Chinese mushrooms, really

The kid was feeling a lot better, so I thought it would be just fine if he drove himself to the doctor without his mother tagging along. The “kid” is what I call my son, Doug, most of the time. Don’t mothers always call their children kids?

While in town, I asked him to stop at the local market and buy a couple of needed supplies. We needed milk, some bread and a head of lettuce ... the usual supplies that we run out weekly. I should have known better. Doug goes a little crazy in supermarkets sometimes. This was no exception. He came home with what I had asked he buy and a package of lamb chops.

What can I say? I love lamb and usually don’t purchase it for two reasons; one I don’t often find it in our local stores; secondly, when I do it costs an arm and a leg. However, the price had been reduced, and we had an affordable dinner. I would really like to know something about this lamb thing. Why is it that in a country as big as ours we are such a “cattle” country?

Nobody seems to want to raise sheep. This seeming lack of interest, or whatever, is the reason our “lamb” is brought in from Australia. Just imagine what it costs to import this meat product from halfway around the world? It boggles my mind. Doug and I talked about this and remembered what I’d done the last time I’d been shopping for shrimp and other frozen food products.

I’ve read, recently, that most fish sold in our supermarkets comes from overseas.

When we checked where all of the frozen shrimp had come from, all but one package was labeled that it came from China or some other oriental country. The one labeled “raised in the USA” was more expensive for what looked to be of lesser quality. In other words the shrimp in the USA package were those tiny things.

Now friends, I’ve dined in oyster bars and dozens of great restaurants in Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia and New York — and lots of other eastern locations — and had wonderful oysters, shrimp, trout, salmon, crab and other fish. All of it came from America’s eastern seaboard or the Gulf of Mexico. And now as a westerner I’ve eaten great fish dinners of crab, salmon and always enjoyed what the shores of the Pacific have to offer.

Okay then, why is it that most of the seafood sold in our stores comes from overseas? I just don’t get it, and it really bothers me. Now we come to this same problem in assorted eatables that arrive on food store shelves in cans and bottles. Ever buy mushrooms in a can or jar? Take a look and see where it says it was processed. China is usually what it will say.

I’d like to know why in the world we need to have Chinese bottled mushrooms sold here? Not too many years ago I took a temporary job at a plant in nearby Dayton that grew mushroom products that they sold wholesale. I kid you not. And when I lived in Idaho I once helped a store supplier during the special wild mushroom season they have in that part of the world each year.

People went out into the woods to collect wild mushrooms and brought them to my front porch. We then sold them to the wholesale supplier who then sold them to the retail grocery stores in Boise. I spoke to one young lady who collected the mushrooms. She told me that people grew, harvested, and sold many varieties of mushrooms in America. Why then, do our grocery shelves mostly hold bottles and cans of mushrooms from China?

When I checked three places, one not so busy shopping day, I found only one that had a jar or can of mushrooms processed in our country. Of course, there are other products that should be easily available in our stores that I’ve had trouble finding. One in particular that really bothers me is not being able to buy local trout. Our streams and lakes are full of this particular goody.

This also applies to other wonderful fish, like salmon. Last year my neighbors had gone fishing and been lucky. They sent over half dozen nicely cleaned trout. My mouth is watering, and I hope they have luck this year. You have no idea how we enjoyed their generous gift.

Edna Van Leuven is a Churchill County writer and may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.