Frozen v. Fresh food

[carang]

leah... this is what kind of irked me...

"For me, there is such a difference btwn fresh and frozen foods that I couldn't imagine buying frozen for my wee one."

to me that implies that those of us that feed previously frozen food (never mind non-organic) are deliberately doing something that isn't good for our children.

my comments about 360 etc were simply that i don't know how someone could feed a family of 4-5 on less than $20,000/month. admittedly, i've only been once and have not much intention of going back again after what i saw the first time. it is WAYYYYY out of my budget. HOWEVER, if you have a larger budget for food, then by all means go for it. personally, we don't have that kind of money to be spending on what i consider "fancy" foodstuffs. ( i seem to remember $40 for a loaf of bread, or something ridiculous... but this was when it first openned and it may have changed a little since then.)

what it all boils down to is priorities, and it doesn't make one of us a better or worse parent than the other.

as i said in a previous post, we each do the best we can by our children and THAT is what we have to remember.

 

[carang]

ps> i'm sure there are plenty of people in hk that spend $20,000/month on food, just not us... it wasn't a put down on you, it was a comment on my own situation.

sorry if i caused offence, none was intended.

 

[jaetee]

Additionally, you can ususally get veg/fruit/meat and fish at 360 at significantly marked down rates (40-70% off).

Just curious, how do we do that? Are the items marked down at evening time (thus no longer "same day fresh" but really still usable)? I know some fruit/veggies are marked down when they are looking a bit over-ripe, but do they do that for meat and fish as well? I would love to save some money at 360, and would appreciate the advice.

Thanks.

 

[aussiegal]

MBLW, 8 months pregnant with my third (in 3 years) I doubt I'll be making a trip out to see who farms in a way that might make me change my mind about any sorting of farming in HK! Of course their practices will undoubtedly be better than those used on the mainland but that doesn't, for me anyway, cancel out the fact that soil used to grow comes from one of the most polluted countries in the world.

Whilst some people complain about the use of fertilizers in places like Australia and NZ, I am satisfied with the produce I get from both those countries. Unless you completely shun all chemicals (deodorant, cleaning chemicals, hairspray, etc), live in a pollution free environment (which clearly none of us do) I don't think it's worth worrying about the tiny amounts of insecticides left after washing your fruit and veg.

As for the costs of places like Olivers and 360 - they are really scary. Our food spend per month is awful enough without setting foot in those places. I remember the first time I went to 360 and saw that a whole chicken was $400! I almost fainted.

At the end of the day, whatever our convictions we're just trying to do what we think is right for our families.

 

[MLBW]

Aussiegal, good luck with your pregnancy. I still think you should visit out here before you make a judgment about what you haven't seen yet but if you are completely satisfied with the way things are as far as your food supply goes, then that is wonderful.

My take--if the chemicals kill insects I don't want to be eating them--in the same way I don't want to spray a room with Baygone and then inhale it. No, we will never live in a pollution-free environment, no matter where we live on earth--but that won't stop me from doing what I can to minimize my exposure--including simple things like taking my shoes off before I come inside as to not track icky things in on them, cleaning with vinegar and baking soda as much as possible, using vegetable products for my hair and skin needs and trying to find affordable ways to minimize my exposure to pollutants in my food. I think my health is worth it and so is that of my children and there is scientific evidence pointing to the potential devastating effects of the amount of chemicals and pollutants that each of us is exposed to--one area that these effects especially shows up in is fertility and the development of unborn babies--the most sensitive areas of our humanity, apparently:

A Flood of Gender Bending Chemicals

 

[LeahH]

Jaetree - at 360 they mark down from around 2-4pm (after the lunch time shoppers are done), sometimes earlier on the weekend.

The fruit is usually fine for ages, the veg good for a few days (except things like leaf which tends to go off quickly). The meat and fish I would typically freeze asap (if it's chilled) or batch cook that day and then freeze (if it's previously frozen).

The prices are becme comparable, if not less, than regular supermarkets and online suppliers with overseas organic produce (won't be cheaper than locally grown though most likely).

There is also a section behind the long life milk, near the dairy, that has marked down dry goods - everthing from fairtrade coffee to crisps.

Also, they generally have 2 for 1 specials in the health food/medicine section that's good for supplements. They are the only place in HK that I've found that does montmerency cherry juice concentrate (excellent for us pregnant ladies that can't get to sleep at night!). But if anyone else has found this, I'd be very interested - it's the only way I can get to sleep now!

 

[MLBW]

Hey There,

Hope ya'll had a fab CNY. I haven't made it over to the farmer I buy my veggies from yet, but here is another farmer out here (from the photos, I know where his farm is at). He delivers. $200 HKD/year membership, $150 HKD/week for 3 kg of fresh, organic veggies delivered. That's something to check out. But, I'll get more info...still trying to find the phone number for another guy too.

Happy Eating!

The Organic Garden and Veggie Van

 

[MLBW]

This is also interesting. Two weekends ago, my husband and I went for an evening walk on a path that kind of meandered off in a direction we had never walked out here before and I think we walked by this lady's garden because I remember my husband remarking, "Wow! Look at all these flowers!" It's quite scenic out here! Anyway, I think it's neat that she can hire some people with disabilities--growing things is hard work but it is so rewarding and also very therapeutic! I'm going to give her a call!

http://www.flowerworldhk.com/contact_us_e.php

 

[MLBW]

The English on this isn't fabulous but it does describe what you can do at the organic gardens out here--they are very transparent--and offer tours and education programs--loads of schools come out here for field trips to learn about plants, organic farming and to pick their own fruits and veggies. It's a really great idea for a weekend trip. I like that part of what the farmers do out here is educate people--they are passionate about what they do and want others to join in with it.

Pat Heung Organic Farms Complex

 

[MLBW]

Okay, I went over to the local farmer I buy veggies from today and bought a lot of really beautiful spinach (straight out of the ground again) as well as some lettuce and tomatoes. Wished I could have bought cucumbers but they come into season in March-April.

The people I buy from have been living on the plot of ground where they are at for 30 years. It's a mom, dad and son operation. Their last name is Chen. Their phone number is 2443-0900. However, since they are very local, local people, you're going to have to speak Cantonese or Mandarin with them.

Here's an areal view of where it's at (look closely, you can see our house...:haha

Kam Tin Country Club

I think the emerging "problem" I see here is that these people know gardening but they aren't exactly into marketing themselves. The above post I made about the Veggie Van guy shows that he has figured out how to market to foreigners--whereas, the focus of the people I buy from is local people (and therefore they charge local prices--not prices inflated just because you're a foreigner). The best way to get veggies from the above people is to make a trip out here--I don't see any other way but the Veggie Van guy could be an option for some--still looking for the other supplier I mentioned before...man, I misplaced his number and I am having a heck of a time retrieving it.

But, if anyone is interested in making a weekend trek out here...strawberry picking season at the organic farms is coming up--I picked some last year and they were beautiful! I'm always available to provide directions.

:gl: