Buttercups!
It's been a while since I've checked in.
All's well in the desert and I'm pleased to inform you that I have friends now! @Trevor @Maddie @Jenna @Kevin @Madeline @Gabby @Sarah 👯♂️👯♀️
My parents visited me this past weekend and it was truly such a joy to show them my church, workplace, and prove to them that my friends aren't imaginary.
One of the nights my parents were here, I went to their VRBO for a delicious steak dinner. As we savored steak, my eyes were drawn to the butter sitting on the counter. Specifically, I observed how white the butter was.
Grass-fed butter gives a glorious golden tint. This butter was whiter than the girls who carry Barbie-pink Stanley tumblers. (Hydrate or die-drate!)
I asked my mom what kind of butter it was and she told me it was a new grass-fed brand she hadn't noticed before, so she thought she'd try it out.
At first, I trusted her — taking her at her word and believing that, surely, my own mother would not lie to me. But I should've known better; I should have trusted my butter instincts.
You see, after dinner, I fact checked my mother's assertions by covertly retrieving the butter container from the refrigerator. Upon my initial examination of the packaging, all appeared as if it was indeed butter from grass-fed cows.
But after closer inspection, I saw that the butter was not grass-fed. My mother had lied to me. One could argue she tried to poison me.
Okay but in all seriousness, my mother is the coolest and she's read enough Agatha Christie to know that replacing grass-fed butter with convention butter wouldn't be an efficacious killer.
It turns out — plot twist — that my mother was the victim. The victim of some sneaky food marketing.
As mentioned, I, too, initially believed the butter was grass-fed based off its packaging. But as shown below, this butter company was deceptively cunning by branding the butter as if it came from some nice Amish farmers.
I documented the evidence:
I mean, come on. The name of the company is Grassland! This branding is exceptionally misleading. It's disappointing but certainly not surprising.
Food companies have upped their green-washing game. The devil works hard, but food marketers work harder. Stay vigilant.
Though food companies like Grassland Butter seem to be misleading consumers in the supermarket, we can taste, see, and feel the difference between their butter and grass-fed butter.
I submit to the court my second piece of evidence: Grassland (left) v. Kerrygold butter (right).
The appearance of the two is markedly different, with queen Kerrygold clearly showing up Grassland in grace and beauty. Further, Kerrygold has greater depth to her than Grassland.
She's more than a looker.
When butter gives a golden complexion, it indicates a greater amount of beta-carotine, a precursor to vitamin A. Unsurprisingly, grass-fed cows produce greater amounts of beta-carotene in their milk than grain-fed cows.
Additionally, numerous studies iterate that milk from grass-fed cows contains more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vaccenic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, and Vitamin E than milk from grain-fed cows.
Grass-fed butter is objectively healthier and prettier than conventional butter.
Therefore, I do think grass-fed butter is worth it. It doesn't have to be Kerrygold. In fact, I recommend local butter over Kerrygold. (I've yet to find local butter in this not-so-lush desert city 😭)
What remains central, nevertheless, is that we keep running on (grass-fed) butter.
p.s. Love you, mom!