By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Many years ago, I read that you are what you eat. Because I live in Los Alamos, I shop at Smith’s like many residents. Smith’s provides products from the Kroger grocery supply chain. Kroger products are imported from all over the world – strawberries from Mexico, grapes from Chile, tuna fish from Indonesia and Thailand, wine from France, beer from Mexico, etc.

The saying, “You are what you eat” could also be modified so that “you are what you consume.”

I just got a wake-up call. About a year ago, I purchased several containers of Elmer’s School Glue at Smith’s. I did not purchase a cheaper product in a similar container which was available at the same time.

A year went by, and I was using some of the Elmer’s School Glue today for a repair. I happened to glance at the back label and there it was – Made in China. According to my reckoning then, I must be Chinese.

Given the number of imports from China to the USA (available at Walmart, Metzger’s, NAPA, Auto Zone, etc.), Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in Los Alamos County must be Chinese, too. I guess that makes us all immigrants. Do we all need green cards?

I always ponder if any manufacturing (besides semiconductors) will ever return to the USA. I know that there are 434 abandoned industrial plants in Pennsylvania alone.

One of our former presidents had a slogan – “Make America Great Again.” It was a catchy slogan; however, there seemed to be no plan to make America great again. Therefore, we remain Chinese with a little Thai, Mexican, Chilean, and French in the mix (see above).

Many years ago, I went to see the movie “Gandhi.” I remember a scene where Gandhi went down to the sea to make salt. In a hot, humid climate like India, salt is essential for life. Gandhi also wanted his countrymen to make cloth. He said, “It won’t be very good cloth, but we will have made it ourselves.”

Now that I know I am Chinese (and a blend of other cultures as well), I would at least like to be Chinese- American. I would like to see more products made in America.

Now I think it would be best for me to go and eat an Egyptian date – I wouldn’t want to leave something out of my global heritage.