Food for Thought

This gorgeous red pepper set me back, essentially, 16 cents. Now I want to know: Why? Why is it not possible to get a similar product for the same price in North America? I know I talk about the cost of food here nearly every post but things like red peppers for less than 20 cents each never cease to amaze me.

NOTE – the cost of all food is not so reasonable. For instance, there is a “new product” at Real, the grocery store…Haagen Dazs ice cream! But a pint of HD will set you back 15 YTL which basically translates into $15 a pint! And, I should say that the variety and selection of foods here is limited compared with N. America or the UK. And the quality of some things, e.g. olive oil (surprisingly), cereals, local ice cream etc., is not high, but it is adequate and affordable.

I find it paradoxical that a country that struggles with things like customer service, quality control, time management etc., is able to produce much better staple foods – fruit, veggies and grains, at a price which (I think and hope) most people can afford – than any of the seemingly economically advanced countries like the States, Canada and the UK.

I just keep coming back to: Why? Why are good, ripe, fruit and veggies that might not look perfect but taste delicious only available at farmer's markets and Whole Foods and similar stores or web services (e.g. SPUD, which I miss dearly) at boutique prices in N. America? (And I am guilty as charged because I will shop at said stores for produce.) It just doesn’t make sense to me. Why can’t we N. Americans manage to lower the price of staple foods AND raise the quality so that everyone is able to eat well?
And by “eat well” I do not mean having access to small batch produced ice creams and 100 varieties of sugary cereals and the same variety in potato chips. Those things are luxuries but now they seem to have become staples as the price on such products seems to drop while things like a nice, freshly made loaf of bread costs $4 and tomato-y tasting tomatoes (if they actually still exist outside of people’s own gardens), cost $11 for 6 (enough to make a good spaghetti sauce or soup). (Compared with Turkey where a fresh loaf of bread is 30 cents and enough fresh tomatoes for a sauce costs about a dollar.) No wonder they keep saying there is an obesity epidemic in the States! And it’s not just because there are soda machines in schools. It is cheaper to make KRAFT mac and cheese, serve some sort of fresh veggie (if it is on sale), otherwise, open a tin of peas, and then offer ice cream for dessert. Because to make a nice fresh tomato sauce or even a fresh salad and serve fresh fruit for dessert COSTS MORE! Substantially more! (By the way, I love KRAFT mac and cheese too, I am just trying to make a point. I love ice cream for dessert too, but fresh fruit is lovely too.)

Having had this rant, it is true that I am looking forward to coming back to N. America. I am very much looking forward to coming home. But, I just don’t understand how countries that are at the cutting edge of everything else can be going so wrong when it comes to basic necessities, like food.