I seem to have spent more time down the bottom of the garden setting up sheet mulch than anything else this week, but more of that anon. We also had two trainers for the Transition Network to stay for the weekend, and it was something of a relief to find that they weren't Greener Than Thous - they watched a DVD and ate meat and took a drive to the seaside just like anyone else. In fact, in good light they'd pass for normal people.
The 'Greener Than Thou' mentality pisses me off. These people have been about for ages, and sometimes aren't especially green when it comes down to it - but they're usually very fond of brand names.
"Oh, dah-ling," they say. "Are you still using those ghastly cloth nappies? They're so Age of Carbon... these days Nigel and I use Venezuelan jute disposables from EcoSnob dot com; when they're soiled you just put a little starter bran into them, and pop them straight into the Bokashi Bucket. You do have a Bokashi Bucket, don't you? So much nicer than that nasty old compost heap of yours..."
You may chortle, but being Greener Than Thou is something I have to be on my guard about because the family Hedge seems to be a bit further on as regards food than anyone else I've spoken to - with the notable exception of Mr Green & Pleasant, a friend of ours who makes us look very Age of Carbon indeed. But in a good way, or at least not in a calculated snobby way. No, Mr G&P just gets very cross about things.
"Olive oil?" he snorts. "Don't get me started about f****** olive oil! The problem with this country is that we all eat like we live in the Meditteranean. And Riverford? Don't make me f****** laugh. You want to ship onions in from Peru? Fine - just don't f****** pretend that you're being all green about it. Eat with the bloody seasons!"
I have a lot of time for Mr G&P, and he's given me quite a lot to think about as regards our diet. One thing is for sure; I have stared into the face of the abyss whose name is Canning, and lo! I really don't want to go there until I have to. I will be loath to give up my freezer. But I am thinking about it.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Greener Than Thou
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4 comments:
You're not alone! I think I fall in with Mr G&P more than not but honestly I can't *just* use my home-grown schmaltz for the only oil in the house. There has to be a bit of a compromise in there. Maybe what the GTT camp doesn't really see is that doing it yourself, and not buying your way to green godliness.
Maybe I can grow some olives in our polytunnels.
lol excellent snobby accent rendering you did there.
:c)
We can all our tomatoes, but I admit we use the freezer for the rest of the veg. Though I admit overcooked canned green beans (with a bit of bacon and onion) are a guilty pleasure...
(My verification word is ecoadste. Another kind of Greener Than Thou? Perhaps one with a head-cold?)
Agree 100%. Even worse is when you're doing something that the Greener than thou brigade are doing and they make out you're sensible to follow their example. Even if you've been doing it for years and they started doing it last month.
Arseholes. Naff off to the lot of them.
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