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Adriana Postovaru's avatar

Speaking of what Ludwig von Mises said:

"The real masters [in capitalism] are the consumers. They, by buying and by refraining from buying, decide who is to hold the capital and run the factories. "

During the time I lived in Japan, 2005-2007, Carrefour- the big French hypermarket, went bankrupt within a year of opening. The giant French retailer didn't understand something simple, the Japanese don't buy imported processed food. They buy from small shops with local producers and "made in Japan" products. And one more thing, food is so expensive that nothing is thrown away.

Furthermore, the Japanese approach food with a gesture of humility that has always impressed me, very different from what I saw in the western culture (something that I saw in the Comunist period at my grandparents' in the country side).

At the same time in the Japanese media there was another scandal, the Japanese government did not want to buy imported beef from America, despite pressure from US producers. The reason was to protect local Japanese producers, who produce very good quality but very expensive meat.

The lesson I've learned in Japan: Eat less (how much a Buddhist bowl fits) and high quality.

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Adriana Postovaru's avatar

I can't believe how much the quality of food has changed for the bad and very bad in Romania. Bread is no longer bread, tomatoes and apples no longer taste like apples, and finding organic products in the capital is a real adventure. In the spring I went to Paris for a cultural event and there I realised how bad the food is in Romania. When I came back home I didn't feel like eating anything. In France, bread is NOT allowed by law to have additives. There are artisan bakeries on every street corner, and the dough is NOT allowed to be frozen, and bread is only made with sourdough.

But the country where people take the greatest care of their food is Japan. The Japanese spend most of their income on quality food and groceries. That's where I learned to never skimp on good quality food. Perhaps it's no coincidence that the Japanese are the longest-lived, and at 8o, I could barely keep up with them on mountain trails. It's clear that the big companies are shoving rubbish down our throats, otherwise how could they make colossal revenues year after year.

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