Category: food

A letter to Publix

While surfing the net looking for nutrition facts. I stumbled across the Fair Food Campaign being conducted by the Coalition of Immokalee workers. I read some, then I watched their “One Penny More” video.

Then I wrote this letter.

Dear People in Charge of Publix,

I love shopping at Publix and I love tomatoes. I especially love the opportunity to support the Florida economy by buying produce grown in Florida from a chain based in Florida.

However I’m disturbed and deeply concerned by the claims of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers that Publix is not willing to use it’s buying power to support Florida tomato farm workers. When I look on your website, I see in the Publix Products Q & A that  the store has a position on the safe handling of animals. But I see no similar statement of position on supporting a livable wage right here in your home state. I want to be fair so I’m asking; what is your stance on human rights in general and the rights and conditions of Florida Farm workers in general? Is it true that you’ve resisted the Fair Food campaign that even Taco Bell is supporting? I mean seriously… Taco Bell? If you have a statement of some kind giving a reasonable explanation for what looks to be lack of support for basic human rights, I would love to see it.

But if don’t get the information I want to hear about my favorite grocery store, I will use my small and insignificant buying power to try to get you to change your mind. I will also do my best to convince my friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and casual acquaintances to do the same. I am willing to pay a penny more per pound of tomatoes if it means the person that picked them is getting a fair wage. (Or at least closer to a fair wage. Honestly I don’t think a penny a pound is enough.) If I have to pay my extra penny elsewhere, so be it.

I added this to the top of the Coalitions already compelling form letter and sent it. Now I’m waiting on a reply. You can write your own letter (or do any number of things) at the CIWs take action page.

Flavor of the week: Dulse & Tomato Sandwiches

Ingredients

  1. Bread (duh. go for something sweeter or nuetral like multigrain or honey wheat. Rye is good for normal tomato sandwiches but the dulse needs something to balance it.
  2. Mayonnaise
  3. Tomatoes
  4. Dulse
  5. Pepper to taste. You can use a little salt but you don’t really need it.

You could also add cheese although I recommend something mild. I tried sharp cheddar because that’s what I had but it overpowered everything except the bread.

My Reasons

I’ve been eating tomato sandwiches since I was old enough to chew but my mom just recently reminded me how much I used to love dulse so I wandered off to the health food store to get some.
According to the package, dulse is a “wild atlantic sea vegetable” or in other words seaweed. You can eat it “raw” which really just means straight out of the bag, or you can crisp it up a bit by roasting in dry pan or the oven or pan fry it like chips. With no prep it’s chewy, salty and has a very strong but not overpowering flavor. It’s also full of nutritional value if you’re into that kind of stuff. I like to think that dulse is to lettuce as raisins are to grapes even though it’s mostly inaccurate. Chalk it up to my college education.

Further exploration

Those of you that think a sandwich without meat is just a cleverly disguised salad should try adding dulse to your turkey or chicken salad sandwiches. I don’t think it would go very well with italian or processed meats (salami, bologna, etc.) but you could give it a try and prove me wrong. I know for a fact it’s really good with avacado. And if you’re unsure about eating seaweed don’t be. Seaweed can do more for food than wrap sushi.