Hey from the road...
We've been on the road 6 days, counting our two nights in DC, and I don't have much to show for it, blogging wise. Going off road for photos is out of the question, we have too many miles to cover, and my fantasy of pulling to the side of the highway to snap shots turned out to be a suicide mission. Likewise my vision of us dining in little regional restaurants every night and getting a taste of the local cuisine didn't quite materialize. But did you know that McDonald's now has a Double Filet-o-Fish?
The most important food-related revelation of the trip came during the long flat drives through Ohio, Iowa and Nebraska. It was about cows. And beef. It's calving season and I entertained myself for many miles looking at the herds of jet black cows grazing in the rolling fields, surrounded by little black specks sitting in the grass around their mothers.
Then we started passing the endless stockyards of Nebraska and I started to feel bad about my pathetic half-hearted dalliance with not eating beef over the years. I'm taking advantage of the drive to formulate my thoughts. I think I'm going to give up beef and chicken unless I know it's humanely raised. I'll have to consult Michael Pollan on the details of it all when I get to Los Angeles.
The scenery got good the moment we crossed into Colorado. Tonight we're in Vail, taking advantage of off-season rates at The Lodge at Vail. 75% of the town is shut down during the between-season lull, so we had no choice but to treat ourselves after a string of roadside motels. I'm looking out at snow capped peaks and a puff of steam rising out of the hot tub just outside the sliding glass doors of our room...
In case I sounded a little too precious about the cows, just thought I should share with you what I ordered at the Lodge's restaurant last night. A burger. Medium well. I still have a lot of thinking to do.
Have done the cross country. Vail is exquisite after all the miles of cornfields. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteNice post - love your thoughts and the way you express them. Glad the travels are going well. Used to live in Denver - the mountains are great :) McDonald's? Had to laugh at that one.
ReplyDeleteVery cool photo of burgers...I mean cows! My first job out of college was for Vail Associates. I think they called this "Mud Month"...I'm sure it's very quiet, but very pretty.
ReplyDeletehope you're having a lovely time! I'm never going to eat meat again - those cows are just too gorgeous!!!!
ReplyDeleteMary x
Hi Sue! I know it's so hard to eat meat after seeing photos of those adorable cows. I am torn all the time but I do buy only humanely raised, free-range and organic beef when we do eat beef. I can't get away from it as my daughter is a meat lover.
ReplyDeleteSo funny reading your post as I posted my first steak recipe ever. I am not a fan of meat photos so I almost didn't post it, but I had some friends begging for the recipe so I went ahead and posted it. We gotta do what we gotta do sometimes.
I've made that same drive before. If you come back through Kansas, let me know and perhaps I can treat you to a meal in Topeka, which is right on I-70! My family raised beef cattle in Missouri, and another benefit to buying "happy" beef is it tastes better! I've been buying mine at the farmer's market lately, where I can ask all kinds of questions about where the meet came from.
ReplyDeleteThat photo of those black cows in that green, green grass is really nice. I make the big vote for humanly raised. I grew up on a farm/ranch in Kansas where that was exactly the case. I just don't think I could do without a hamburger, so probably will never give up beef. I buy from farmer's markets and a local provider where questions can be asked. Enjoy our beautiful state. I'm looking out my bedroom window at those same peaks as I type, and never get tired of those beautiful Rocky Mountains.
ReplyDeleteSue, your post made me smile. I'm so glad you got to stop in Vail. It makes the long trip a bit easier to handle. Stay safe. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteGood for you for considering - and hopefully enacting - more humane eating choices. It's impossible to even put into words the torture that most animals humans eat are put through. If you need motivation, go watch videos on PETA's website or elsewhere on the web. It's not editorialized. It's real, truthful footage taken from cow and chicken "farms", egg factories, etc.
ReplyDelete6 days.. oh almost there.. lol, mcdoanld's
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine driving for 6 days!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about humanely grown food. my husband says I'll only eat meat if I know the name of the animal. I cook organic, free range meat and only buy MSC fish and seafood, which means that here in England I tend to eat vegetarian food when I'm in restaurants. In Brittany I do eat fish as it is all locally caught and bought from the local fish markets.
I'm glad your journey is going well, the cows look so sweet.
Your photo of the mamma and baby cow is stunning! I know what you mean about humanely raised - I've been doing that with chicken for a few years, it hadn't occurred to me about beef - I guess I have this image of them roaming freely on the range . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, just so you know - McDonalds uses "pink slime" . . . just found that out last week! My husband and I were going to order a burger for our little road trip . . . so I asked and they said they do. Needless to say, we left. Wendy's does not use "pink slime."
Looks like you found great accommodations! I'll bet that hot tub was wonderful!
Travel safely!
I imagine that Vail is pretty much a bit of paradise for you right now. Praying the rest of your trip is perfectly smooth and uneventful!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your concerns about the meat industry. We have made a lot of changes in our own home over the past year or two. Finding a local ranch as a source for organic grass-fed beef has eased my mind a lot. Good luck with your decisions. It's not easy to make those changes.
What a cutie of a calf! Lovely to read you, even if there are no recipes to show! Have a safe rest of the trip!
ReplyDeleteI went vegetarian for this very reason. Once I learned what really happened in factory farms, I couldn't bear the thought of it. I read more and more and it affirmed my decision. We have such a disconnect today from our food. Giving thought to how it appears on in our supermarkets and on our plate is life changing.
ReplyDeleteI went vegetarian for this very reason. Once I learned what really happened in factory farms, I couldn't bear the thought of it. I read more and more and it affirmed my decision. We have such a disconnect today from our food. Giving thought to how it appears on in our supermarkets and on our plate is life changing.
ReplyDeleteDey Dey's Beef is a family run ranch out of the Santa Barbara area that has a truck at the Studio City Farmer's market on most Sundays. They have grass fed, grass finished beef and hold an open house once a year.
ReplyDeleteTheir chicken is the best around as well, a side project by the owner's son.