Garlic From China, Honey From Where?

Sometimes when I’m grocery shopping I throw things in my cart without checking the country of origin. With the exception of exotic fruits and spices, I’m naive enough to think most editables are products of our country. Silly me. You’d think by now I’d have the common sense to check, but you know how it is. You’re in a hurry and don’t bother. Recently I was rushed because I’d left the Aztec running in the parking lot. The starter is iffy, and I didn’t want to be stranded. Maybe that’s a poor excuse, but it’s the best I have.

I don’t know what came over me, but as I shopped I spied a small jar of peeled garlic and put it in my cart. Garlic is supposed to be good for you, so I always buy bulbs and avoid the pre-peeled stuff. I think I was more impressed by the glass jar than what was inside it.

Anyway, when I got home I put the jar in the cupboard and didn’t open it until I was making spaghetti sauce. That’s when I realized the pristine peeled pieces were from China. Well, I thought, now isn’t that crazy. Why would anyone buy garlic from China when we grow the stuff right here in Michigan? So I checked the honey I had purchased that same day. The plastic squeeze bottle said it was from Argentina, India, or Vietnam. Well, if Thrifty Bee didn’t know, I sure wouldn’t venture a guess, but I promised myself from now on it’s local honey for me.

I expect real vanilla to come from Mexico or Madagascar and cinnamon to hail from Sri Lanka, so no surprises there. But when foods as common as garlic and honey are imported, I wondered what else traveled thousands of miles to land on my shelves. Like Inspector Gadget, I got out my magnifying glass and did a little sleuthing in my kitchen cupboards.

What I found was disappointing. Most foodstuffs are distributed by major corporations so it’s impossible to tell their country of origin. A few items proudly proclaimed they were products of the U.S.A. I’m leery about things saying Made in U.S.A. because I don’t know if they’re talking about the packaging or the product within. Corporations fool us every day, not just on April 1^st when we expect a good joke.    

After a few minutes, I gave up and poured myself a glass of water that came straight from the well in my backyard. I thought about the days when food traveled no farther than the distance from the barn or Lake Superior to Mom’s frying pan.

That was a century ago.