My dilemma

I recently had a discussion with my friend about our displeasure with people being wasteful ( i.e., leaving lights on when they left the house, etc.) She stopped me in my tracks when she said, “Maybe we’re worse, because we know better.”
As I delve deeper into the topic of food ethics and learn about what my food has been through to get to my plate, I feel increasingly overwhelmed. I want to purchase food that doesn’t keep me up at night feeling guilty, but who am I kidding? I am a product of the 21st century. I like convenience; I’m lazy, and I’m busy. Everytime I think about the food I am buying, I find myself lost on what to purchase based on several factors: health, taste, convenience, and responsibility.
I don’t think the transition to responsible eating will be easy. I caught myself passing out fliers that said “Do you know where your food comes from?” and then buying a package of frozen strawberries in November. Sometimes I think I will move somewhere where I can work on a farm and completely live off of the food that I produce. I know this is not feasible in the long term. There is a serious problem with the food system in our country ( I can’t speak for other countries).Why should I feel that I would have to produce all of my own food in order to have the security that I am not eating an animal that was stuffed in a cage so small that it couldn’t turn around, or a piece of fruit that was picked by someone who wasn’t paid something even resembling living wage and then flown to me from across an ocean.
I cannot vouch that all of my food purchases are responsible. But for now, I am not eating red meat or poultry, and I try to buy local produce most of the time. Maybe I am worse, because I do know better, but at least I am trying.

How to Cook Tofu

Does anybody have any suggestions for cooking tofu in a way that it absorbs the flavor of the dish?

This article seems to be pretty helpful with understanding how to cook with tofu.

Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

Tip top veggie food in St. Louis:*

The best is Shangri-La Diner (http://www.theshangriladiner.com/) in Antique Row. Weird hours, crazy employees, and a bizarre combination of dishes—but everything on the menu is delicious. It's the only real "vegetarian" restaurant that I've come across in the city. Plus, you can get the St. Louis Slinger vegetarian with veggie chili and either scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu. A must for St. Louis vegetarians.

I also enjoy City Diner (http://www.saucemagazine.com/citydiner/) for classic food—it's not exactly veggie paradise, but most of their dishes have a lot of fresh vegetables and there are several veggie protein-friendly dishes on the menu. Plus, if you're not a vegan, the shakes are delicious.

I've never eaten at Riddles (http://www.riddlescafe.com/), but they're very pro-local produce and meats. They have a great selection of changing seasonal vegetables on their menu, and a different veggie dish every night.

Another good bet for St. Louis vegetarian food is ethnic restaurants. I really enjoy Thai pizza on the loop (cause you can get pizza with tofu!!!), and the vegetarian Mexican options on Cherokee street are always cheap and delicious. There's also an Ethiopian restaurant on the corner of Kingsland and Olive that is really good (although a little pricey for what you get), but has a great vegetarian sample platter. On South Grand, there's the King and I and Lemongrass, both of which are good Vietnamese/Asian food choices. Strangely enough, I also recommend BarCelona in Clayton—the vegetarian tapas options are delicious and filling, and relatively inexpensive in comparison to the meatier choices.

*recommendations from Liz K.

The Vertical Farm

Currently, over 80% of land suitable for raising crops is in use.* Columbia Professor Dr. Dickson Despommier believes that skyscrapers designed for urban farming are a solution that will allow reforestation of current farmland, and local production and distribution of food to urban areas. Read about the project in this article, or at the project's website.

*source: The Vertical Farm Essay

The Omnivore's Dilemma

I just bought The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which I'm sure many of you have already heard about.

Wikipedia summarizes the book:
Pollan explores the question What should we have for dinner? To answer this question, he follows four meals from three different food chains from their origins to the plate. Along the journey Pollan examines the ethical, political, and ecological factors that are intertwined in the industrial, organic, and personal (hunted-gathered) food chains, while describing the environmental and health consequences that result from our food choices within these chains. The book describes the shades of meaning related to the term organic.

sounds exciting!