Does McDonald's Deserve the Kudos?

This Week at Our Centreville Market
Friday 3:30–6:30pm
5875 Trinity Pkwy.
Map

Hats off to all of our shoppers out there. Our market has really picked up this year, and we have you to thank for that. We are beginning to attract some new interest from vendors too — some of whom may join us before the end of the season and some who will join us next year.

For now, get your peaches while they last — with the apples coming in over the next month, you know that the end of peach season is near. Tyson Farms will be picking one more later-season variety and some late white peaches and nectarines for at least another month, but after that, no promises.

The vegetables of summer should still be around for awhile too, maybe even into October if our Northern Neck farmer gets some rain. Now is the time to put up or shut up — canning and freezing the bounty of summer for the winter months while you still can. We will provide links to good websites and hand out materials about canning later this month. Next year we hope to sponsor some classes at the market.

And the best news yet: Our demo diva, Annie Sidley, is willing to give the Centreville market a try even without electricity. She has had quite a successful week at our other markets. She had a throng in front of her the entire time she was working, so we are looking forward to bringing her to Centreville in the next few weeks. And you get free samples of everything she makes!

From the Market Master

Our nation’s food policies have been largely responsible for the health care crisis we face. I have been ranting about this problem for almost as long as I have been involved with farmers’ markets. Seldom has anything happened to make me think that we are on the road back to a better diet and a future in which children grow up eating real food instead of unreasonable mass-manufactured facsimiles.

So while we should not be congratulating McDonald’s for much of anything, I was heartened to see that they will now include apples with all of their Happy Meals, requested or not, and reduce the size of the order of French fries that comes with the meals. They have spent lots of money over the years advertising products that are not good for us, and they spent plenty more on full-page ads in major newspapers across the country announcing the menu change. I have no doubt that TV ads will follow.

It still bothers me, though, that they think they need to be recognized and appreciated for doing the right thing — especially when they are probably not losing any money on the new, healthier Happy Meals. The question remains: What took them so long?

I raised my son on home-cooked meals made from scratch 90 percent of the time, but he just loved our occasional lunches at McDonald’s. And my granddaughter, who at 11 years old enjoys the cuisines of the world and just about anything you put in front of her, also likes the occasional McDonald’s visit. I would never advocate that children not be treated to fast food occasionally — it does taste good, and the atmosphere is welcoming to children. And at an early age, they can learn about eating out where a child’s behavior is nurtured rather than dismissed.

But I hope that we can go back to a future in which Mickey D’s is a sometime treat and a good dinner of local tomato sauce on local pasta rules the day. That’s what we had for dinner tonight, and it took me all of thirty minutes to make the sauce. How’s that for fast food?