FoodBuzz

Monday, May 01, 2006

Last Sunday, my husband and I headed north to wine country for a Slow Food event. There, Michael Pollan spoke about his current book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, in addition to espousing his thoughts on the Slow Food movement. (www.slowfoodusa.org)
Pollan spoke of the many lessons he learned while writing the book, including the unsustainable nature of the industrial food chain and how, in its existing state, cannot continue as is. As well, he touched on his belief that the organic food movement has become splintered - to include the small local organic farmers, and the big, mega organic farmers. He admits that natural foods supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, have done a great job at furthering the organic food movement, especially among mainstream America, however, he feels that they are falling short. Citing the San Francisco Chronicle article Green Giants (which ran the same day), Pollan pointed out the 'problems' (in his opinion) of the current state of the organic movement. He is an advocate of eating locally, as opposed to heading to the supermarket - natural food markets included. As more supermarkets offer organic foods, the organic agriculture system is becoming big business, with the size of many organic farms becoming quite large - even industrial in scale. His suggestion was to shun the supermarkets (as much as possible) and purchase at a local farmer's market. As he puts it, "foraging for food is one of the pleasures in life." And to that point, he couldn't stress enough the virtues of the local farmer's markets.
By eating locally, we create important relationships with the community and the natural world - as well as the family. As he spoke, our minds were swirling with thoughts on how we could make this work within our family. On occasion we head to the market, but find the convenience of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the local Safeway much more conducive to our busy lifestyle.
While it didn't take Pollan to apprise me of the fact that many children are unaware of where their food comes from, or what it looks like in its unprocessed state, but it did bring it to the forefront now that I have children.
It may require a bit of effort in the beginning, but I believe that once the habit of shopping at the farmer's market is established, it can become just as convenient as going to the supermarket. It may take a bit of menu planning - to understand which produce each season brings, but soon it will become a habit. It is a great way to reconnect yourself with the food world - the seasons of produce and the people in your community who produce these wonderful goods. It is also a great way to introduce children to the world of food - where it comes from, what it tastes like. And, it is an ideal opportunity for your children to take part in menu planning, food gathering, preparation, and the joys of eating.

We'll be heading to a market this weekend - exposing our children to the food, the smell and the farmers who work in our community. Yes, we will still frequent the local Whole Foods, but at least it is a start . . .

Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends (and Farmers, too!)
Laura

1 comment:

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