The Rising Cost of Food

22 04 2008

We’ve all heard the stories in the news about how gas prices are driving up the cost of food.

“Our distributors have to ship all the products to our food and distribution centers, so they tack on surcharges,” (Jeff) Rinke (of Hungry Howei’s Pizza)  said. “We, in turn, have to pass those costs along and down the line to our franchisees, and then ultimately to our customers.”

He said the Madison Heights-based chain has cut back on discounts it typically offers through coupons and promotions. Franchisees have raised the typical customer delivery charge from about $2 to about $3 so they can reimburse drivers for their fuel costs.

And it’s no better at the grocery store.

The latest data show cereal prices rising by more than 8% a year. Both flour and rice are up more than 13%. Milk, cheese, bananas and even peanut butter: They’re all up by more than 10%. Eggs have rocketed up 30% in a year. Ground beef prices are up 4.8% and chicken by 5.4%.

So I found it interesting last night when I saw a farmer on WLAJ defending himself.

One area that most families notice right away is the cost of millk. We went to a local mid-michigan dairy farm, where they want consumers to know, don’t blame the dairy famers because they are not reaping the benefit of the rising prices

“It upsets me because this is a 24 hour 7 day a week job, business, lifestyle,” says Nathan Brearly of Brearley Farms in Lake Odessa.  “I want to produce the best quality product for the consumer at the most reasonable price.” 

You can’t blame the farmers.  They’re doing everything they can to feed their families.  The myth of Ethanol is taking valuable corn away from farmers that should be used for feed and not a fuel that costs more to produce than gasoline and gets worse gas mileage.  Unfortunately, there’s nothing we as consumers can do.  We need to eat. 


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Categories : Agriculture, Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Can you survive on $1 a day?

22 04 2008

That’s what one woman in Grand Rapids is trying to do.

If a field of dandelions sprouts in your yard over the next few weeks, you might want to call Maria Gajewski. She has scaled back her food budget this month — to $30.

She will be foraging for edible plants, working on the family farm for payment in eggs and eating lots of brown rice and lentils, all to call attention to the hardship of eating nutritiously on a limited budget.

The remainder of the approximately $250 she usually spends on food and beverage for 30 days will go to her favorite nonprofit: Blandford Nature Center & Mixed Greens in Grand Rapids.

Is it possible to only spend $1 a day and forage for food?  For me, no freakin way, but for Maria, a vegetarian, that’s the challenge.  She started on April 9 and will go 30 days without spending more than $30.  According to her blog, Rice, Beans and Mixed Greens it hasn’t been easy.

was pretty ugly for a while.I REALLY wanted to quit this whole project, but I’m sticking in there. Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement. Without all of you, I don’t think I’d make it.

This whole experiment is for charity.  Maria is donating the other $220 she would normaly spend on food to Blandford Nature Center and Mixed Greens.  Along the way, she’s hoping to get others to eat for just $1 a day and donate the rest of the money they would normally spend on that day to the same cause.

You can follow Maria’s progress on her blog Rice, Beans, & Mixed Greens.  The challenge ends May 10.


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Categories : Food News, Grand Rapids, Lansing

Reusable Grocery Bags

21 04 2008

Today is just a good day for food related news in the MSM (main-stream media).  My girlfriend pointed out this article in City Pulse.

Last Friday, beginning at about 10 a.m., I elbowed aside a couple of retirees settled onto a bench at the West Saginaw Meijer and watched the shoppers go by. It took all of six minutes for the first 100 bags to fly off their metal T-frames and hitch a cart ride out the door.

Each checkout lane was a little Ellis Island for bags. Welcome to Lansing. Your host family will put you to work for 12 minutes (the average useful life of a plastic bag), then help you settle down in a nice landfill, tree or ditch.

It’s no secret that plastic bags litter the landscape, get into water and soil, stop up storm drains and use up petroleum. Plastic bags are more visible and numerous by far than paper bags, but paper shouldn’t get off the hook. Paper bags are a lot easier to recycle than plastic bags, but they use up trees, they’re heavier than plastic and they take more energy to make and transport.

Now ther’s an interesting take on paper or plastic.  I’ll admit, I’m bad.  I keep walking by the reusable bags at the mega-marts, but they always seem like such a hassle.  I have to remember to put them back in my truck after I use them so they are there for next time.

There are a lot of interesting facts in this article about how other countries deal with the platic bags.  All of them sound like good solutions.  I would be totally in favor of this one….

(Hugh) McDiarmid (of the Michigan Environmental Council) suggested, however, that a “takeback” program similar to the Michigan bottle deposit — and the Irish tax — might work.

“We have experience with that already,” McDiarmid said. “The bottle bill turned out to work fairly well.” Terry Link, head of MSU’s Office of Campus Sustainability, also saw an affinity between the two issues. “What really helped that bottle bill pass is, people were tired of the litter,” Link said. “And it’s the litter part that’s driving everybody nuts now. You see it on the beaches, the roadways — it blows everywhere.”

Before moving to Michigan a few weeks ago, I had no idea why all my Pepsi had deposit prices on them.  The first time I went to Meijer I couldn’t figure out why people were taking trash into the store.  Then I saw the machines to deposit bottles…then I noticed the other day on a reciept that there’s $.10 added to the purchase price of every pop I get.  I think maybe I’ll start saving those bottles now.

Not everyone thinks we should get rid of plastic grocery bags.  The companies that make them have formed the Progressive Bag Alliance to lobby for alternatives to outlawing the bags.  Of course, they have an agenda though, so does their opinion really count?

San Francisco, CA became the first city to outright ban plastic bags on March 27, 2007.  Just across the bay, the City of Oakland, CA followed suit shortly after.  In July of 2007, the California State Legislature enacted AB 2449 requiring all large supermarkets to offer recycling points for customers.  So far, no other states have followed suit.

This make you feel bad yet?  It’s ok, the City Pulse has a list of stores that offer reusable bags and the price.  Check out their article by clicking this link.  The info is at the bottom of the article.


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Categories : Food News, Grocery, Lansing, Michigan

Community Supported Agriculture

18 04 2008

When I was living in Peoria, I saw an interesting story on Community Shared Agriculture or CSA’s on the local news.

With the price of gas pushing up the cost of food all over the country and the recent contamination scares with produce grown both in the U.S. and abroad- many are turning to locally grown organic produce to insure food safety and lower prices.

We visited a farm in Congerville.

It’s called Henry’s Farm and it works like a corporation that sells its stock to its customers.

It’s a way to get locally grown organic produce and truly have a stake in what you’re feeding your family.

“We do tell them that you’re going to share like you would in a company- with certain risks and rewards and you’re part of our operation,” said Terra Brockman, Henry’s sister.

Like the article suggests, CSA’s are a way to get farm fresh produce and support local farmers.  Every farm does it differently, but the idea is the same.  The farm sells a share then every week, the “shareholders” get fresh produce that was grown on the site.  The downfall is you don’t get to choose what you get.  Whatever the farmer feels is ripe and ready to be picked is what you get.  Everyone in the group gets the same thing.  The food that is harvested that week is divided evenly among the shareholders.  Usually, you can get 13-16 weeks of food during the harvest season for right around or under $500.  Most CSA’s have pick-up points in town or at the farm itself.  Some CSA’s will require that it’s members work on the farm, but most don’t.  Something to check into before signing up.

There are risks involved.  When you buy into a CSA’s, you’re buying into all the costs associated with the farm.  The farmer determines what his costs to farm are going to be and what his salary for farming will be.  The shareholders pay that cost no matter what.

Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.

So, where can you find a CSA in Mid-Michigan? 

  • Our Farm and Dairy – 4633 Essex Center Rd., St. Johns MI 48879, (989)-224-7353
  • Wildflower Organic Farm – 14650 Center Rd., Bath, MI 48808, (517) 641-4761
  • Owosso Organics – 3378 Mason Rd., Owosso, MI 48867, (989) 725-3151
  • The Giving Tree Farm – 15433 Turner Road, Lansing, MI 48906 (517) 482-8885
  • Titus Farms – 3765 N. Meridian Rd., Leslie, MI 49251 (517) 589-5543
  • MSU Organic Farm – MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Facility 3291 College Rd. Holt, MI 48825 (517) 230-7987
  • Our Asparagus Patch and Gardens – 12650 Sutfin Road, Horton, MI 49246 (517) 529-9054
  • Tantre Farm – 2510 Hayes Road, Chelsea, MI 48118 (734) 475-4323

If you want to look for a CSA in your area, check out Local Harvest


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Categories : Agriculture, East Lansing, Food News, Grocery, Lansing, Local Flavor

In Good Company

17 04 2008
  • 9039 S. MeridianIn Good Company
  • Clarklake, MI 49324
  • (517) 529-9150
  • Website
  • Menu

I was working near Clark Lake for a couple weeks and I drove by In Good Company a couple times on the way to my job.  Since I had a little time for lunch one afternoon, I decided to head back and give the place a shot. 

You walk into the restaurant and come to the hostess station.  The dining room is seperated into three sections.  Since I was dining alone, they put me in the middle dining room by myself at a table for two.  The waitress came over and brought me a Pepsi then took my dinner order.  The menu at In Good Company is really unique for a diner.  They have exotice things like a Bison Burger and they take someting like a panini and go a little bit farther than the usual diner fare. 

I went with the Only One Burger.  A fresh 1/2 lb angus beef patty is topped with bacon, cheddar, tomato, lettuce, and onion then put on a baked fresh bun.  You get the option of either just ordering the sandwich or ordering a meal which gives you your choice of two sides.  I went with a salad for my first choice.  Just your basic side salad with a Italian dressing.  My second choice I went with fries which are curly fries similar to those you get at Arby’s. 

The burger was a little disappointing.  All the extras made the burger tasty, but the meat itself was dry and In Good Companysorta flavorless.  It was a good concept for a burger, but overdone a little.  I asked for the burger medium and it came out more well done.

The waitress came with the check while I was still working on the burger, so there was no lag time there.  The bill was $10 before tip.  Not bad for a full meal like that.  The service was quick and I was able to make it back to my job in under an hour.  In Good Company has a menu full of interesting items that will make this place worth a return trip. 


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Categories : Burgers, Clarklake, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Michigan Workplace Smoking Ban Revision

16 04 2008

I just moved to Michigan from Illinois and at the beginning of the year, Illinois enacted the Smoke Free Illinois Act which is very similar to a law that is being pushed through the Michigan legislature right now.  The Smoke Free Illinois Act bans smoking in all public places including bars, restaurants, and casinos.

I know this is controversial.  I know this borders on constitutional rights, but let me tell you from first hand experience, this is one of the greatest things to ever come out of the Illinois legislature.  I eat out more thanMichigan State Capitol most people, but once this law went into effect, it made dining out so much better.  You could go to a pub after work or for lunch and not have to worry about your suits soaking up that cloud of smoke.  Ther have been some bumps in the road in Illinois.  The disfunctional legislature hasn’t been able to agree on how to enforce the law so all tickets wrote in Illinois have been thrown out so far.  Communities have had to deal with an abundance of trash on the sidewalks.  In my former home of Peoria, the city has stepped up and given the downtown bars cigarette receptacles.  In the first three months I was there, not one bar or restaurant shut it’s doors because of the smoking ban.  Forty miles to the east, Bloomington/Normal (home of Illinois State University) banned smoking in all public places six months before the rest of the state.  Again, not one bar or restaurant closed it’s doors because of the smoking ban.  In fact, a few business have said the smoking ban has actually helped there business. 

“We’re really starting to see an improvement in lunch business and early evening as they’re doing business activities,” said Sully’s General Manager Curt Johnson. And that’s not all.
Sully’s in downtown Peoria is seeing a lot more families too. Manager Curt Johnson says it’s the Illinois Smoke Free Act that’s bringing different faces to his business. Across the River City, Bingo officials say the act is also scoring new players. “We may have some people that aren’t coming out but on the other side of the equation we have some different faces,” said Roger Boswell of the Knights of Columbus.

 With that said, should the State of Michigan ban smoking in bars and restaurants by revising the workplace smoking ban?  HB4163 passed the Michigan House of Representatives on Dec. 5 by 10 votes.  What this bill does is update the bill by striking the provision that allows exemption for “licensed” establishments.  This exemption allowed businesses that were licensed by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission to sell alcohol to continue to allow smoking.  The bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate where a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop said he opposed the bill, but would allow a debate on the subject according to the Detroit Free Press.

Of course, the bar and restaurant owners are already on the defensive.

A spokesman for the Michigan Restaurant Association said Tuesday that bars and restaurants should be allowed to set their own policies based on what customers want. More than 5,000 bars and restaurants in Michigan already ban smoking, up from around 2,200 in 1998, Andy Deloney said.

“If it’s what their customers want, their potential customers want, then they’ll do it,” he said

Of course, that’s the same bull I heard in Illinois for a year leading up to ban.  No bar is going to ban smoking on it’s own.  When one bar does it, but the other 200 in town don’t, the bar may as well just close up shop.  When the entire state bans smoking, everyone is on the same playing field. 

I, for one, hope this issue gets taken up soon in the Senate and smoking gets snuffed out in public places.  I remember the first time I walked into a bar in Lansing and the first thing out of the hostess mouth was “Smoking or Non-Smoking” and I just kind of rolled my eyes.  I was finally able to enjoy a night out drinking or a relaxing dinner with my girlfriend and not be assualted by smoke and now I was stepping back into that world. 


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Categories : Michigan

Rendezvous on the Grand

15 04 2008
  • 226 E. Grand River Ave.Rendezvous on the Grand
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 853-0300
  • Website
  • Menu

I saw a review for Rendezvous on the Grand in The Hub‘s 2 for $20 feature shortly after moving to Lansing.  We got up early one day and decided to hit Rendezvous for lunch before my girlfriend had to go to work.

We stopped in on a Tuesday afternoon just after the lunch rush.  The place was empty.  The waitress/bartender and the cook were wrapping silverware at a table near the back.  They were very friendly when we walked in and took a table near the bar.  The Rendezvous is located in Old Town which is the hip, artsy part of Lansing.  The decor of the old bank building embodies that spirit.  When you walk in, you walk into a spacious, high ceiling space filled with art deco chairs and tables.  The feature that jumped out to me was the light fixtures.  They took something as simple as conduit and bent it into an art piece.  The lights on the end of each condiut are spot lights that are plugged right into a junction box on the end of each piece of conduit.  There’s an upstairs area with a few more tables and a pool table then there’s a dance floor in front of a stage with permanent stage lighting hanging from the ceiling.

Rendezvous on the GrandWe took a seat near the bar and the waitress came over with paper menus to take our drink order.  Since it was early, we both went with Pepsi’s.  The menu is pretty interesting with salads, sandwiches, and personal french bread pizzas.  I went fairly safe and got the Beefeater sandwich.  The kaiser roll was filled with sliced roast beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and bistro sauce.  I left the lettuce and tomato off and went straight for the meat.  The meat itself was nothing special.  It actually kind of tasted like they went to the deli and got some roast beef.  The bistro sauce was interesting and I couldn’t really place what it actually was, but it was good and added some flavor to a sandwich that really wasn’t much more than cold meat sandwich.  The sandwich came with chips and a pickle spear.

My girlfriend got a little more adventerous and got the chicken satay.  The waitress almost accidently talked her out of it because it’s probably supposed to be an appetizer and not a meal, but when the waitress said it came with mashed potatoes, she figured it could be a meal.  With this meal, chicken breasts were wrapped in bacon and skewered with green pepper, tomato, and pineapple then the whole thing is drizzled with a sweet BBQ sauce.  The two skewers came beautifully presented on the plate with a drizzling of the same BBQ sauce underneath.  Heck, they even put the BBQ sauce on the garlic mashed potatos.  One bite and she knew that she had made the right choice.  The chicken had a delicious smokey flavor from the bacon and the grilled veggies were a great compliment to the meal.

After we ordered, we realized neither of us ordered fries.  I tracked down the waitress and asked if we could still put in an order.  She said the fryer had been down all morning and she wasn’t sure if it was hot enough to actually cook the fries.  After talking with the cook, she came out and apologized that the oil wasn’t hot enough.  A few minutes later, she came back and said the oil had warmed up, so we went ahead and told her to fry some up.   The cook came out 5 minutes later with an order of fries.  Nothing special here, but I really like the way the staff handled it.  Most places would have just tried to pass off the fries as cooked, but these two were not going to serve something that wasn’t done right.  The first couple my g/f bit in to she said were a little under done, but I didn’t notice.

We picked Rendezvous because of the claim the Lansing State Journal made about two meals under $20.  As promised, this meal came in under the $20.  With tip, we paid $17 and made it in and out with enough time to spare to walk around Old Town.


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Old Town, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Uncategorized

Michigan Brewing Company

12 04 2008

We were on our way to the Tanger Outlets in Howell on a Saturday afternoon, but both my girlfriend and I were really hungry, so we decided to stop before we got there. A sign along the highway advertised the Michigan Brewing Company. After a quick conference with her, I hopped off I-96 and went looking for the pub. Our first attempt was met with disappointment. We pulled up to a building that had for sale or lease signs on it. Thinking it was closed, we almost left, but she noticed a sign tha said “Visit us at our new location. Turn at McDonalds.” So, we went up the road and took a right at the McDonald’s into a business park.

After a short drive down the road, we pull up to a building that looks more like an office building than a restaurant and only a sign in the parking lot marks the place as the Michigan Brewing Company. We both kind of look at each other and wonder if this is the right place. Then, we notice people sitting at some tables through the window.

When you walk in, again, it looks more like an office than a restaurant. There’s a small shopping area off to the left then you walk through a big empty room to get to the first dining room. The pub is split up into a bar area which you get to by walking through a dining room area. We walked into the bar and found a table near the back of the space. The tables were the high pub tables with high back chairs. The decor was very rustic and really what you look for in a brew pub. The bartender came over with menus and gave us a few minutes to look over the beer menu. They only serve their beers and root beer…didn’t even have soda.

We both went for the Sunset Amber Lager, which according to their menu is “A refreshing, crisp and clean amber colored lager. Made in a Vienna-style with distinct caramel malt flavor and aroma.” It was a little bitter for my taste and a very heavy, filling beer. Both of us had a little trouble finishing.

For lunch, I had the Hog’s Heaven Sandwich. The sandwich is a shredded pork sandwich which tasted like it came from a can served on a ciabatta roll with a pickle spear and kettle chips. The sandwich was alright, but like I said, it wasn’t fresh made on site. It was a litltle small and not incredibly filling.

My date got the Twisted Turkey sandwich which was turkey, provlone, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and mustard served on a pretzel roll. She really liked her sandwich commenting more than once that it was tasty. For her, the portion was just right as she had a few extra chips for me.

The Michigan Brewing Company seemed like a place where beer lovers gather. We stopped in around 1 on a Saturday and there were quite a few guys there enjoying a cold one. There are no TV’s, so it’s not a place to go watch a game and have a beer. It’s more of a gathering spot for good converstaion. A lot of guys were coming in with pony kegs to get refilled and most everyone had a jug that they were getting refilled.

The atmosphere was interesting adn the food was alright. For those that like micro-brews, this would definately be a stop. I’m not a huge micro-brew fan myself, but it was a good meal just off the highway.

 


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Categories : Brew Pub, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Webberville

New To Lansing

1 04 2008

I just moved to Lansing and I’m looking forward to diving into the culinary world here.  I don’t eat everyday, but my girlfriend and I do eat out a lot and for the most part, we don’t eat at the same place twice unless it absolutely blows both of us away.  We’re huge on local diners and love the history and culture that surround such places.  It’s very, very rare that you will see us at one of the major chains, but it does happen (family in town, convience, etc.).  I’ve been posting my reviews on the website we8there.com for about three years, but I thought on the move to Michigan, I would start my own site and get some discussion going. Since I started posting on We8there, I’ve reviewed over 300 restaurants with the majority being in my old home town of Peoria, IL. I won’t transfer those over, but if I ever travel, you will probably see those reviews here too.


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Categories : Diner, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Uncategorized

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