Trenton had been without his fix for almost a week, and he was going out of his fucking mind. He was shaky, couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t think about anything anything else except that big sheet of sugar cookies he was going to be baking in about 45 minutes. So what if his habit made him fat and sick and caused all his teeth to rot…what else did he have to live for, now that he’d lost his cat and his fiancé?

Agitated and impatient, Trenton scanned the rows of vendors at the Datura farmers market for the black & white polka-dotted tablecloth. Greg told him that their last connection had been lynched by the pigs, and that alley off of 9th street was now under 24-hour surveillance. This new connection had better know how to stay under radar.

He sneered inwardly at all these disgustingly thin, healthy-looking people. They were such sheep! For nearly 200 years, processed food and beverage companies had lured consumers with just the right combinations of sugar, oil and salt (SOS) in their formulas to fuel ‘the crave’ and keep people clamoring for more. The government had industry’s back, assuring the public that consuming SOS in moderation was fine. And within family and peer groups, one could even be ostracized for NOT partaking in those substances at every meal and social event.

The herd changed direction after that landmark 50,000th research paper was published, adding to the mountain of scientific evidence showing how the SOS combo is addictive and causes chronic disease and tooth decay and who knows what else. It took just 7,000 white papers on the hazards of smoking for the Surgeon General’s report to come out against tobacco so long ago. People could still use tobacco at their own risk if they liked. But consumption of SOS was much more widespread than tobacco use—and its negative impact on health far greater. So a number of powerful consumer advocacy groups—backed by major funding from multiple celebrities—pushed the government for the ban. But Trenton knew it couldn't last. Food industries were redoubling their efforts, combining forces with the pharmaceutical and medical industries, and all the others—like himself—that had been negatively impacted by the ban.

The government had shut down Trenton’s bakery. It had been his father’s before his, and his grandmother’s before that. He remembered fondly all his childhood years of sneaking icing from the cinnamon rolls behind the counter. They had only created high-quality baked goods—using all organic ingredients as well as raw sugar and real butter. Here, the butter would probably be rancid, if it was butter and not solidified vegetable grease. He also suspected the black market vendors were sifting rat turds out of the sugar because there were always little black specks in it.

He looked right, then left, and crossed several rows of vendors to a table that looked much like the rest. It was covered with bins of fruits and vegetables, vases of fresh cut flowers, and a few baskets of whole grains like oat groats and quinoa. No baked goods, of course. Trenton’s family used to have a booth at this very market back in the day. The lines of customers waiting for their cinnamon rolls and apple strudels used to wrap around the block! He nodded at this vendor, a woman with a polka-dotted head scarf that matched the table cloth. His hands moved to rearrange a few red bell peppers in their bin as he muttered, “Yeah, so you got the stuff?” Trenton stood nervously, awaiting an appropriate response.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and for SOS-free recipes!

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References:

• Greger, Michael, M.D., with Gene Stone. (2015). How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. New York, NY: Flatiron Books.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). History of the Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Health. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/history/index.htm.
• Moss, Michael. (2013). Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. New York, NY: Random House.

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About @InnerLight: I am a whole food plant based eater, scientific thinker, naturalist and student of life. Come along with me as I explore these topics and share science-based info and awesome recipes!