Saturday, March 15, 2008

Safeway tells fibs

"The only fresh baby corn in Australia", Safeways claim on a current television commercial
No, I don't shop at Safeway (unless it is for cheap Coopers)

The new ads on tv for Safeways baby corn make me furious, I am not usually this easily mad but when a multinational takes advantage of a dumbed down eating public, then I get mad. Don't get me wrong, I am sad that people are some what dumbed down about food now, but it is the truth, my great grandmother and grandmother cooked from memory, I don't know if my grandmother even owns a cook book; apart from the Aussie house wife classic "The Common Sense Cookery Book" (and doesn't that title just sum it up...) People now generally have very high food expectations and very low skills or basic knowledge to cook from, it is sad.

I digress, Safeway do not have Australia's only baby corn, I brought some this morning at Gasworks market, and to further thumb my nose at Safeway, I bet mine are fresher and not in unnecessary packaging.

I am still tossing up how to prepare mine, if I stop eating them raw. Perhaps sauteed with anchovies and then melting on top some butter, perhaps slightly pickled and served to nibble on, maybe even... its not important. The important thing is, please don't believe what Safeway tells you about food.
Jack

9 comments:

  1. They are so fresh that all the corn from that farmer keeps for ages. Try that with Safeway's corn.

    Being half Chinky, mine usually end up in Asian dishes and I love the big corn raw in salsa with tons of lime. Corn Cakes become heavenly with the fresh farmers market stuff, I throw in some peppers from the farmer who hails from Murchison and yesterday had a huge range of chilli's including Habaneros...oh and her Israeli melons, so sweet!

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  2. "The important thing is, please don't believe what Safeway tells you about food."

    Say it louder Jack! say it louder!

    So relieved to hear it's not just me!

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  3. one more thing...
    where, prey tell, do they think "grown up" corn comes from? The stork or the stalk?

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  4. one more thing...
    where, prey tell, do they think "grown up" corn comes from? The stork or the stalk?

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  5. Surely Safeway wouldn't lie to us. They're the fresh food people.

    On a side note it really annoys me that many items in supermarkets are now only avalable packaged - eg. mixed lettuce, baby spinach etc. Its generally not as fresh, you can't select what you want and it costs a lot more. My local fruit and veg has baby spinach and lettuce mix for about $9kg - Safeway et al. have 100g bags for $3+ Why? Because its convenient to pick up a bag and people will still buy it. Bring back the freshness.

    Jon!

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  6. Because of work commitments I understand that not every one can have a relationship with their local green grocer but Sticky is on to something when she identifies that the produce form the farmers markets keeps for ages. Unfortunately, when we buy from the supermarket it is already days, weeks and if you believe A Current Affair then months and maybe years (apples, was something they featured last month!)old and kept cold chilled unripe and gased to ripen... not very natural.
    So shopping once a week at the Farmers market can work out fresher even eating on Friday what you brought last Saturday. You just have to be smart and realistic about your selections or do what I do and make soups, frittata etc with things that are getting oldish in the fridge, and create a 'new' thing to eat from it.
    Jack

    NB I ate the baby corn last night, just halved length ways, steamed a little and then tossed in S+P and butter, they were so sweet, I often find baby corn a little starchy but these were not.

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  7. Oh forgot to mention,
    Grocer, Love your work!
    Jack

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  8. Grow your own! It's not easy with the hot weather and water restrictions but it's possible. We bought some seedlings in early Jan. Survive rate was 20% (due to hot weather and water restrictions). But with the surviving plants, we get abt 5 babycorns each! Its quite fun to watch, and my kids are having a blast from it....from a tiny seedlings, it has grown to be taller than my 5yo kid! hehe...

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