Chicagoist: Local Challenge: Wrap Up

guest

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:13:57 -0600

I agree that it is important to have a balance and I agree that people are weirdly militant about it, but I do think that it makes a point that just may make someone stop, pull their head out of the bowl of Chilean-grown raspberries in January and think a bit about the impact they may be having on the world just so they can indulge in those cardboard-tasting fruits. I, for one, drank wine all week. And none of it, my friend, was from anywhere near Illinois. In fact some of it was from a box from Target. But I also spent time getting some stuff from the market and putting it up for the winter so I could eat those raspberries in January and at least 1) they will taste like raspberries and 2) they won't have logged more miles flying in from Lord knows where than I have flown in my life. I am not sure how those raspberries are as important as just taking five minutes to put some in the freezer in September. Personally, I find a lot of the hippy-bourgeiosie snobs to be as repugnant as you, but I don't really think a personal distaste for public breast feeding is an argument in support of global agribusiness. And, Lisa, since you brought it up, yes, you are going to learn to can. For apartment/condo dwellers, canning food so it can sit in a closet instead of taking up space in the tiny freezer can be the make or break on eating well, er, local.

lshames

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:05:54 -0600

Yes, it is all about balance and, as Sarah Stegner said at the brunch yesterday, "It's a personal thing as to where you draw the line."

matty

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:01:35 -0600

While i enjoy the local foods movement - illinois and wisconsin have the bestfarm land in the country - some people are seriously militant about it. I watched this show about a SF banquet made from all local foods to be surved "at lunar high" and everyone just seemed like hippy-bourgeiosie snobs who would breastfeed their kids at the table. Ok, I don't know where I am going with this, but good food from around the world is as important as supporting locally grown food as well. Good to have a nice balance.