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Thursday, November 29, 2007

Save the lunch meat, save the world?

There's no accounting for taste. Bubba, who will happily eat Totino's pizza rolls, Aunt Jemima's frozen breakfast, and Cheese Wiz, adamantly refuses to touch cold lunch meat. So when it comes to packing his lunch each day, I'm left with only 2 sandwich options: peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey.

Who among us haven't at one time subsisted on a steady diet of PB&J sandwiches? Even after I graduated from high school, I still toted the brown bag with said sandwich to work. They're inexpensive, easy to make, and have considerably less calories than a #1 combo from Burger King. I've even perfected the preparation process: after applying a lavish scoop of peanut butter to one slice of bread, I spread a thin film of peanut butter on the other slice to prevent the jelly or honey from saturating through. Works like a charm.

Despite the benefits of the PB&J, I must admit I've grown weary of the sandwich. These days I rarely choose to eat a PB&J for lunch. Which is why I feel more than a little guilt as I prepare Bubba's lunch each morning, knowing he too will soon tire of the sandwich, if he hasn't already. I pose the question "honey or jelly?" energetically, trying to pretend that he really does have a vast array of menu options to choose from and that they are all delicious. I comment on his waistline and the extra dollars in our checking account, hoping to lengthen the time he'll endure packing the brown bag to work.

I recently came across a website that may further aid my cause to keep Bubba eating the PB&J. The PB&J Campaign claims that skipping on lunch meat and eating a PB&J sandwich just may save the planet. How so? you wonder. The site claims that if you have a PB&J instead of a ham sandwich or a hamburger, you save the equivalent of almost 3.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. A PB&J is a plant-based meal, and converting animals into food is so inefficient. Eating a PB&J conserves both water and land. According to the site, the water it takes to produce the beef on one roast beef sandwich could produce peanuts for about 17 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the land that it takes to produce that beef could produce peanuts for 19 PB&Js.

Could it be that Bubba's aversion to lunch meat stems from his concern about the environment? Will he soon be promoting a green agenda and winning Oscars and Nobel awards? Probably not. But if I can convince him that eating a PB&J not only saves his waistline but the environment too, we might have a few extra greens in our wallet each month.

6 comments:

janel said...

Greens in the wallet...ha ha! A few days ago I opened Mark's lunchbag and found a can of chicken. My only explanation is that I really needed to go to the store, and...well, I admit that sometimes I think I'm too busy to pack his lunch. Maybe I can perfect your PB+J making methods, but until then, I better at least make sure he's got a can opener with that chicken.

Unknown said...

I absolutely love your writing! I am waiting to see an article in a magazine with your name on it. I had to laugh when you wrote about the process of making a PB&J sandwich with the thin layer of peanut butter on the second piece so the jelly wouldn't soak in--I too discovered that little trick sometime in the last year when every lunch has consisted of a PB&J sandwich! Thanks for making me laugh at myself. I just wish you were here telling the story in person.

Stacy and Mike said...

So I am reading this to Mike and he says, "Wow, Kim makes Bubba lunch? She probably makes him breakfast too while she's at it" I say, "And she probably irons his shirt and kisses him out the door."
So right now Kim, you are looking like a great wife. Tell Bubba to be grateful for a PB&J. Some husbands are deprived and have to make it themselves if they want to eat.
Question: Tell me you don't set out his clothes in the morning for him. :)

Dynamic Chiropractic said...

I understand you plight, it was with great delight when Alison and Lisa begged to take school lunch. I was able to skip the guilt of them having PB&J everyday for lunch, and know that they are being exposed to a vast array of yummy, yucky food. When he tires of the PB&J you could argue that it is better the school lunch?
Marci

Seth said...

Kim I agree that you are a fantastic writer. You need to get paid to do this.
I am a leftover junkie. Denise plans enough food each time she cooks so I can have a day or two of leftovers. While she doesn't assemble my lunch every day, she does cook almost all of the food that I eat in my lunch and it saves us tons of money.

janel said...

Please write more! I'm missing you already. How's Gary, I mean, Munster?