food

I like food. Not in a I'll eat anything way, but in an I like good food way. I'm not a vegetarian, vegan, or non-red meat eater. I've heard arguments for all of these things, and I find myself being in the "all things in moderation" camp. Recently I picked up a book at the library that has me really thinking about food in ways I never imagined. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is a very worthy read. I'm about 2/3 of the way through and find it in my hands daily.

It's a story about a family that chooses to grow and eat food from local sources for a year. It's a personal story including recipes that make my mouth water. It also tells the story of agriculture and how it has turned into agri-business in a massive way. Some of it is pretty scary stuff. It also talks about the high cost of transporting food, and not just in dollars, but in food value. I never really gave any thought to where my food comes from before.

I live in California where nearly everything is raised, made, or grown. Then why in the heck does the milk I buy every week come from Illinois. There are dairies within 50 miles of here. I read labels today at the grocery store in search of California products. It makes sense to me that I should keep my dollars in my state and that my food will be fresher if it's local. The added bonus of saving the earth is there, too. We can't afford to waste fuel transporting food from other countries and states when it's all available here. Can you believe that the closest made cheese came from Oregon? This is crazy. I did find California milk, but paid almost twice the amount that Illinois milk cost. I bought California tomatoes and passed up the ones from Mexico. California Strawberries and passed up South American bananas. San Francisco bread and passed up New Jersey bread. I can't wait until the seasonal farmers market starts again, so I will have more options.

I really think that our food supply is linked to our health problems. It seems everyone I know is touched by cancer. This was not the case in my great granparents' generation. They ate the food they grew and canned. Eggs and milk came from their chickens and cows. We don't all have the opportunity to grow our own food, but there are farmer's markets everywhere. Take a moment to visit yours and talk to the growers and support them. The only way our food supply will get better is if we demand it with the way we spend our dollars.