Raw Milk, for and against...

Like so many things in my life, I find myself in the center on this one. (I just read Marler's blog on the subject). I've found that I am healthier on raw milk, raw milk cheeses, natural cheeses...

That being said, I only buy the raw milk at the farmers market, from the folks there, who have brought it straight from the farm. I know that Sat is the best day to get it, because they milk on Friday. I do NOT buy it from the grocery. I've tried, but it just does not stay cold enough, and sours more quickly.

I do think we need to have the option of having raw milk if we desire, but it has to be safe. We have to keep it safe. We know enough about milk, cleanliness, etc, to have it be safe. To have the dairies clean and tested.

I would never drink raw milk from a farm where they didn't have to adhere to standards. I grew up in Egypt, animals are not pristine, pure, naturally clean.... I would never drink raw milk in Egypt, that's when you cook the heck out of it! I would never go to a random farm, or one that was selling the raw milk secretly, and get raw milk.

I would certainly not buy Mexican raw milk cheeses! Eeek. (or Egyptian raw milk cheeses, for that matter!).

No I don't think raw milk is the shining star of health and beauty, but it should not be outlawed either. It should be made safe, legal. I think the current craze for raw milk is dangerous. I really do. Too many people don't treat it with respect, don't realise that if you leave it in the hot car, or you get it from a country that does not have good safety rules, good sanitation, then, guess what? Not such a healthy option. But if you do get it from a clean dairy, take it home, put it in the fridge right away, and drink it fast, its good.

(And a side note, it is interesting that when it sours, it behaves completely differently from the pasteurized/homogenized milk)

The strength of photography...

So, ten days ago, my cousin got married. And at the wedding they had photographers. Who took HIDEOUS pics of me. (I was, fortunately, in the background for most of them). But I was about ready to run off and get liposuction or try to go live with Gillian MacKeith for two months. I really felt that I was frumpy and fat and dust-bin ready. I've never been a huge fan of photos of myself, but fortunately, my wonderful sister got some really good pics of me, which did boost my mood, and my self-image.

Now this is just pics of myself, but it shows what an impact good photography (and bad) can have. And photography carries an impact for much more than just one person... if all people see are pictures of overly skinny women, or fat men with skinny women, then that carries overtones too. Because the skinny becomes the new norm, that becomes the hallmark of looking good, and it eventually becomes an impossible ideal. Whereas I honestly believe that if more media pics were just normal women, then we would not have such an obesity problem in this country. If more women could measure themselves against realistic images...


Photography carries a lot of impact in other ways as well... its a societal, historical record, as well as being a personal one... but, at the moment, it can be a powerful self-esteem tool...