Mushrooms have been on my mind of late. No, not the variety Campbell and his co-conspirators keep in the dark and feed. The type that arrive canned, specifically in this case mushrooms of Chinese origin.
While being dragged behind my wife on one of her interminable shopping trips I noticed that we couldn't find any local mushrooms. I had to wonder how it was possible for Chinese mushrooms to be shipped all the way to our shores at less cost than the local ones. Knowing that I had lots of time on my hands I proceeded to check the labels of numerous products. They informed me that foreign products proliferate like, well, mushrooms. All about profit I guess, though I think the average consumer would pay a few extra cents for Canadian products. The goods from foreign countries are sometimes cheaper it's true, but seldom up to Canadian health standards. A little research has changed my wife's shopping habits permanently. Melamine in milk and cookies, chemicals and bacteria in fish, pesticides in vegetables, anti-freeze in toothpaste, contaminated drugs, defective heaters and grills, lead paint in bibs, toys and hockey sticks, defective tires missing a safely feature called a "gum strip" that prevents separation, tainted pet food, dangerous drywall that has to be gutted. The list goes on.
Enough chemicals and hormones to get Mike Tyson in touch with his feminine side. Come to think of it, that might explain the proliferating flocks of Twittering, latte sipping, mousse-coifed metrosexuals in the Lower Mainland. Shop Canadian for your family's health and the economy.
Richard Blake
Vanderhoof
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