Take That Globalization!

So I don’t have McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Checkers, Hardees, Cookout or Steak n Shake but I can get some awesome fruits and veggies for super cheap! The fruits and veggies here blow away the artificially low prices of things in the states. (the government subsidizes corn which is then substituted into almost all products and I mean all, including meat and cows can’t even digest corn but they feed it to them anyway (check the documentary King Corn to learn more)) Do you want to know why, because all the food here is local. True, I don’t get as much diversity, but it is awesome paying the prices I do. I’m just going to give you a sample. 1 good pineapple- .40¢, I would guess that over 90% of America’s pineapples come from either Costa Rica or Ecuador. 2 avocadoes- 17¢, Again I would guess that over 75% of American sold avocadoes are from Mexico. I will only do 1 more, 1 glass of cold fresh out of the cow milk- 17¢, this is real milk too, not diluted with water, full of fat and cream. You can’t even buy those gross boxes of milk that they always sold you in elementary school for that much.
True, your right, I would bet your thinking hey, it’s a different standard of living and PPP (purchasing power parity) is completely different in Rwanda, which I totally agree with you but still…. those in the states, you have options. Use your old friend Google and search Community Supported Agriculture or CSA and then what ever town you live in. Sign up if you can. In brief, CSA is where you pay a farmer up front to grow a variety of crops for a season and once a week that farmer drives into town and drops off a fresh box of fruits and veggies for you. If you find a good CSA I will guarantee you that the fruits and veggies will be safer for you and your family (no pesticides, usually organic), will be fresher (not flown halfway across the world in preservatives) and cheaper (it will cost less because it doesn’t have to travel far). I cannot guarantee you Rwandan produce prices but you certainly have better options than you think you do. Rereading this, I feel that I might come off as being a little superior in my food choices, trust me this is not the case. Although I feel very fortunate to have these food options right in front of me, it has been a bit tricky to cook. Without fresh water and having dodgy electricity it has become quite a chore to be able to cook all this fresh food that is bought.