Speaking of breakfast and book clubs and “In Defense of Food”, I’ve decided to switch from margarine to butter. For most of my life I didn’t even think it was necessary to differentiate between butter and margarine. After doing some reading about manufactured foods and health and whatnot, I’ve come to the conclusion that even if margarine is non-hydrogenated, and filled with good stuff like flax oil, it probably isn’t the best idea for me, and almost certainly bad for the environment. Therefore, I’m planning to make more informed choices – I’ll buy local butter from the co-op, or make my own as necessary.

On that note, I’ve also decided to start making my own mayonnaise and keeping it in a jar in the fridge. Mayonnaise is incredibly easy to make, and when I make it myself I can decide exactly what goes into it and what consistency to make it. Homemade mayonnaise also uses far less packaging and tastes far better, although I feel obliged to point out that it may not last as long as store-bought (no preservatives) and there's always the risk of salmonella when eating uncooked eggs.

I’ve also decided not to make as much bread. I can’t eat too much at once, and it’s pretty energy intensive to only make one loaf at a time. I also have no space to freeze bread, which is a great way to store extra. So I’ll only be making bread when I have a reason to make several loaves at once, or if I’ll be baking something else at the same time. Otherwise, I will buy bread from the village bakery in Davis.