3 ms·

While we may think of 5 miles as a quick trip, back then a 5 mile trip to the local market would have taken most of a day (and the trip itself could be a multi-

by rprasad 14y ago

While we may think of 5 miles as a quick trip, back then a 5 mile trip to the local market would have taken most of a day (and the trip itself could be a multi-day event, which is why we vote on Tuesdays). This is on top of any time the food has spent in storage between harvesting/butchering and the trip. Over that period of time, even cheese, salted meats, and jams will begin to spoil.

einhverfr 14y ago
I am not sure of any of that, btw. First there are a lot of foods that don't spoil that way (i.e. beginning to rot), such as fresh fruits, fresh veggies, grains, etc. Those are still relatively friendly to transport to market. Secondly I have taken cheese, dry salami (salted, fermented meat), etc., backpacking and it is fine without refridgeration after a week even in the summer. These may sweat some of their fat but that's not the same as spoiling. Third, I don't think meats spoil as quickly after slaughter as a lot of us think. I once accidently left a fresh/micro-slaughtered/micro-butchered roast in the back of my car and discovered it three days later. Cooked it and it still tasted fresher than anything I had ever bought at a supermarket. I don't know what the supply chains look like at the supermarket but I doubt they are very short....... Edit: I could understand the argument that many of the things we would buy at our grocery store would have spoiled on the way to a local market. But if most food would have spoiled on the way to a local market that would have made cities fundamentally untenable. And yet London was a city of about two million people at that time.
- rprasad 14y ago
  My friend, let me introduce you to the wonders of modern science. Fresh fruits and vegetables are now heavily exposed to pesticides and other substances that retard decay (even organic foods, though the exposure is lessened). Cheeses now include preservatives that did not exist 100 years ago. Dried meat has always had a lengthy lifespan, since the lack of moisture prevents decay (see the 1-year old McD's burger at SeriousEats), but today dried meat has the additional benefit of sealable, airtight packaging to prevent unnecessary exposure to moisture. (This also applies to fresh fruits and veggies). Many organic foods dispense with pesticides but irradiate the food with UV prior to transport. London and other European cities were never as far from their food sources as American cities are. They also benefited from well-maintained road systems (i.e, paved roads) that lessened transit times. Though as I said, "most" food spoiled on the way to market, not all. Food spoilage is still a problem today, but we have both minimized the spoilage, maximized production, and adopted certain techniques so that spoilage generally does not affect downstream food production or sales.
  - einhverfr 14y ago
    I am an avid gardener. I have a pretty good idea of how long the plumbs I pick off the tree or the peaches or the grapes, or the veggies from the garden will last without decaying on the counter without refridgeration. Note wilting is no the same as decaying. Most fresh veggies will wilt. It takes a lot longer to decay though.

by rprasad 14y ago

einhverfr 14y ago

I am not sure of any of that, btw. First there are a lot of foods that don't spoil that way (i.e. beginning to rot), such as fresh fruits, fresh veggies, grains, etc. Those are still relatively friendly to transport to market. Secondly I have taken cheese, dry salami (salted, fermented meat), etc., backpacking and it is fine without refridgeration after a week even in the summer. These may sweat some of their fat but that's not the same as spoiling. Third, I don't think meats spoil as quickly after slaughter as a lot of us think. I once accidently left a fresh/micro-slaughtered/micro-butchered roast in the back of my car and discovered it three days later. Cooked it and it still tasted fresher than anything I had ever bought at a supermarket. I don't know what the supply chains look like at the supermarket but I doubt they are very short....... Edit: I could understand the argument that many of the things we would buy at our grocery store would have spoiled on the way to a local market. But if most food would have spoiled on the way to a local market that would have made cities fundamentally untenable. And yet London was a city of about two million people at that time.

rprasad 14y ago
My friend, let me introduce you to the wonders of modern science. Fresh fruits and vegetables are now heavily exposed to pesticides and other substances that retard decay (even organic foods, though the exposure is lessened). Cheeses now include preservatives that did not exist 100 years ago. Dried meat has always had a lengthy lifespan, since the lack of moisture prevents decay (see the 1-year old McD's burger at SeriousEats), but today dried meat has the additional benefit of sealable, airtight packaging to prevent unnecessary exposure to moisture. (This also applies to fresh fruits and veggies). Many organic foods dispense with pesticides but irradiate the food with UV prior to transport. London and other European cities were never as far from their food sources as American cities are. They also benefited from well-maintained road systems (i.e, paved roads) that lessened transit times. Though as I said, "most" food spoiled on the way to market, not all. Food spoilage is still a problem today, but we have both minimized the spoilage, maximized production, and adopted certain techniques so that spoilage generally does not affect downstream food production or sales.
- einhverfr 14y ago
  I am an avid gardener. I have a pretty good idea of how long the plumbs I pick off the tree or the peaches or the grapes, or the veggies from the garden will last without decaying on the counter without refridgeration. Note wilting is no the same as decaying. Most fresh veggies will wilt. It takes a lot longer to decay though.