Monday, October 18, 2010

Food, Me and You

For days I've been talking of how crazy things have been for me over the past couple of weeks... One of the reasons is that I'm working on two research studies, one about hotels and the other about food. They both started just as an idea but somehow I've been sucked into the research itself and gotten very excited about what I've found about each topic.

 Ostrich, Emu and Pheasant Eggs... did you know that to cut an ostrich egg you need a small saw?

The topic about hotels is how to develop (or build) and operate hotel in a sustainable manner that is also economically feasible. There is so much people out there that think it's not possible without putting a lot of money up front and I would like to find the reasons why and the ways to make it possible... Very ambitious project!

Tomato salad with caramelized onions, slivered almonds and sherry wine vinegar dressing... yum!

The one about food is about the eating habits of the women today. I think many of us would love to know how to eat better in a way that is healthier and also delicious including a few goodies that we avoid just because we don't want to gain any weight. Also, how can we do all that in the very small portion of time we have nowadays available for food preparation and eating.

I would love to turn these into a delicious orange sorbet

The reason why I'm talking about this is that you as consumers of both hotels and food can shed some light on both topics and at the same time make your voices heard of what the real people are looking for. So, over the next few weeks at the end of each post I will ask you a question related to one of each topics and you can chose to answer it or not... your responses will be kept totally anonymous!

I can think of a delicious salad the includes all of the above with a great lime dressing!

So here goes the first question: when you think of sustainable/green/environmentally friendly, do you think that the product/hotel/food is more expensive that conventional?

Have a happy and healthy Monday everyone!!!

31 comments:

  1. It depends. Sometimes I think granola and totally bare bones and other times I think way modern and chic. Like Trader Joes- everyone assumes it's way expensive than it is because they tote themselves as totally organic. Then people go in and are surprised by the low prices and that healthy is cheaper.

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  2. What a cool and interesting project! Hotel food always seems like it is more expensive. It would be great if it could be organic and not cost more than regular food, although that will be challenging I'm sure!

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  3. I do think it's more expensive!
    Interesting topics, especially the eating healthy one!
    P.S. I found yesterday that I should be checking the 'spam' thing under comments in blogger - and I just found a whole bunch of comments from the last 2 months that I hadn't seen before! Yours (thanking me for the post card) was one of them - so...sorry if I didn't respond back to it! I'm glad you got it =)

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  4. Love the idea of this project! And yes, I always think a product/hotel/food is more expensive when green. I wish it was not this way. Because I love getting organic foods especially.

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  5. Hi and thanx for your lovely comment on MKPK.
    What an interesting project you've taken on: in the past few years totally organic food was more expensive than these days that's why organic food & beverages served in specific hotels are fast-growing like northern Europe's bio-hotel chain (www.biohotels.info). Your pics suggest even a vivid color palette, though. All the best, ciao!

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  6. beautiful photos! good luck with your project- and yes, unfortunately, in my country sustainable, healthy, green is always more expensive than other, conventional products...
    xoxo

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  7. Great topic sweetie! It will definitely generate a lot of discussion. I do think that sustainable and environmentally friendly generally means more expensive - due to personal experience. However, one day when it becomes the norm rather than the exception, the prices will surely come down.

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  8. Love the photos and the delicious ideas you have for that gorgeous produce! On the whole, I think that the "trendier" item tends to be more expensive. Think of your local upscale, trendy organic market - expensive. Of course, it doesn't have to be that way, but I do believe some market forces take advantage of our greater awareness of being green.

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  9. Really interesting topics, Elie. If I weren't so busy, I'd offer to be your research assistant.

    Green/organic items are more expensive than conventional ones and that has everything to do with production, organization, and government involvement. Michael Pollan talks about this a bit in his book Omnivore's Dilemma. Organic foods are better for you than conventional ones, but they do come with a higher price tag. I honestly don't know what can be done about it but we need a real farming revolution in America to change things. Organic/green needs to become the norm rather than the exception. I don't think that will cause prices to drop immediately, but I do think it would help make things more competitive.

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  10. Great research topics! I'm curious to see what your findings are going to be after it's all said and done.

    To answer your question, yes...i think it's going to be more expensive. I think that's the general rule of thumb when it comes to "green items" and I think that's why people are reluctant to go green, especially when we're still recovering from a recession. However, I'm not sure why we can't have more "green products and services" with prices that are as competitive as the "non-green" options.

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  11. Definitely! It's as if the words "green" and "environmentally friendly" instantaneously make me see dollar signs. :P

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  12. This is so interesting! I do think that environmentally-friendly things tend to be on the expensive side, which is a huge bummer.
    xo Josie
    http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com

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  13. yes, i definitely agree with you. and i did know that it takes a saw to open an ostrich egg--i remember that happening on Top Chef.

    http://ohtobeamuse.com

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  14. I do think so absolutely. An example is to see the poorer people being obesive eating statistically more junk food than the ones with more money. Absurd actually. I wish we all had a chance to make a change for a healthier lifestyle. One good thing is I see the American schools are really attempting to focus on a healthier life style. In my 4 year old's class (public school) they are awarded for bringing in healthy snack:)
    By the way, I have stood by the Ostrich egg many times, thinking of should I dare to buy one... but what in the world do I make out of it?

    Have a great day and good luck:)

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  15. In my experience, going green is a little more expensive. I was actually thinking about Kristin's example when I first saw the question, that people of lower socio-economic status are more often overweight than their wealthier counterparts because it's less expensive to buy McDonalds and potato chips than it is salad greens and fresh seafood.

    While buying organic or sustainable is more expensive, we've figured out which fruits and veggies we prefer going green for (anything with skin you eat!) and which we can buy commercial (like bananas!).

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  16. What a wonderful post & food-for-thought! I think organic and sustainable can actually be as cheap (or even cheaper!) than conventional. I used to think buying organic food all the time was too expensive for my budget. But one month I experimented with all-out organic and it *lowered* my food bill! Seriously, I was completely surprised! I think what happened was I bought more mindfully, knowing it wasn't cheap, and only bought absolutely delicious/nurturing foods. Not "fillers" and junk. And I didn't need "filler food" because everything I got was so delicious and satisfying!

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  17. These projects sounds fascinating. A good friend of mine is very much into sustainability and fair trade so I get a fair dose of information from her as well. I think in general the costs for green things can be pushed higher, not necessarily because the raw costs are higher, but because it's been so hyped in recent years, people feel they can market it better and demand a higher asking price. I think if green hotels/food became the norm, prices would probably drop because of scale. At the moment, at least in the Western world, green is more expensive, but it just depends on what you mean with green, i.e. organic food, solar power, lack of pesticides, lead-free fuel etc.

    P.S. I have actually seen an ostrich egg being sawed open when I was in Africa. That shell is hard!

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  18. What a wonderful and necessary project! :)

    Unfortunately, I do think organic/healthy food is more expensive, but only based on what I've seen. The prices at Whole Foods are just ridiculous and there are no cheap health food stores in my area. The health food section of our regular grocery stores have waaay higher prices as well.

    PS. I also wanted to let you know I got your e-mail. There are a few guest posts in front of yours, so it may be a couple weeks before I get to your post. I will let you know in advance of course when it will run! Thank you SO much!! xo

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  19. Yes... unfortunately! Though I know that can sometimes be a misconception. Good luck with your research!

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  20. From my own experience I find environmentally-friendly things to be more expensive...but I hope that with time it will balance itself out:) Great topic,sweetie
    Hugs and kisses

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  21. This is such a great post. I have always been fascinated by eggs. I grew up on a farm and always picked at egg shells or tried to incubate abondoned eggs (from the flock or birds nests).

    I love tomatos too, I think I eat them everyday!!

    I do think that environmentally products and services cost more than not. I think because of the labour that goes into them, and also macroeconomics come in to play (supply VS demand).

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  22. They can definitely be more expensive. I can understand it for certain produce or products but not for others. I definitely take some companies take advantage of the label so it;s important to choose wisely!

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  23. I do think sustainable/green/environmentally friendly products and services are more expensive but I don't mind if I am paying for quality and helping to keep myself healthy. I also believe that as those products and services become more available their prices would go down and become more affordable to all.

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  24. I used to think organic/green= more expensive, but now that I pretty much buy everything organic I realize it's really not that much of a difference. Trader Joe's is actually only a 1/3 of what I used to spend at a chain grocery store!

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  25. Yes, I think organic I think more expensive which is awful.

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  26. what a super fun research and i'd be glad to help out if i can!! :D

    to answer your question, i definitely do equate healthy/organic/green with more expensive. maybe i'm not buying the right items but that's just what i see!

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  27. wow sounds like you'll be busy! but both of these research projects sound so interesting... I look forward to the questions and hearing more about how the research turns out, good luck!

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  28. Wow, fascinating research topics! I can't wait to see hoe your research unfolds. I do think many environmentally friendly products tend to be more expensive, but at the same time, I've eaten at places with locally grown food and more sustainable approaches and the food was just like at other places.

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  29. great topic of discussion! i do think organic, sustainable and environmentally friendly options do tend to be more expensive. in some cases, i'm willing to pay the premium. luckily, we can have the best of both worlds at places like trader joes. after watching food, inc. and educating myself more, i've learned that it's all about demand. if consumers drive demand, there will be increased competition leading to more affordable options. to quote food inc. each time we make a conscious decision about what we eat and where we get our food, we are essentially voting.

    http://style-haus.blogspot.com/

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  30. I'm not sure about hotels but organic food seems to be getting closer in price to food that is not organic and I think it is worth it if it is better for me. I try to buy organic whenever possible and will even spend a little more to get it.

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  31. Yes, I definitely think more expensive! Then again, I live in the city where the only access to fresh, organic food comes from over priced farmers markets and Whole Foods. I think it really depends on where you live city/country and even what part of the country you live in.

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