The Choices We Make

Pretty Plain Sweet Curry Quinoa Burger, but Oh So Tasty.

Yes, I tried Guinea Pig.

So I'm not a huge proponent of processed foods. I don't want to be a junk food vegan. However, I recently came across these at Target and when you take limited time in the day and the option of toasting up a yummy "Sweet Curry Quinoa Burger" vs. McDonald's, the choice would seem clear, but is it?


There was something nagging at the back of my head... what did I hear? Could it have been about the the trend of Westerners flocking to Quinoa for their health, while unknowingly pricing out and starving the Peruvian and Bolivian farmers that subsist on this crop? Here's the first article that came up when I searched out the topic: Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa? Can we not do anything right? I've been to Peru. It doesn't give me any kind of cool cred, but I can tell you that most of them do not live like we do here.

Perhaps this Quinoa is grown somewhere great. Perhaps it's not. Can we truly be informed on where all of our food comes from and who it may affect in a positive or harmful manner? Is it our responsibility to do so? Buy local. Buy organic. Don't buy GMO. Don't do this. Don't do that. I can't keep track all of the time.

Were these tasty? Hell ya they were. Did my purchase hurt a Peruvian farmer? I have no real idea. Would me buying a McDonald's burger hurt a cow or hurt an underpaid/undocumented worker that is operating in unsafe conditions? Probably, yes.

I do have to say these listed ingredients are better than anything you'll find at McDonald's:

Bottom line is I'm doing the best I can. First and foremost for me and my family's health. Hopefully not at the expense of someone else. But is that even possible anymore?  - jaded consumer