The Beginning- Quarterly Report

When I started this blog in the beginning I made a few [overly-ambitious?] promises that I wanted to update you on.  

#1 Pledging to buy only sustainable meat, B-.  Technically I could call this a win.  After all, for meat I'm cooking with, I've gone 100% sustainable.  Some parts were hard, such as  staring at the Monterey Aquarium seafood guide for each and every seafood choice (often so confusing I have to leave it for another day so I can cross reference the internet).  Some parts easy, such as with beef/lamb/goat because the CSA provides plenty.  We actually have leftovers from month to month!  But technicalities aside, I have to admit I cheat when dining out.  Popeye's Tuesday $.99 for 2 pieces deal still slips into my diet about once a month and I can't deny my popularity.  As for the temptress bacon, there has been some clever accounting where I'll host a eating-party and keep leftover bacon that somebody else has bought (this happened once, maybe twice).  Tsk, tsk.

On the other hand, there has been so much real improvement.  On Monday I inadvertently made a recipe from a vegetarian cookbook for rice and beans.  Certainly the pre-sustainable cow me (the mad cow me, if you will) would have recoiled in disgust.  Instead, I added a serving of beef, home-made tortillas, and wished for more vegetables (we had missed the farmer's market that week).  And when I say serving, I mean the USDA serving size, a mere 5 ounces.  I can distinctly remember scoffing at the equivalent visual (a deck of cards) in college.  These days it's totally natural.  I can even spend lunches without meat, without a problem.  Life is all about progress.  

#2 Seriously scrutinizing labor concerns of purchases, A.  This one was new but has been relatively easy.  Like I mentioned during my shameless plug for Rainbow Grocery, I loved that they paid their staff a living wage.  Marin Sun Farms is a small family farm.  I talk to the farmer's I buy from at the farmer's market (although admittedly, I mainly just ask for prices).  Even Costco has amazing labor practices, their cashiers get paid over $20/hr.  If I can't find a place where I trust their labor standards, I don't go in.  Sometimes this means waiting for the next farmer's market, but most times, I've planned better than that.

As for non-consumable purchases, well, my big purchase in 2 months was $11.91 in computer parts.  After that, another $18.39 for Aviator sunglasses, the only non-consumable part of our Valentine's Day extravaganza.  It was definitely out of convenience too, Pumpkin had forgotten her already old and beat up sunglasses and we were due for a lot of biking that weekend.  And I suppose it doesn't hurt that I find Aviators hot.  

#3 Pledge to take public transit/carpool/bike, A-.  This one was old and easy to continue. The more I bike, the more routes I discover and the more I remember where the hills are.  Google Maps now provides a bike routes.   Amar does it with grade, in the city.  Livestrong with a point and click style route planner, elevation, and time estimate.  And calories too, if that's your thing.  Public transit, whether Caltrain, VTA or MUNI provides an excellent supplement.  As does carpooling!  Even I was surprised that I could minimize my driving down even more.  I literally can't remember the last time I drove alone.  I can remember my last carpool though!

#4 Eliminate waste from my life, A.  This mandate suffers from vagueness but I'm calling this one a victory too.  From reducing water waste to eliminating food waste, this one is my favorite (and probably Pumpkin's bane).  What can I say, I love efficiency =).