early worm catches the bird

The election of Barack Obama breathed hope into the United States of America and the world. He's an inspiration and a real leader. In particular, his ability to lift people up and inspire them is going to be one of his greatest gifts to the American people. That ability alone will allow him to make real change. He's going to empower people, show people how to reach for their goals and realize their dreams.

The environment was the second issue Barack Obama mentioned in his speech last night. What a relief to have someone in the White House who believes in science and understands the concept and the perils of climate change. The US was heading down a dangerous path when it comes to the environment and in doing so, gave other governments excuses not to address our planet's environmental problems.

It's been a great day for us all--an emotional day. Why are we Americans so enthused, so emotional? It's because for the first time in eight long years justice has been done. We have a real leader now.

What a nice word the Guardian has coined--Thriftysomething. Here are some more timely tips for saving cash as the economy slide further into oblivion thanks to the greedy so-and-sos that inhabit (or used to) Wall Street and The City.

In worm news, they are thriving. They sure like to eat old bread, tea bags and broccoli bits.

I've been trying to keep up with my plan to buy less food each week and use it all up rather than feeding it to the worms. So far, I've been doing quite well. I try to limit the amount of fresh veg I buy when I do a big shop on the weekend. Then if need be, I pick up what I need on the way home from work or whatever. I haven't been measuring but I would say my efforts are a qualified success.

By the way, I don't know if I've mentioned this site before, but if you are looking for some super-tasty vegetarian meal ideas check out 101 Cookbooks. I made the TLT sandwich over the weekend and it was delish. The broccoli pesto is also magnificent!

All this talk about increasing food prices has got me thinking. It seems that it is common practice in British markets to have three tiers when it comes to food quality and pricing.

The first and the cheapest are the so-called value ranges. These come in no-frills packaging and are considerable cheaper than the other ranges or name brands. What I want to know is whether the quality is also lower. What I want to know is what's the difference, for example, between a value tin of tomatoes and the middle-tier or top-tier ranges? I'd say taste, for starters. And what is the difference between value chicken and the other ranges? Taste? fat content? Water content?

The obvious answer is that for the lowest price, the consumer is getting the lowest quality.

Then there are the baffling mid-range products. Not as crap as the value range, but not as good as the so-called Finest range. Here you get your unripe, rock hard fruit, moderately flavoured bread, fatty battery chicken, and beef that has no flavour whatsoever and is virtually impossible to chew. Utter crap.

Then there's the top range. It's pricey, but probably not too different from the mid-range. Take the chicken and beef as an example--even if you're paying over the odds for Tesco's finest it does not compare with meat from a good butcher. Never. When it comes to fruit, the top of the line is better, but I really object to having pay extra for fruit with actual flavour.

The top-tier food lines are mainly a marketing gimmick. The Tescos and Sainsburys of this world are tapping into consumers' belief that buying something more expensive somehow makes them a better person, or posh. It's psychological--nothing to do with the actual quality of the food.

Having said all this, my question is why can't these stores just give people quality food at a reasonable price? Why do I have to pay way over the odds for a nectarine that actually tastes like a nectarine?

Shopping in one of the big markets has one advantage only--convenience. The quality of product is a non-issue. And when it comes to fruit, veg and meat the quality just isn't there--value, mid-range or top priced.

My prediction is as food prices increase this sly marketing will intensify--in fact it already has (see tesco and sainsbury TV adverts). They want us to think they're trying to help save us money but they're really just pushing the same overpriced, mediocre to poor product on us.

On Saturday we went down to London's South Bank to the National Theatre where The Alternative Village Fete was happening. It was a breezy, cool afternoon, perfect for gallivanting by the river. I loved it.

There were the Wild Hunt Bedlam Morris.

Kids and parents were busily making monsters from veg.

And there was the opportunity to write a letter to a politician to let them know what you think about climate change.

             
This morning I was thinking about this post and thought I needed a photo to illustrate. I knew if I walked outside my door it would only take a minute or so to complete the task. And sure enough there was a McDonalds cup stuck in a shrub and garbage all over the pavement.

The amount of litter in all its shapes and forms on the pavements, in the streets, hedges and grassy verges of Hackney is mind-boggling. I am well and truly stunned. It's not just Hackney either--although it is particularly bad here. London generally is awash with litter. People here have no compunction about dropping cans, bags, bits of food, etc etc on the ground. I suppose they think someone else will pick it up for them.

For the non-litterers amongst us, those of us who hate litter and would never drop anything on the ground, litter is more than an eyesore. It's a sign of laziness and apathy. People don't seem to care about their communities, we think, to them, it's just a big bin.

So what to do about it? Littering used to be anathema. Litterers were scolded. The received wisdom was littering was a disgusting thing, done by disgusting people. No more. It seems littering is ok now. Why?