I love me some "Family Guy." Besides being just funny, it has plenty of social commentary and satire, which I feel is generally on-point. I don't agree with 100% of what Seth McFarlane says with the show...But maybe 99%. And the fact that he makes equal fun of everyone is a plus.
But episode 2 from the current season (9, by the way) had something that made me a little sad. Take a look (starting at 16:05, ending with the scene change):
Since when is American stuff this crappy? I'll admit - I haven't bought a lot of American gadgets because I just don't have the budget, but I've never run into this problem with what products I or others have bought. I think that the most disappointing thing about it was that it'll only discourage people from buying domestic products, which in the end is worse for the economy, the environment, and human rights. My hatred of anything made in China is pretty well documented, so I'll admit I'd have found this fair if the scene was about Chinese products, but what was the last time you heard about an American toy manufacturer putting lead in their toys? Or putting contaminated ingredients in pet food? Or killing over 6000 infants by contiminating formula in order to make it appear to have a high protein content?
I rest my case.
It's just so frustrating to see American products lambasted unfairly in such a popular medium, and in one of the more popular venues of that medium. If there is a problem with American products that I haven't noticed, I hope that "Family Guy" will spur a change; but even if it does, it might still hurt the market - it doesn't matter how good your product is if no one's buying it.
Then again, considering how China has proven time and time again that if you build it cheaply, they will come (even if it kills them), maybe I'm worrying over nothing.
Showing posts with label fun times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun times. Show all posts
October 10, 2010
September 22, 2010
My White Powder of Choice
Do you remember when we were kids, and we were always asked what our favorite things were? Favorite color (green, by the way), favorite food (maguro-don), favorite animal (Ebola virus; unless you point out that viruses aren't strictly "alive," in which case gut flora; unless you point out that bacteria aren't even in the same taxonomic domain as animals, in which case baby ducks, I guess). But no one ever asked you what your favorite chemical was, did they? Well, in my quest to Be Prepared For Things That Will Never Happen, I've chosen a favorite chemical: sodium bicarbonate. That's right, I <3 BAKING SODA.
Although it's closely followed by salt (I mean, seriously, even disregarding it's flavoring qualities, how can you NOT like salt?!), baking soda takes the cake just because it's so useful that I don't quite know what I'd do without it.
Now, understand, I'm a hippie at heart. I recycle copiously, prefer local organic food, use cloth diapers on my baby, and highly value peace, love, and understanding. Okay, so that doesn't make me sound so much like a hippie as a yuppie, but the hippie cred really shines through when it comes to personal hygiene. Enter baking soda. I wash my hair with baking soda. I use baking soda as deodorant. I brush my teeth with baking soda and salt (see - salt!). And I'm prepping to move to toilet cloth (also know as the "family cloth," which term always makes me puke a little inside), which doesn't so much have to do with baking soda as it does with my hippie cred.
...
Moving along.
Baking soda is incredible. It deodorizes. It cleans. It polishes. It's non-toxic and EDIBLE for God's sake. What more could you want out of any given chemical, let alone those in your house? Besides being part of my current plans, it's also part of a lot of my future plans: homemade laundry soap, homemade dish soap, homemade carpet deodorizer, homemade facial exfoliant...
And it's made in New Jersey. Could this stuff possibly be any better?!
Although it's closely followed by salt (I mean, seriously, even disregarding it's flavoring qualities, how can you NOT like salt?!), baking soda takes the cake just because it's so useful that I don't quite know what I'd do without it.
Now, understand, I'm a hippie at heart. I recycle copiously, prefer local organic food, use cloth diapers on my baby, and highly value peace, love, and understanding. Okay, so that doesn't make me sound so much like a hippie as a yuppie, but the hippie cred really shines through when it comes to personal hygiene. Enter baking soda. I wash my hair with baking soda. I use baking soda as deodorant. I brush my teeth with baking soda and salt (see - salt!). And I'm prepping to move to toilet cloth (also know as the "family cloth," which term always makes me puke a little inside), which doesn't so much have to do with baking soda as it does with my hippie cred.
...
Moving along.
Baking soda is incredible. It deodorizes. It cleans. It polishes. It's non-toxic and EDIBLE for God's sake. What more could you want out of any given chemical, let alone those in your house? Besides being part of my current plans, it's also part of a lot of my future plans: homemade laundry soap, homemade dish soap, homemade carpet deodorizer, homemade facial exfoliant...
And it's made in New Jersey. Could this stuff possibly be any better?!
September 17, 2010
Back from the Dead
It's been a crazy couple of months.
My last post was in May. Since then we moved, had a baby, had our year anniversary, had my twenty-seventh birthday, started a business... Yikes. I'll admit that (especially after the baby) I fell off the wagon while I was gone. Who knows where the stuff I've been buying comes from? But it's time for that lack of knowledge to come to an end. More specifically, it's time to figure out where it comes from, then start buying only American once again. I've been told that (especially with the baby) it'll be hard, but this is something I'm passionate about! So I'm making my vow once again: for a whole year, I'll only buy products made in America. I'm doing this for the economy; I'm doing it for the environment; I'm doing it for the knowledge that what I'm buying could not have been made in a sweatshop, or with slave labor, or contain substances that are blatantly harmful to human life. (I'm looking at you China, and your pile of lead-painted toys!)
Wish me luck!
My last post was in May. Since then we moved, had a baby, had our year anniversary, had my twenty-seventh birthday, started a business... Yikes. I'll admit that (especially after the baby) I fell off the wagon while I was gone. Who knows where the stuff I've been buying comes from? But it's time for that lack of knowledge to come to an end. More specifically, it's time to figure out where it comes from, then start buying only American once again. I've been told that (especially with the baby) it'll be hard, but this is something I'm passionate about! So I'm making my vow once again: for a whole year, I'll only buy products made in America. I'm doing this for the economy; I'm doing it for the environment; I'm doing it for the knowledge that what I'm buying could not have been made in a sweatshop, or with slave labor, or contain substances that are blatantly harmful to human life. (I'm looking at you China, and your pile of lead-painted toys!)
Wish me luck!
April 24, 2010
Soap! and other Saturday Market Adventures
Another Saturday, another trip to Saturday Market.
We've been eating the eggs we got last week like crazy, so we had to pick up a few more. They're from La Terra Vita, if anyone's curious, which has impressive organic credentials that you can read about on their website. Besides the eggs being yummy, Shannon ans I always look forward to seeing Art at the market, because he has such a gentle nature that it's just easy to interact with him.
Also, we were running low on soap, so we got a bar from the S.L.A.B. stand!
I've been wanting to try out their soap for a long time now, but haven't really had an excuse to go buy any. (I use soap that people give me for Christmas and birthdays; I do not avoid using soap, because that would be gross. And it's saved me from buying soap almost my whole life out of my parents house - so there!) I forgot to ask where they get their oils, but it's fun to think that my soap was just made downtown. And the smell! I wish I could transmit it over the internet. Since the soap's going in Shannon's bathroom, he picked the scent: Plumeria. It's such a gorgeous scent I'm tempted to swap with the non-anti-bacterial soap from Bath and Body Works that Megan gave me the other day. It smells great too, but more manly - so Shannon should take it so I can wash with the yummy-smelling Plumeria!
Maybe I'll just start using his bathroom instead.
I was thinking again today about how lucky we are to live in the Valley. Besides that it's a great place to grow just about anything that CAN grow, the people here have really high standards for the things they buy, and it's easy for us to find things that aren't just domestically produced, but locally grown, raised, or made, and usually from low-impact, recycled, or organic materials. I mean, I started this venture for the economy, but the more I think about it, I'm probably doing more good to the environment. My soap probably spent 2 minutes driving to Saturday Market (and if I'd bought from the S.L.A.B. storefront, it wouldn't even have had that), and was made in a location in town, without weird chemicals; the eggs had to come in from Scio (about 25 miles away) but are also from hens that aren't being fed bizarre animal bi-products or being treated with antibiotics; the apples I bought the other day were grown about an hour and a half or two hours away instead of being flown in from New Zealand... It's a win-win all the way around.
We've been eating the eggs we got last week like crazy, so we had to pick up a few more. They're from La Terra Vita, if anyone's curious, which has impressive organic credentials that you can read about on their website. Besides the eggs being yummy, Shannon ans I always look forward to seeing Art at the market, because he has such a gentle nature that it's just easy to interact with him.
Also, we were running low on soap, so we got a bar from the S.L.A.B. stand!
I've been wanting to try out their soap for a long time now, but haven't really had an excuse to go buy any. (I use soap that people give me for Christmas and birthdays; I do not avoid using soap, because that would be gross. And it's saved me from buying soap almost my whole life out of my parents house - so there!) I forgot to ask where they get their oils, but it's fun to think that my soap was just made downtown. And the smell! I wish I could transmit it over the internet. Since the soap's going in Shannon's bathroom, he picked the scent: Plumeria. It's such a gorgeous scent I'm tempted to swap with the non-anti-bacterial soap from Bath and Body Works that Megan gave me the other day. It smells great too, but more manly - so Shannon should take it so I can wash with the yummy-smelling Plumeria!
Maybe I'll just start using his bathroom instead.
I was thinking again today about how lucky we are to live in the Valley. Besides that it's a great place to grow just about anything that CAN grow, the people here have really high standards for the things they buy, and it's easy for us to find things that aren't just domestically produced, but locally grown, raised, or made, and usually from low-impact, recycled, or organic materials. I mean, I started this venture for the economy, but the more I think about it, I'm probably doing more good to the environment. My soap probably spent 2 minutes driving to Saturday Market (and if I'd bought from the S.L.A.B. storefront, it wouldn't even have had that), and was made in a location in town, without weird chemicals; the eggs had to come in from Scio (about 25 miles away) but are also from hens that aren't being fed bizarre animal bi-products or being treated with antibiotics; the apples I bought the other day were grown about an hour and a half or two hours away instead of being flown in from New Zealand... It's a win-win all the way around.
April 22, 2010
Getting the Courage
A big thanks to Jodi, the Bulk Foods Manager at the Lancaster Winco, for making this post possible.
We finally have flour and sugar again!
Shannon and I went shopping just the other day to pick up a couple very basic supplies (really, who runs out of flour and sugar AT THE SAME TIME?) and discovered that if you ask the Winco people where the bulk food comes from.... THEY CAN TELL YOU.
Yes, I realize how idiotic I sound right now. It should be patently obvious that they'd be able to tell you. The country of origin has to be marked somewhere on the packaging, right? (Well, mostly.) And if the packaging isn't right in your face, it has to be in the back, right? (One would hope.) And if the packaging is in the back, who better to read it for you than the people who work at the store and are allowed to go in the back?
Still, I'm a shy person, and it was hard for me to just go up and ask "Hi! Where's your sugar from?!"
So in the end, I made Shannon do it. He's much better at these things than me.
Turns out our flour comes from Idaho (thanks, Loren and Mindy!), and our sugar comes from sugar beets from Goergia. Sweet!
We also went to the veggie store today during lunch to pick up some fruit. I was excited about getting another pineapple, but the ones they have now are from Costa Rica.
Sad. Days.
The mangos are also still from Mexico, the and the kiwis, grapes, and just about everything else was from Chile. Lame! In the end we grabbed some avocados (yay California!) and went to the checkout. While we were there I took a deep breath and asked the man where their apples come from. And you know what he said? You know what he said?! "Washington and Hood River!" And I was super happy, because I wanted something other than avocados to come home with me. And then he walked out from behind the counter and took us out to the apples and looked at every single kind they had and told me where each one came from, and then did the same thing for the pears, and then cut off a piece of Fuji apple for me to taste, and it was so good I grabbed four and added them to my avocaodos. And while we were checking out we talked about the different kinds of apples, and where most apples come from, and he mentioned Argentina and New Zealand are starting to ship (so I'll have to watch out), and we packed everything into our little bag and I went away much happier than I would have if he wasn't so awesome.
So this just goes to show, boys and girls - ask and you shall receive! :D
We finally have flour and sugar again!
Shannon and I went shopping just the other day to pick up a couple very basic supplies (really, who runs out of flour and sugar AT THE SAME TIME?) and discovered that if you ask the Winco people where the bulk food comes from.... THEY CAN TELL YOU.
Yes, I realize how idiotic I sound right now. It should be patently obvious that they'd be able to tell you. The country of origin has to be marked somewhere on the packaging, right? (Well, mostly.) And if the packaging isn't right in your face, it has to be in the back, right? (One would hope.) And if the packaging is in the back, who better to read it for you than the people who work at the store and are allowed to go in the back?
Still, I'm a shy person, and it was hard for me to just go up and ask "Hi! Where's your sugar from?!"
So in the end, I made Shannon do it. He's much better at these things than me.
Turns out our flour comes from Idaho (thanks, Loren and Mindy!), and our sugar comes from sugar beets from Goergia. Sweet!
We also went to the veggie store today during lunch to pick up some fruit. I was excited about getting another pineapple, but the ones they have now are from Costa Rica.
Sad. Days.
The mangos are also still from Mexico, the and the kiwis, grapes, and just about everything else was from Chile. Lame! In the end we grabbed some avocados (yay California!) and went to the checkout. While we were there I took a deep breath and asked the man where their apples come from. And you know what he said? You know what he said?! "Washington and Hood River!" And I was super happy, because I wanted something other than avocados to come home with me. And then he walked out from behind the counter and took us out to the apples and looked at every single kind they had and told me where each one came from, and then did the same thing for the pears, and then cut off a piece of Fuji apple for me to taste, and it was so good I grabbed four and added them to my avocaodos. And while we were checking out we talked about the different kinds of apples, and where most apples come from, and he mentioned Argentina and New Zealand are starting to ship (so I'll have to watch out), and we packed everything into our little bag and I went away much happier than I would have if he wasn't so awesome.
So this just goes to show, boys and girls - ask and you shall receive! :D
April 16, 2010
Starbucks and Free Coffee!
That's right, yesterday Starbucks was giving away free coffee for anyone that brought in a travel mug.
Question of the day: if I get something for free, does it have to made in America? Or does free stuff fall under the "Goodwil principle?"
Question of the day: if I get something for free, does it have to made in America? Or does free stuff fall under the "Goodwil principle?"
April 12, 2010
Weekend Recap
I had the perfect balance of busy and relaxing this weekend: Shannon's sister had her baby shower on Saturday, and it was good to see his family again; then on Sunday, Shannon and I relaxed at home.
Stuff bought: a box of lemon sorbet cups from the Dollar Tree, burger and fries for each of us and a beer for Shannon at Golden Valley Brewery in McMinnville, a bottle of Squirt, and a bottle of Langers Cran-Ras juice.
The Dollar Tree surprised me. We went in to buy supplies for the baby shower, but everything was made in China. In the end, Shannon remembered that they carry these yummy lemon sorbet cups that I really like, and we found that they're (surprisingly) made in America. Sweet!
I was happy about dinner at the pub - the menu showed that they're ingredients are local (thank you, Oregon!) and since it's a brewery, we knew that the beer came from the pub itself. Come to think of it, I'm a little curious where they got their ingredients for the beer...But I'll track that down later.
The annoying thing about the weekend was, oddly enough, the juice buying. Shannon and I had decided to go on a drive to break up the monotony of the day, and before leaving grabbed some drinkage. I made a beeline for the juice and tea.
Ocean Spray: no country of origin labeling
Lipton: no country of origin labeling
Tazo: MADE IN THE U.S.A!
I grabbed a bottle of Brambleberry and took a closer look, reveling in the little "Made in the U.S.A." marking.
At which point I noticed it also said: "from imported ingredients."
Damn it, Tazo! Why do you have to be so scrupulously honest?
I consoled myself by looking at the ingredient list, where I knew I'd find "pure cane sugar" as the number two ingredient, which it was. (I hate drinking teas that are full of sugar, a shoe that Tazo sadly fits entirely too well.) In the end I grabbed a bottle of Langers Cran-Ras juice and went back to the car.
Where I discovered that it's second ingredient is sugar as well.
I'm wondering now if I shouldn't have bought Tazo instead. After all, at least they were honest enough to mention that their ingredients may be imported.
Any opinions on this? And does anyone know where I can get American made juice and tea without a ton of sugar?
UPDATE: I looked into Ocean Spray, but couldn't find anything about where they source their ingredients. I did, however, find the MSDS for their cranberry puree. *nerdglee*
Stuff bought: a box of lemon sorbet cups from the Dollar Tree, burger and fries for each of us and a beer for Shannon at Golden Valley Brewery in McMinnville, a bottle of Squirt, and a bottle of Langers Cran-Ras juice.
The Dollar Tree surprised me. We went in to buy supplies for the baby shower, but everything was made in China. In the end, Shannon remembered that they carry these yummy lemon sorbet cups that I really like, and we found that they're (surprisingly) made in America. Sweet!
I was happy about dinner at the pub - the menu showed that they're ingredients are local (thank you, Oregon!) and since it's a brewery, we knew that the beer came from the pub itself. Come to think of it, I'm a little curious where they got their ingredients for the beer...But I'll track that down later.
The annoying thing about the weekend was, oddly enough, the juice buying. Shannon and I had decided to go on a drive to break up the monotony of the day, and before leaving grabbed some drinkage. I made a beeline for the juice and tea.
Ocean Spray: no country of origin labeling
Lipton: no country of origin labeling
Tazo: MADE IN THE U.S.A!
I grabbed a bottle of Brambleberry and took a closer look, reveling in the little "Made in the U.S.A." marking.
At which point I noticed it also said: "from imported ingredients."
Damn it, Tazo! Why do you have to be so scrupulously honest?
I consoled myself by looking at the ingredient list, where I knew I'd find "pure cane sugar" as the number two ingredient, which it was. (I hate drinking teas that are full of sugar, a shoe that Tazo sadly fits entirely too well.) In the end I grabbed a bottle of Langers Cran-Ras juice and went back to the car.
Where I discovered that it's second ingredient is sugar as well.
I'm wondering now if I shouldn't have bought Tazo instead. After all, at least they were honest enough to mention that their ingredients may be imported.
Any opinions on this? And does anyone know where I can get American made juice and tea without a ton of sugar?
UPDATE: I looked into Ocean Spray, but couldn't find anything about where they source their ingredients. I did, however, find the MSDS for their cranberry puree. *nerdglee*
April 09, 2010
Chinese-Swedish-American Candles
The baby shower is tomorrow, so I went out to buy a few last things for presents.
Okay, I'll admit it. I bought them at Goodwill. (It's so cheap and so good - you can't NOT find awesome stuff there!)
Goodwill I think is particularly interesting because - in my opinion, at least - the origin of the things you buy there doesn't really matter. The profit to the manufacturer has already been made; Goodwill takes items for free that have already made their impact on the economy then collects 100% of the profit from selling them, thereby supporting the local economy at 100%.
Take for example, the candles I bought: distributed by Ikea (a Swedish company) and made in China. But totally okay for my conscience, because I'm buying it at Goodwill.
In other news, if I by a product made in China by a Swedish company from an American store, does that create some kind of bizarre paradox?
Okay, I'll admit it. I bought them at Goodwill. (It's so cheap and so good - you can't NOT find awesome stuff there!)
Goodwill I think is particularly interesting because - in my opinion, at least - the origin of the things you buy there doesn't really matter. The profit to the manufacturer has already been made; Goodwill takes items for free that have already made their impact on the economy then collects 100% of the profit from selling them, thereby supporting the local economy at 100%.
Take for example, the candles I bought: distributed by Ikea (a Swedish company) and made in China. But totally okay for my conscience, because I'm buying it at Goodwill.
In other news, if I by a product made in China by a Swedish company from an American store, does that create some kind of bizarre paradox?
April 08, 2010
Delicious pop
In order to quell Shannon's desire for pop, we decided a few months ago that instead of buying pop (which is pretty expensive), we should instead buy the Torani or DaVinci syrups and mix them into soda water. I'm happy to say that both DaVinci and Torani are made in the U.S! As for the soda water....we bought Shasta. I've looked into it and they're clearly an American company, but I can't figure out if their soda water is actually MADE in America. My best guess so far is that it's bottled in Texas, but that's it. Anyone have any suggestions? (Before you even try, the Shasta website is a waste of time.)
Oh, and before I forget, I for one am happy with the results. As a matter of fact, I recommend it! (Assuming Shasta is made in the US.)
Oh, and before I forget, I for one am happy with the results. As a matter of fact, I recommend it! (Assuming Shasta is made in the US.)
April 04, 2010
End of the day
Shannon and I wound up going to Prudence Uncorked for drinks after we had dinner. It was fun - we got to see Scott, the great and magnificent, who made me the best virgin margaritas that have ever existed, and discussed some of my ideas for the blog with us. He also has no idea on our conundrums. If anyone wants to hazard an opinion on those, I'd love to hear them!
There was a great looking cheese platter with all local cheese, as well as apples and nuts from a source Scott wasn't sure about. Sadly, we were pretty sure that, given the season, they were likely from the southern hemisphere, so I didn't order. I really wanted the cheese, but what's the point of getting cheese without something to taste it with?
There was a great looking cheese platter with all local cheese, as well as apples and nuts from a source Scott wasn't sure about. Sadly, we were pretty sure that, given the season, they were likely from the southern hemisphere, so I didn't order. I really wanted the cheese, but what's the point of getting cheese without something to taste it with?
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