“Dija Know…”
Joe’s Newsletter #151, SUMMER 2019
Sheila (archives available at JoesDining.com)
Roland visits Grant Wilson at Lotus Farms,
our new supplier located in Tijeras.
◆Joe’s has a new supplier of sustainably raised chickens. We are excited to announce that the Wilsons of Lotus Farms in Tijeras are doing everything the right way – following the lead of the rock star of sustainable farming, Joel Salatin.
◆It’s been long and slow in coming this year but summer is finally here!And Joe’s marks it with a few warm weather dishes like vichysoisse and other chilled soups, grilled Caesar with watermelon topped with a giant shrimp, our Kobe Wagyu beef hot dog, baby back ribs and as soon a as Mother Nature ripens the tomatoes, Joe’s incredible, inimitable and seasonal Margherita Pizza and Caprese salad.
◆ Water wisdom. Tooting our own horn. Joe’s received the mayor’s award for our efforts at water-saving procedures and installation of special equipment to monitor usage. By the way – DiJa know – it’s actually illegal to serve waterin a restaurant in Santa Fe if not specifically requested by the customer?
◆Richard broadcasts theRichard Eeds Show live from Joe’s each 1stFriday of the monthfrom 1- 4 pm on Hutton 1260 AM KTRC. Richard knows everyone in New Mexico – no joke! He keeps us abreast of all the New Mexico happenings.
◆ A Tuesday night tradition at Joe’s – Spaghetti and Chianti Night. $39 for two will get you Caesar Salad, Spaghetti with homemade slow-cooked Bolognese and a ½ liter of great Chianti. Wadda deal! The Bolognese sauce is made with our grass-fed-and-finished Berry Ranch beef.
◆ A sweet treat or impromptu gift for your dear ones? Joe’s melt-in-your-mouthFrench chocolate truffles. Y
◆ If you don’t do it for yourself do it for our land, our planet and for the balance of wildlife and native grasslands on our Earth. The vast monocultures demanded of vegetarian diets are not the solution either to the balance of ecosystems nor the compassionate stewardship of wild or domestic animals. Just because we’ve been told over and over that cattle destroy the grasslands, does not make it true. In fact Allan Savory has proven just the opposite (at the cost, BTW, of the slaughter of 40,000 elephants). Last issue I referenced his documentary, Running Out of Time. Restoring ecological health mandates that we unwind and redo many decades, perhaps centuries of thoughtless profit-driven and poorly managed farming/food production methods. It is beyond urgent to seriously consider a radically unpopular view, and to understand how we’ve gotten so very offtrack. It seems righteous and innocent and good-hearted to champion and advocate a plant-based diet. I did it too – three times in the past, one of those times, I was vegan or close to it, although at that time there was no word for it. I dutifully followed John Robins (a radical vegetarian of Baskin Robin$’ family legacy) theories of diet and food production. It just seemed noble and the right thing to do. I love animals. The argument can stop right there. Or can it? My body told me otherwise and paleontology, human biology and now the successes of intensive rotational pasture managementbear it out. I was subject to the marketing snow job that convinced me that soy foods, beans, vegetable oils and plants could replace the hunting and food-gathering diets of humans over millenia. I was arrogant enough to think that my genes could adapt and that Monsanto, Tyson, Jenny-O, Cargill, Bayer and yes John Robins were right. Our obligation to our planet and the health of our bodies depended upon us CHANGING our genetic make-up to adapt to artificially created mono system agriculture – miles and miles of straight lines (for the convenience of huge agri machinery) of strawberries, of kale, of spinach (you name it), the clearing, denuding and de-hilling of millions of acres of rich native grasslands pushing out their animal inhabitants and pollinator inhabitants to feed voracious mouths a diet of soy, corn and wheat. We are now finding that the biggest allergens to humans are soy, corn and wheat. Hmmm. I think I see a twisted pattern here. OMG! What have we done?? And is it too late?? We have raped our beautiful rich native grasslands worshipping at the feet of Monsanto (et al), John Robins (poor guy, I do pick on him when in fact there are many others espousing the same food philosophy), and yes the effing three-letter agencies with narrow agenda that have worked hand-in-hand to wreck our soils and now our health. Enter big Parma. With a pill or 16 (the average number taken per day) of pricey drugs we assure ourselves that Big Medicine and Big Pharma and the CDC will pick up the pieces and FIX our health issues. How’s that working out? My understanding of anthropology, physiology and human biology is way too lean for me to put it all together. But something is rotten in Denmark and individually and collectively we need to wake up and smell the coffee. (I love mixing metaphors, so don’t call me on it). Buffalo, deer, moose, elk, bear, boar, prairie fowl, rabbit, salmon, multi fish species, berries and wild vegetation was once the staple of our diet. It was just there for the picking, hunting, gathering. My mom told me this story – when she and her siblings were sent out into the then native-grass Saskatchewan pastures to gather the cows for evening milking, they would return with their work boots covered with bright red mush. What was it? Wild strawberries! The fields were covered (for a brief seasonal time) with wild strawberries. (circa 1915 – 1930). There are young visionaries now who are earnestly farming in harmony with Mother Earth. We are blessed to have many of these farmers and ranchers right here in NM. But our efforts need to be greater to turn this machine around. Some in the animal rights movement are off-base and the vegan/vegetarian movement has been fueled by Big Ag and Big Food, using compassion and health-seeking as a front. Yup, I know you can’t believe it, but let me remind you of just one teeny example. A few decades back, women were implored to eat tofu (soy) and hydrolyzed protein (soy) and many other foodlike substances (soy). It was supposed to help our hormone balance and give us the “clean” protein we needed. Well now, breast cancer, difficult menopause, thyroid imbalances are endemic in women and feminizing effects are reported in men. You connect the dots. I’m tired of doing so. My own (rather serious) health issues in the past have forced me to dig for answers beyond convention. And, I’m tired of writing. I’m going to leave here a reading and viewing list that you may or may not be open to. IMO, these brilliant thinkers have put the puzzle together driven by their innate curiosity, exhaustive research and probably their own discomfort with continuously repeated misinformation. It’s not comfortable, be assured! And it’s not profitable. But if not for your own well-being, perhaps for the good of the land, the animals, your children and grands, read and view what these authors have discovered. You will, at the very least, see a radically different view from what is popular and perhaps, just perhaps, you will become a force to reclaim our soils and help normalize climate. You may see how your health issues and the now global epidemic of “not-wellness” is connected to the global scam about food production and further, about what this human body is designed to thrive on. Pull back, way back and look at the big picture. It takes a jolt to force us to and look at the big picture, the grand scale. I’ve had a few. Eating a plant-based diet is now mainstream. It is the right thing to do. After all who wants to kill animals? I LOVE animals and like many of you, I’ve done my share of rescuing dogs, horses, cats, birds. Nobody’s heart hurts more than mine when I pass feedlot hell seeing those dear cows standing in toxin-laced manure and breathing unbreathable air. But things need to change on an even larger scale. A plant diet does not help those cows, nor does it help human health. (I grant there may be a very few exceptions). We must repair the land, return as many indigenous species to habitat as possible, and we will reap the benefits. I guarantee – that vision, when fulfilled, will repair both the land and the human and animal populations. And beyond that – our collective psyche. This may be unpalatable to some of you but I’m done with watching a sick population getting sicker and pussy-footing around such a pivotal issue. While my father-in-law lies in a hospital bed now gravely ill with what I consider to be an entirely preventable condition, the fire in my belly dictates that I share these thoughts.
Here’s a starter list:
Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environmentand other books and videos by Allan Savory, Eat Rich Live Long– Cummins and Gerber MD, The Big Fat
Surprise– NinaTeicholz, The Vegetarian Myth (a heart-breaker) – Lierre Keith, Primal Body, Primal Mind– Gedgaudas and, written with comic relief, The Meat Fixby Nicholson.
digital edition extras: please read the comments after the video/ article
◆ Why Joe’s does not favor hydroponically grown foods. Soil is not a static substance. Good soil is alive, teeming with living organisms whose interactions are symbiotic and almost beyond analysis. Out of this complex matrix comes nutrient-dense plant life. To artificially replicate this soil formula is impossible. Thus, we prefer soil-grown, sun-ripened, organic or better-than-organic, locally-produced, seasonal foods. When available. There can never be too many local sustainable-practice farmers and ranchers! Support them Tuesdays at the new Presbyterian Hospital)and Saturdays downtown.
◆ What is Glyphosate? Monsanto (AKA Bayer) has finally come under legal fire because of its highly carcinogenic product, glyphosate. Many of us, however, have not been aware of how broadly it has been used and now water reports are finding it in our water supplies. Oh Lord, what next!?
Glyphosate(tradenames include Roundup©, Touchdown©, Rodeo©, and others) is an organic solid of odorless white crystals. It is a non-selective herbicide used on many food and non-food crops as well as non-crop areas such as roadsides. The most common uses include control of broadleaf weeds and grasses in: hay/pasture, soybeans, field corn; ornamentals, lawns, turf, forest plantings, greenhouses, rights-of-way. Glyphosate is currently the world’s best selling herbicide, used in more than 90 countries and on more than 150 crops. Glyphosate use in agriculture has tripled since 1997, largely due to the increasing popularity of Roundup Ready® crops†(including corn and soybeans), which have been genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate.
◆ Some of the farmers & ranchers who supply Joe’s: They get their seeds from heirloom seed banks, family and friends, their fertilizer from animals and compost and their agronomic advice from tradition: Monte Vista Organics, BerryBeef Ranch, Lotus Farms, Jacona Farms, Green Tractor, Camino de Paz, Synergia Ranch, Romero Farms, Shepherd’s Lamb, LaMont’s (now Beck & Bulow) Buffalo, Sweetgrass Co-op, Susan’s Sprouts and others.
Giggles
- Dentist: This will hurt a little. Patient: OK I’m ready.
Dentist: I’ve been having an affair with your wife. - ”Waiter, the steak smells strongly of liquor.” Waiter backs up
3 steps – “how’s that now?” - Knock, knock. Who’s there?The love of your life. Liar!
Chocolate can’t speak.
Joe’s Dining
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM 87507 505-471-3800