Just back from a road trip from Birmingham, AL to Mackinaw City, MI and back. Took my two dogs and hit the road. My sister, Toots, obtained access to the former family cabin on Hammond Bay of Lake Huron, and requested my presence. I was excited, apprehensive. I have ginormous emotional attachment to the cabin, and my mother gave it to my cousin for reason unknown. I even offered to buy it at full market value, back in the day that I was able. No deal.

But I went. I tranqued (my word pron-tranked) the dogs and hit the road at O-dark-thirty last Friday. Drove 10 hours to SE Michigan, met up with my sister, niece, great niece and left for 'up north' on Sunday. Couldn't wait to get my feet in the beautiful crystal clear water of Lake Huron, not smell the air, and chillax ( a term I learned from Krissie, my niece).

Prior to the trip, I had been on a 'How I Think People Should Eat' cleanse, meaning if you eat it, you better have grown it; for a few weeks, and had knee surgery 2 weeks prior to departure. I knew I could endure. I packed my fresh watermelon and cantaloupe, bubble water, tomatoes I picked that morning, beans I pickled, my new Canterbury of New Zealand togs, dog treats and off we went. Not a bad drive, about 10 hours. The dogs were great....until about Cincinnati, and the drugs wore off. I had been getting a bit tired of melon, and the ensuing emergency elimination, and was on the look out for a little better than shit food outlet.

A decade or so ago, I had an idea to open an organic food outlet/drive thru off interstate exit ramps. If only, I had been rich and impulsive...because I was dying to see a Whole Foods or a damned field of lettuce....but NO!!!! Every exit for 700 miles....the exact same factory formed plastic crap....stuff I swore I would never.....ever....consume again. The dogs needed to get some air, the next rest stop was 68 miles (with vending machines), and I decided to damn the torpedos and take the next exit. There was one that was a little out of the ordinary- White Castle. Thought....maybe, just maybe, they make something on site. Got a couple of doubles ($1.19 ea), parked the car and took the mutts over to the picnic table. Looked at the burger, sniffed it, took a bite....fed the rest to the dogs. I did drink the unsweet tea. Walked the pups a bit, reloaded them into the car, and off we went.

Where this is leading, is that I fell off the common sense high and mighty nutritional wagon I had been riding on for months. It only got worse, as we had another 5 hour trip from SE Michigan to the cabin. And the drive home, a few days later, when I would be out of melons. I was scared.

On the drive home, I was completely out of control, and had to decide, with a tired mind and body, running way low on cash, what I would eat in order to finish the drive. I knew I would get home to an empty larder as well. End of the month, no trips to Whole Foods for another 10 days or so.

If you are hungry, truly hungry....not just hankering for something....and you have very little money, what is the most satisfying choice? Go to the market and spend $6.99 on a watermelon (not even organic), or Papa Murphy's large thin crust with pepperoni for the same price? A Quarter Pounder for $1.99, or an apple and an orange (again not organic) for about the same price. I know what it the SMART choice, the RIGHT choice, the most NUTRITIONAL choice....but the most sating choice is not that one. There are times, when you want something hot, crunchy, salty, filling, right? Right.

However....having been back for 2 days now, and having the choice of my garden veggies....I can tell you, the veggies have zero appeal. Zero appeal. I want an In & Out cheeseburger; a pizza, wings....diet coke. And I want them now. I tell myself, if I get a Giuseppes pizza, it will be ok, because it is made on site...etc...but how do you know really, whether or not it has any more nutritional value than a frozen Red Baron? Huh? How do you know? Because I sure as hell can't guarantee it.

After a few hours driving, with my diet controlled by fast food, I have become an addict. It happened that fast. I cannot be satisfied, I think about food constantly. I want more, and I want it fast. I am going crazy, I am too tired to drive anywhere. It must be delivered.

That was yesterday. I went to bed hungry. It was painful. I woke up this morning, tended the garden, ate a couple tomatoes off the vine, and started all over again. Went to the market, spent $6.99 on a watermelon, $5.00 on 2 cantaloupes, $2 on organic celery, got some fresh peaches, bubble water, and started....all....over....again.

I ate melon for lunch and dinner, had a couple eggs and some sprouted grain bread...and I am sated, completely happy. I am not too tired to drive, but am glad I don't have to, and am chillaxing with the mutts.

So, I get it, when y'all are hungry and want to eat crap. I get it. Just don't, because it will kill you sooner than later. It is of zero nutritional value, so you remain hungry. It also contains so much HFCS that your brain shuts off it's "STOP EATING' signal, so you eat twice as much as you want. It also supports Big Farma (also my term), which must be changed. Take advice from Prof. Michael Pollan, and vote three times a day....with your fork. Teach your kids, hell, teach your parents if you need to...because this is important. We are fat and we are starving...all in the same bodies. And that just sucks.