The food we eat: from one place?
I was driving down the 15 freeway last week, in Las Vegas, and looked over to my left, and see this gigantic warehouse building. It was large, like a car manufacturing plant — acres and acres and acres — just the building alone. Then I see the logo on the building, thinking it might be a car plant. But it was Sysco. (Sysco food, not Cisco routers). And then I remembered that there’s also a Sysco here in Tennessee. I looked at that warehouse, and just imagined giant conveyor belts of frozen peas, and tasteless carrots, and frozen chicken, all being pre-packaged and sent to all those casinos in Vegas. Everyone eating from the same slop bucket.
Fast forward to last night — I took my mother out to dinner for her 79th birthday. We picked up my aunt too. Ended up at this fern bar chain place called Rafferty’s in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I’m sure everyone goes thru that same thing in their mind when they’re trying to come up with a nice place to take somebody for dinner; this place seemed harmless enough, and it had a wagonwheel out front. Hell, the wagonwheel alone seems like it would guarantee a good meal. So in we go. It was packed, Friday night. So the food comes, and I look at it, and then I taste it, and I begin to think of this Sysco place. I just began to wonder — how come that when you go to even a “nice” place, the food is, for the most part, pretty bland, tasteless, and uneventful? (Unless it’s some place that pours on the salt or the MSG). I just imagine some giant Sysco truck, backing up to the loading dock at Rafferty’s, and they roll in a 55-gallon drum of lettuce; a 55-gallon drum of dressing; a 55-gallon drum of cherry tomatoes, and then they pull out of that lot, and drive next door to Red Lobster, and then down to Cracker Barrel, and then down to OCharleys, and then down to Bennigans — in effect, all these restaurants have different logos, but in the end, aren’t you just having dinner at Sysco Food Services, no matter where you go?
I hope I’m wrong.
What would it take to have a restaurant that didn’t didn’t serve meat pumped full of hormones and other growth drugs? What would it take for a restaurant to have their own garden out back? Would a salad have to cost $400 if that was the case?
I know it’s easy to slap around Shoneys, and Cracker Barrel, and Bennigans, and OCharleys, and Olive Garden, etc, but I’d also wonder about the high-end restaurants here in Nashville. Do you think they get their food from Robert Orr Sysco as well? Sunset Grill; Yellow Porch; Watermark; Bricktops; J Alexander; Germantown Cafe; City House? I just wonder where the line gets drawn — between sourcing mass produced Robert Orr Sysco, versus grow-your-own, or fly-it-in-daily-from-some-hippie-organic-grower? I guess I’d be fine if Sunset Grill got their ketchup and mustard from Robert Orr, but anything beyond that — real food — and it changes things.
Then, I read this crazy article in the Times about this “mildly outspoken” woman in NYC named Meme Roth. (Sounds more like a logo than a real name). She’s raising hell in New Jersey, where she used to live, about the school’s giving her kids fatty foods and just generally “empty” food. (One of the board member’s sent her an email and gently suggested: “Maybe you should consider moving?”) So she did. To NYC. But anyway, even though she sounded kinda like a nutcase, in the end, I thought to myself, “She’s right, and I’d probably do the same thing (if I had kids)”.
So anyway, I don’t know the point of this post, but I’m just more and more aware of the food I eat. And my trainer at the gym is on me about “High Fructose Corn Syrup”, which, the more you read about it, seems like a substance more dangerous than heroin. She says that HFCS has some trait that turns off a sensor in your brain that tells you to stop eating, even when you’re full. Sounds like me, for damn sure.
Another link: Food Inc, a new film:
Here’s another one, this time about that dreaded villain, Corn:
After I posted this originally, a friend sent me this link too. Honestly, it’s pretty stupid, but I guess the idea behind it is good:
Hi, Mark –
Have you read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” by Michael Pollan?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143038583/?tag=chookooloonks-20
If you haven’t, it’s a really amazing book that takes you through “the history of 4 meals” — fast food, one purchased at your general grocery store, one from an organic food store, and one where the author actually hunted and foraged for the ingredients himself. I was afraid to read it, thinking it would force me to become a vegan, but it doesn’t — the author is an omnivore himself.
The book will both anger and enlighten you — although based on this post, it seems you’ve pretty much figured it all out yourself. Still, a great read.
And on a completely unrelated note, I’ve been a fan of your work for years, and was thrilled to learn that you started a blog. Keep doing your wonderfully beautiful work.
K.
Hi Mark – I go thru the same thing. I can’t stand those tasteless foods, but often find myself with few to no other choices. We joined a CSA and get local organic veggies every week, we buy grass fed beef and pork at a large cost, todays 3 lb london broil was 8 bux a pound. but is sooooo good. We just bought a house on an acre and next year I will hopefully be growing 50-75% of or veggies. We eat out at local individually owned restaurants where we can meet the chefs and owners and they are proud of their hoof to snout and local visions. these places and the local farms that they source from need support to stick around. If the restaurant gets no business it closes, then the farm closes and so on down the line until we are all eating boneless chicken wings from Chili’s every night!
here is a link to a place you might find a bit inspiring -
http://www.bluehillfarm.com/
it is an awesome place and restaurant.
also, another book recommendation – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/
Sysco does not make any of the food that is sales, They order it from a million different vendors. Many times when they get a new customer they are required by that customer to bring in new items that they don’t already carry.
Hey Mark,
Great post. Have you read Fast Food Nation?
http://books.google.com/books?id=yNFN1OpnkBkC&dq=fast+food+nation&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=v9ZGSt85hoS3B7PAvYwK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7
Good read if you haven’t. I learned about high fructose corn syrup from Fast Food Nation. Hydrogenated oils are also supposed to be bad too. Unfortunately, most food labels contain those two ingredients and are extremely common in processed foods.
Mark you have inspired me for years. I just started a blog, I wrote a little something tonight about Coke and Nabs. Have a look.
http://fsmphoto.blogspot.com/2009/06/coke-and-nabs.html
Yeah, you’re pretty much right about the whole mass produced generic food thing. I think that, and the economic crunch, are why so many people in town have turned to CSA’s (community supported agriculture) and also why there is a good amount of support to locally grown/organic/insert catch phrase type food.
You should try and get a client list from Robert Orr. Hell, we the consumers should know, right? Im sure they will give you all sorts of hell.
Get involved with slowfood USA.
I went to Whole Foods last night to stock up. This is what enters my mind also, about this food topic: Does it have to be this “either/or” situation, where you go to Shoneys All You Cat Eat Breakfast Bar for $6.99, (crap food), or, if you go to Whole Foods, a plastic container of sliced fruit costs $9.10, (but good food)?
Is there a middleground?
There is where I get into territory that I have no knowledge of, but sometimes I wonder at Whole Foods, “Does this food REALLY have to cost this much?”
It’s Cisco, not Cysco. It was named for San FranCisco.
I saw Food Inc. last night… everyone should see it. Unfortunately, the people who NEED to see it won’t.
Great post! It struck a chord in me. You are a thinking photographer.
Thanks,
Ram
Hi Mark,
Unfortunately, yes, it is an either or situation. Mass produced and processed food or whole, natural, organic food. And as a friend and green caterer recently told me, “it costs a lot to eat right.”
Some regional grocery store chains are starting to stock more “organic” foods (at much higher prices), while still offering the typical hormone injected, genetically enhanced fare most of us grew up eating. Now it’s up to the consumer — pay more and eat right or pay less and, well, eat as we have always eaten with hormones and God knows what else pumped into our food.
Mark. Right on. Like one of the commenters said, those that need to watch the film probably won’t and those of us that think we know everything should be taught a thing or ten.
I went to the farmer’s market for the first time in weeks inspired by a friend’s maxim.
“SHAKE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU.”
http://svenworld.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/i-shook-the-hand-and-then-it-fed-me/
and if that doesn’t do it, just follow Michael Pollan’s new advice which is “EAT THINGS YOU DON’T SEE OR HEAR ADVERTISED.”
Thanks for the post.
Keep an eye on what’s going on in the Central Joaquin Valley in California. If that isn’t a major land grab similar to how it went down in LA in the 30’s [think Chinatown] then I don’t know what is.
‘either / or’
eating right is expensive as you and I have pointed out with 9 dollar fruit trays and 8 dollar a lb beef. but it doesn’t have to be. It didn’t use to be. one of the things we are doing is ‘putting up’ as much as we can. we are not canners so we freeze stuff. Got 20 ears of corn for 5 bux at the farmers market, blanched it and then cut off all the corn, stuck it in bags and froze it. will do so again 2-3 more times. This will give me corn for the rest of the year. good corn. We are doing the same with the seasonal fruits that are coming in, peaches, black berries, strawberries, blue berries. Also with the rest of the veggies, carrots, peas, beans, etc. we will continue this thru the summer, then eat well until the spring. ideally. next year, I hope to grow most of this myself. It takes time and some work but I think it will be worth it and will def. lower our over all food spending.
one thing about all that processed food. We all know it tastes great, it is supposed to, it is engineered to taste awesome. but the cost with all those unpronounceable ingredients is way too high.
One of the things Michael Pollan, author of ‘In Defense of Food’, another good read, says about trying to eat right is to eat or buy things with 5 ingredients or less. it is easier and harder than you think. Things like bread and ice cream easily are made with under 5, but try to find a snickers or moon pie with under 5 ingredients and you are out of luck!
If you aren’t familiar with these publications, check them out. http://www.ediblecommunities.com/content/
A general rule I remember hearing not long ago is that a given food should have less than 5 ingredients or it’s going to get weird pretty quick. Steak should have steak in it. That’s it. Mashed potatoes should have potatoes, butter milk and salt. Bang done simple. Salad is good, throw in a bunch o’ veggies and out ya go.
One side-effect of this economic blowout we’ve been riding through is that my friends and I have stopped going out for dinner and opted to host rotating potluck dinners. Same socializing, costs a fraction of dining out, and you eat much better.
This country is addicted to processed food and the results are in the collective waistline. Watch this animated map progress through the last 22 years of obesity trends across the country: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
Less than 5 ingredients is a silly rule.
It takes more than five to make chicken stock. It takes more than five to make cake. And life is not worth living without cake.
I suggest you pick better restaurants to spend your money in. Sysco does not manufacture food or any products, they distribute them. They can’t help that there are people in this world that will pay money for breaded, fried, gravy covered, crap. If a restaurant can sell it and make profit good for them, don’t shoot the messenger. I have used Sysco for years and they have helped me with my menu and provide me with locally grown organic produce, all natural and locally farm raised pork, chicken, and beef.being the largest and most profitable foodservice company requires them to sell and deliver a wide range of products. Natural or not people still pay a lot of money every day to eat it.
I have been a sysco customer for years. They have helped me with my menu and provide me with locally grown,organic produce, all natural beef, chicken, pork. You should choose to spend your money at better restaurants. Sysco does not manufacture food products they sell and distribute them. Don’t shoot the messenger. They can’t help the fact that people in this country spend money every day on breaded, fried, gravy covered crap!
Hello Mark,
Your comments are dead on and I agree with you. However I am commenting to inquire about a photograph that I bought from you over 4 years ago. You did some work for Saatchi and Saatchi and I worked there, one of the art buyers put some of your lovely photographs on our hall walls and when it was time to rotate you offered them for sale.
The series was from a trip you made to Cuba. I bought one of them that reminded me of an old Che Guevara. It was titled “Old Man Outside of Bookstore”. It was sepia toned and I loved it. I recently moved and my new landlord gave it away and I wondered if you still maintained the negatives from that shoot and how much it will cost me for a replacement. I am so upset by it, I have been crying for over 2 hours. I know life is bigger than one missing photo, but I loved it! Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
A new restaurant recently opened up in town. They were trying to stick to a “local only” menu, and used this as their marketing ploy. And it worked! They were super busy. They bought local amish cheese. They bought sides of beef from local farmers and served various beef dishes till it was used up. They bought fresh veggies from my bro in laws’ homespun greenhouse operation. It’s a great idea to use local stuff. I love this!
TILL the locals decide to rip you off. Last I heard, things have changed. The beef guy? Decided to hike the price by FOUR TIMES in order to make more money off the restaurant. Local organic operations followed suit and really started upping the price. The economy fell down thru the floor, and the restaurant is struggling, in fact almost closed. My bro in law already had the veggies, they would rot if not used. So he gave them to the restaurant anyhow. His good will has created nice karma, and he still is the restaurants’ veggie guy. It’s been 6 months and they still are open. I hope they can get thru the hard times. I don’t think they buy the sides of beef anymore. Can’t really blame them.
So this idea is great, until locals decide it’s time to get more than their fair share.
No doubt you’ve already seen this documentary King Corn. Pretty relevant to your post.
Mark,
Seriously Man! It is time to update your blog. Hell, even if you post a shot you made stumbling out of bed it would be interesting. People come here because we like what you have to share and say. What has happened? I has been almost two months.
Mr. Tucker,
I agree with Joe Blow. You have some amazing work, and have been an inspiration for myself, and I am sure others. It is cool to be able to keep up with what you have going on. I honestly check almost everyday to see if you have updated. It might be a great marketing plan to keep us all in suspense, but at some point, it would be nice to have something!
Hi Mark;
I enjoyed reading your blog posts and viewing your photographs so much! Perhaps you are now too busy or maybe its something else? Please let us know how are you doing!
I’m sure you’re a busy man, but I did want to say that I always enjoyed your updates.
Thanks for sharing on the web!
Eulogy for Mark Tucker’s Blog
Mark’s blog had lived an amazing life even though it was rather short. His blog was a great friend; it was the kind of friend that stands by you when you need somebody to be there.
It once saved my life. I was a young photographer then. I was hastily working on a new ad campaign when Mark saw an angry account rep. coming my way. If it wasn’t for Mark and his blog, I would have died right there. He related a story about all that and showed me how to deal with it. That’s how I became close to Mark and his blog.. Yes, that was only 6 months ago and I’ve been inseparable from this blog ever since.
I remember once Mark told me he met a dog who stole his heart. I was so envious of Mark. It was not because I’m in love with Mark but it’s more of I was simply not used to sharing Mark’s website and blog with anyone else. I thought I was one of the few who read it. It was always me and Mark.. and his amazing images.. When I first saw Mark’s images, I didn’t know how I would react. Mark turned out to be a really nice person as I learned about him through his writings.
What is it that we remember when we think of Mark Tucker’s blog? I think everyone who knows him very well would agree with me on this. It was his sense of humor. He was the kind of person that would make everyone laugh so hard that they’d end up crying. Who could forget about his Billy-Bob redneck jokes? Goodness! Just thinking about those jokes still makes me laugh. He was so out there when he starts those jokes. That is what I will truly miss about Mark’s Blog. He could make me laugh when I am really sad. He always cheered me up when he knew I just had a bad day. That’s the trademark of Mark’s blog. He always wanted to make people happy.
The death of Mark’s blog was sudden. I remember when I heard the news I simply could not believe it. NO MORE POSTS. I can’t believe it. It can’t be true. Mark’s blog was too young but as it slowly occurred to me I have realized that his blog indeed lived its life wonderfully. Mark’s blog was well-loved. I will forever be grateful to have known Mr. Tucker’s blog.
Mark took his blog on a trip to Vegas. There was a bed with mirrors on the ceiling. Vacation pictures. Then Mark grew distant. He stopped writing. The magic was gone.
The arc of a love affair.
I think we, as a group, should just keep this going. We can post an image of each other slamming some Jack Daniels!! Those images that Mark produced for that company are incredible. It honestly is what brought me here. I thought, I want to shoot like that, and ended up digging up his name. Maybe we can all just bring up what brought us here in the first place, probably some good stories behind that. That is worth a few days of blog entries….
Well.. Mark was known to have quite a karate chop in his day. I challenged him at something I was good at… kicking! He took my challenge and popped me one good in the solar plexus and knocked me to the ground. Being Chuck Norris, I didn’t take kindly to that, I felt like popping Mark in the face after I got up and brushed myself off. But I thought,, nawwwp.. not going to do that.. I respect the man too much, if I popped him one good in the face I might mess up his shooting eye, can’t do that.. nawp.
So I just laughed it off because.. nobody.. I mean nobody has ever kicked ole’ Chuck to the ground before. So not only can the man make incredible pictures.. but he can kick Chuck Norris to the ground. Imagine that.
couldn’t agree more. what goes on in the food industry and goes INto us terrifies me.
fortunately i live in a part of the world where local food is still organic. mostly.
it really is scary stuff though. i reckon the food industry is more dangerous than the tobacco industry…
btw the third video is brilliant. the meatrix. fabulous. off to check it out now.
Another really good documentary is “Beautiful Truth” – food, good food, cures AND prevents cancer