How deep does my muffin run?

At first glance, I would think that there is little to 'uncover' about one of Hard Times Cafe's muffins, as unique (and sometimes unusual) as they are. If I'm justifying my somewhat-frequent purchase of these 'almost meals' on economics grounds, I might claim to be quite rational, as a buyer of local, freshly-made food, and cite its low price of $2 (or $1 the next day) relative to its probability of maximizing my enjoyment, which is high, as the beginning and end of my experience here.

Indeed, all of this is true and is part of why I buy one with a coffee every few days - my favorite is "banana-chocolate chip" (I won't try to do it justice by merely describing it's superior dynamic integrity here); yet after several semesters of Hard Times patronage, I think it is important to ask myself why I come there, as well as what it means to make the decision to do so with intention rather than out of subconscious habit or for convenience's sake.

Funnily enough, the moment I start to uncover these answers, the questions get interesting: the first thing I realize is that beyond the obvious ingredients of [insert fruit, nut, spice, or chocolate here] and 'muffin stuff,' I have no idea what is in the HTC muffin. This is a red flag.

There are plenty of categories through which Hard Times could be argued as an ethical choice: its cooperatively-owned and operated business practice makes a major statement for local economy and fair labor causes; its entirely meatless menu avoids contact with a major link in the factory farming chain, and the extra vegan options acknowledge a sometimes neglected subgroup within the community (- not to mention the other subgroup, which needs a place to stay warm/focus/listen to death metal and talk about god until 4am).

While I have acknowledged these ethical factors from time to time as motivators to spend time there (I would of course prefer to stick to such choices as they become available) the black box represented by my faith in the muffin's goodness - they must be organic, [etc.] right? - might be as much a perpetuation of symbolic violence as I see in the kind of blind support enjoyed by the benevolent image of the Green Movement.
Short of having an existential crisis, I am disturbed by the moral proximity of my situation to that of, say, trusting the 'granola' label of a cheese in the organic dairy section at Rainbow.

When I next stop in at Hard Times, I may inquire about what goes into their 'muffin stuff,' upon the answering of which I could seek out knowledge of the point at which those ingredients connect to the greater picture (of corn, grain, etc); this could ruin it for me, but at that moment, I just may appreciate that muffin more than I ever have.