Christmas dinner this year was revealing in this regard. As my mom went to whip up a box of Hungry Jack mashed potatoes, I checked the box and found BHT. I didn

Christmas dinner this year was revealing in this regard. As my mom went to whip up a box of Hungry Jack mashed potatoes, I checked the box and found BHT. I didn’t recognize it, so I looked it up and found the “reasonably can be expected to be carcinogenic” line. When I brought it up to my mom who was mixing it in a pot, my grandma, who survived cancer but is now immobilized from a spine fracture likely caused by her chemo, protested: “But I’ve been eating this for years and I’m still here.” I think the irony was lost, but that’s the mindset that prevents her from taking interest. If it’s not going to kill me immediately, I don’t have to worry about the consequences down the line. My mom replied: “He likes to know what he’s eating, Ma. He only eats real food now.” And she kept on stirring...