Genetically Modified Condoms, er Corn

It's been a while and I have no excuses for it. I have cooked a lot and ended up with disaster and promise. While I am dying to share the latter, much of the thought about food has not just dwelled on taste, it has also crossed over other concerns. Genetic modification is one of them.

Not since living in Thailand 4 years ago have I been wary of genetically modified fruits and veggies. If you go shop around for produce in Bangkok you will be treated to the reddest tomatoes, evenly-colored capsicums, basil that stores a long long time and a host of other goodies that easily makes food pretty. An acquaintance (whose not-so common Thai name I forget now) stumbled upon me in the grocery and, after seeing all my bags, offered to drive me home. "Why do you buy so much?" she asked. After glossing over the joys of cooking and how I find all the beautiful produce inspiring, she told me they're all genetically modified. I looked it up, and that has been the beginning of my skepticism towards the pretty things you find in groceries and markets. And that skepticism begins to feed on other things.

Research from Austria shows that a commercial strain of genetically modified corn by Monsanto, this big biotech company, causes mice to have fewer and weaker babies. The strain has been approved and is used in many countries and regions including the US, the EU, Argentina, Japan, Philippines and South Africa.

And I love corn. I like to eat it roasted or steamed with butter melting. And while it would take a lot more research to prove its effects on human beings, I wonder what the implications are for those of us afforded by the possibility of choice. Living in Melbourne now, I marvel at the produce I see. And though a lot of the labels I read say stuff like 'organic', 'pesticide-free' and 'farm-grown', the sheer beauty of the produce I get here makes me wonder as to how much I am consuming is not genetically manipulated, and if I really have a choice about it.