our eating, institutions like the family dinner, for example, or taboos on snacking between meals and eating alone. In their relentless pursuit of new markets, food companies (with some crucial help from the microwave oven, which made “cooking” something even small children could do) have broken Mom’s hold over the American menu by marketing to every conceivable demographic—and especially to children.

A vice president of marketing at General Mills once painted for me a picture of the state of the American family dinner, courtesy of video cameras that the company’s consulting anthropologists paid families to let them install in the ceiling above the kitchen and dining room tables. Mom, perhaps feeling sentimental about the dinners of her childhood, still prepares a dish and a salad that she usually winds up eating by herself. Meanwhile, the kids, and Dad, too, if he’s around, each fix something different for themselves, because Dad’s on a low-carb diet, the teenager’s become a vegetarian, and the eight-year old is on a strict ration of pizza that the shrink says it’s best to indulge (lest she develop eating disorders later on in life). So over the course of a half hour or so each family member roams into the kitchen, removes a singe-portion entrée from the freezer, and zaps it in the microwave. (Many of these entrees have been helpfully designed to be safely cooked by an eight year-old.) After the sound of the beep each diner brings his microwaveable dish to the dining room table, where he or she may or may not cross paths with another family member at the table for a few minutes. Families who eat this way are among the 47 percent of Americans who report to pollsters that they still sit down to a family meal every night.

Another world changing figure is Fritz Haber. Donned as the “Father of Chemical Warfare” this man is responsible for food production (fertilizer, Haber-Bosch process) and the creation of the chemical Zyclon-B, the gas used in Hitler’s concentration camp. The Haber-Bosch process was a milestone in industrial chemistry, because it divorced the production of nitrogen products, such as fertilizer, explosives and chemical feedstocks, from natural deposits, especially sodium nitrate (caliche), of which Chile was a major (and almost only) producer. The sudden availability of cheap nitrogenous fertilizer is credited with averting a Malthusian catastrophe, or population crisis. (Wiki)

So what does Fritz Haber’s fixing nitrogen and how super-sizing was created have to do with each other? Well..actually…nothing. There just two pieces of random information but what is more important, is understanding how our food is created and why we eat the way we do. How many of you know the organic “pasture rule” by the USDA basically states that as long as an animal “has access to a pasture”, a farmer has the right to label their product organic. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to give an animal access to a pasture. The USDA has yet to provide the specific minimum grazing standards. Obviously this would give non-organic producing farms a huge loophole in getting the organic label, hence putting pressure on certified organic food producers. That’s like me owning an apartment and stating to my residents that we have “running water” but when you go to the apartment I have a bucket of water outside of your door.

The government gives huge subsidies to non-organic producing farmers which is why organic food tends to be more expensive. The food in the supermarket is riddled with pesticides, our meat pumped with hormones, not to mention the further synthetic nature of how or food is created. As a nation, we eat way too much meat, fried food, sugary foods, very little fruits and vegetables. By just changing our food habits we could change the environment dramatically, our health, and, yes our carbon footprint. If you want to know how, read the book.

1. Seek out reputable organic farmers in your area. The more food you buy from them, the less money your local supermarket will make, hence driving down the price that the small farmer will charge. That will put more pressure on the supermarkets to buy more certified organic fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to start with everything. Just start with one or a couple food items like tomatoes or bananas. Trust me, when the supermarket realizes that no one is buying their fruit and vegetables, they will catch on. Obviously this applies if you can afford it, but it’s not as expensive as you think. Here is a great website: Local Harvest; http://www.localharvest.org/ which allows you to search local farmers by zipcode.
2. Frequent the Organic Gardening website, http://www.organicgardening.com or subscribe to their magazine. They have a lot of information that will show you how to grow your own food garden.
3. >Grow your own food. This is already happening in many major cities. Check out this site: http://www.urbanfarming.org/ and contact them for more information. Or check out this site: http://www.verdant.net/food.htm I’m actually considering creating a hydroponics food and vegetable garden with a couple of friends. I’m researching the costs.

I really hate using this term, but “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and neither will our dependence on infected food. A little bit here and there, will eventually become a movement and we can send a message to the USDA, supermarkets, and our family that we are serious about our health and organic food can become the norm, instead of the exception. For the record I’m not against capitalism, but I’m against division of labor practices that undermine the health of the public. There must be accountability and responsibility in how our food is produced.

1. The Cultural Contradictions Of Capitalism: 20th Anniversary Edition by Daniel Bell
2. Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
3. Rozin, Paul. “The Selection of Foods by Rats, Humans, and Other Animals.” In Advances in the Study of Behavior, edited by J. S. Rosenblatt, R. A. Hinde, E. Shaw, and C. Beer. Vol. 6. New York: Academic Press, 1976. Description of specific hungers.
4. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
5. Citizen-Activist’s Anti-Consumerism Website http://www.verdant.net/
6. Locally Grown food delivery service in San Fran http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/dining/22local.html
7. Future of Food: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/380.html