Crunchy?

I have been thinking about writing about this subject for some time now.  Actually there will probably be several posts that will fall into the category "crunchy".  

What is "crunchy"?  I came across this term recently, and I realized that to some extent it does describe me.

Urban Dictionary says crunchy is:

Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc. 

Also used to describe establishments where alternative foods and products are sold, i.e. natural food stores. 

uh, well maybe not.... At least not by this definition. But by some definitions, I lean to the "crunchy side" my lifestyle is not really for environmental reasons, although some things I do (or want to do) would be considered "green".  

For the record, I am not a liberal. I do not buy into all the global warming stuff...politically I am Libertarian.  However, I think it would be great to have solar or wind energy.  If and when we build a house, I would love to put solar panels on it.  

If I were to have another baby...I'm NOT going to, but IF I did, I would probably use cloth diapers.  It is not for environmental reasons, I just think it is better for the baby (less chemicals) and actually cheaper.  

I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I don't eat very much meat.  I live in China and sometimes the meat here is just gross.  I just skip it to avoid gagging.  I don't like organs or bones or other stuff like that in my meat.  I eat less meat when I am in the US, because it is cheaper, and I don't want to shock my body too much when I am there for 6-8 weeks.

  The stuff in the news recently, about pink slime, is really disgusting.  Not because they use other parts (I eat hot dogs and stuff, and just don't think about what is in it), but because they treat the stuff with ammonia.  Gross!! And that is coming from a girl that lives in China. 

I do want to grow some of our own food.  I loved having fresh eggs when we raised chickens.  When we return to the US or have room, we will have a garden and chickens.  

I think much of our food is overly processed.  Whenever I can, we will make or grow our own food.  But that does not mean that we won't drink soda or eat chips sometimes.  

Being overweight is pretty rare here in China.  Although, I do see it more than we used to.  If a kid is fat here, often people will say it is because they eat too much KFC.  I think that many people here are thinner because they eat less processed food than we do in the US.

I think that modern medicine is great.  But I do feel that Western medicine lacks some things.  I like the idea of holistic medicine and some folk remedies.  I wish I knew more about some of the traditional Chinese medicine.  I like the concept, but I admit that I am very skeptical about drinking a tea with some dried creature in it.  But things like Ginger and peppermint can really settle one's stomach.  

Lately I have been reading a lot about essential oils, and I do think that they have some health benefits.  I also love the way they (some of them) smell.

I have several ideas for blog posts that may fall into the “crunchy” category, but before that, I wanted to share some of my rambling thoughts on the subject.