Bridging the disconnect, grocery haul, the cheese issue

Ever feel strangely self indulgent when you take pictures of your food? Ever feel completely food-obsessed when you spend time daily/weekly/whatever planning your meals, shopping for meals, making meals, photographing meals, writing about meals? Me too. My friends, even health-conscious ones or vegetarian ones clearly don't spend as much time as I do dealing with food. They're surprised when I read the ingredients on their applesauce and frown about the HFCS. They're surprised when I read the ingredients of their bread, ravioli, salad dressings, microwave pop corns, etc etc etc and find various animal and chemical products.

But, I have to say that I think food blogging and being generally food obsessed is a sign of something else. Michael Pollan believes that there is a huge disconnect between us as consumers and the food we eat. I agree. I think this food-brain-thing is actually a way to bridge that disconnect. It reminds us to be mindful of what we purchase and consume. It reminds us to research. To eat less crap. To try new things. To "eat food not too much mostly plants."

On that note, here is the food that I spent this afternoon planning and purchasing. Not pictured here is Brad's cereal and milk. I spent 65$. At a total of three grocery stores. That sounds insane, I know. But, I was out of things I don't normally have to buy like olive oil and margarine and rice milk, so I knew I was going to be spending a little more. I planned to go to Kroger first to take advantage of their super low prices before I hit the slightly more expensive coop. Normally I go to the coop and to Giant Evil. So I walked to Kroghetto (because I was watching "I Want to Save Your Life" and got freaked about my lack of exercise routine) and picked up the following:

Extra firm tofu, gardenburgers, olive oil, romaine hearts,
rice milk, bell peppers, shrooms, zoochs, an eggplant and margarine.

Then I walked home and drove out to the coop and giant evil. I got this and BDC's cereal and milk.

Whole grain wraps, jar sauce, baby spinach, limes,
tomato sauce in a can sans salt,
multi grain tuscany bread, plums, plum tomatoes,
mint leaves, amish mozzarella and organic parmesan

Before you freak out about the cheese, let me explain. I've been struggling lately with the way I use vegan cheese substitutes. I'm really bothered by the way I shun other nonfood creepiness but make the exception for noncheese. I mean, really, I might as well be eating velveeta. The ideal answer would be to just eliminate all cheese from my diet, real and fake alike, but I don't personally have the will power. So I'm compromising with myself. I'll eat a little cheese now and then, but when I do, I'll buy local cheese. Ohio has an abundance of amish dairy farms for me to support while still boycotting the factory farms that I believe to be cruel, environmentally damaging, and generally problematic. Cheese is obviously not a food that anyone should be consuming in abundance, but I think I can work a small amount into my diet and still maintain my food belief system.