The Amish Hate Our Freedom

The Amish Hate Our Freedom
Posted by Karen De Coster on May 15, 2011 05:26 PM

I did some modern hunter-gatherer stuff yesterday when I swung by Detroit Eastern Market, which is a great place to transact freely with individuals of all stripes to buy the food products that I value and opt to purchase. I bought pasteured pork (pork steaks, bacon, pork chops, and fat back [gasp!] for cooking) from a local farmer who drives 50+ miles to offer his splendid products at the market; raw milk cheese from the Amish; homemade smokehouse jerky (soy & gluten free); baby leeks (for grilling) from another local farmer; and … sunflower shoots & mixed gourmet lettuce grown in Detroit city's agrarian community. On days when I hunt, gather, transact, and barter for all of this natural foodstuff, while making new acquaintances, I actually feel unchained and unencumbered -- momentarily -- by the heavy hand of the US food overlords and their congressional food fuzz.

Yesterday I learned the crucial difference between leaf lard and fat back; a unique way to use ham hocks to dress up my sauteed greens dishes; and then I discovered the joy of grilling baby leeks and dusting them with my garden herbs and balsamic vinaigrette. I know I am kidding myself about my moments of food freedom, because surely the Feds are somewhere nearby, lurking and looking to crack down on unapproved products, "unsafe foods," and food freedom in general. The United States of Big Agriculture won't stand for its minuscule competitors who dodge the religious canon of Corn Nation in order to bring real food to real people. Surely, my herb garden will be flagged as a national health threat, or worse, I will be forced to get a license to grow potentially lethal herbs on my own property.

In light of all of the federal tyranny being imposed upon the Amish for serving their customers food products that exist outside of the industrial food machine, I love this priceless quote that came to me from LRC writer Myles Kantor: "Do you know why the Amish sell raw dairy? Because they hate our freedom."