As we head into the holiday season, Public Radio International is presenting a series on American consumption, which includes some of the radio pieces I've linked to on Fix.  I discovered it this morning while listening to a piece on food miles by Marketplace - I will look forward to checking out the rest.  (I think Marketplace's cheerful, ambivalent tone can be a nice antidote sometimes to the doom and gloom of NPR and the BBC.)

The food miles piece reminded me of the resolution - which occurs week after week - to renew my commitment to the food part of this experiment.  And then I realize I haven't been to the grocery store in days or even a week and I won't be available to go to the grocery store and back to my apartment when a grocery store is actually open for two or three more days.  And I ponder the options: snagging an apple and pretzels at the end of the work day, making oatmeal/pb&j for dinner when I get home at 11, or grabbing a slice or tacos on the walk back from the subway.  Often the quick cheap warm food wins out, for obvious reasons.  Occasionally, I'll go out with friends to eat real food.  I got tired of being the weird one who wasn't eating out.  (And hungry.)

The food thing hasn't totally gone down the drain: I've made some good forays into home cooking, but when I get off track I've tended to stay off for a while.  Lately I haven't been able to find the time on a weekend to make a big batch of something to eat all week, which seems the best strategy I've discovered so far.   When I can make two things and freeze parts of both, I feel very industrious and rich!  I've also found that cooking for one can really suck.  My favorite meals at my place have been those shared with friends and neighbors: I subjected a few to my pad thai kick, and I shared many BLT's over the summer. 

So, I'll state my desire to return to meal planning and cooking here, with the idea that I'll become a little more accountable.  Stay tuned for a little more food research and reporting.  Hopefully after Thanksgiving?