Steve's rant motivated me to ask my local expert, my partner Beth. Here's what she had to say...
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Beth Carls <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 2:29 PM Subject: RE: [FRIAM] Locovores To: [email protected] Dale - Thanks so much for sharing this FRIAM thread with me. It is indeed of interest to me. I am a little saddened, but not surprised by the attitudes expressed. It seems that what is missing from this thread, is the same sentiment that I see missing from so many of the conversations on locovorism (and organics, and vegetarianism for that matter), and that is the idea of moderation. It would be unreasonable and perhaps disastrous to expect everyone to "go local". But the reality is we no longer have the luxury of doing nothing, and we should all do something to change our food system. Our health and the health of our planet depends on it. I would argue that life is far too short for extremism and deprivation. We should all make changes when and where we are able. For some that means a garden, for others it means the occassional visit to the local farmer's market.The key is to do what you can, but do something. Michael Pollan sums up these moderate changes perfectly in the mantra of his book In Defense of Food; "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." I was also pleased last week when Michelle Obama, in an article in the New York Times, acknowledged that not everyone has a place to garden, nor can evryone afford organics, she advocates making changes where you can and a move away from processed foods. The bottom line is this: the time has come for us all to be more mindful of our food choices, and our stewardship of this planet. And the best way to be "mindful" is to be informed. The folks on your FRIAM list seem to generally be reasonable, intelligent, and well read. Perhaps they would appreciate a recommendation of resources...? I would suggest, as a start, the above mentioned book by Michale Pollan. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. And the book I happen to be reading right now; Local Flavors by Deborah Madison - this book is a collection of recipes and essay about eating seasonally and locally from farmer's markets. Ironically, her "local farmer's market" and the main subject of the book, is the market in Santa Fe, NM. Cheers! Beth Read the new blog - http://inthekitchenandthegarden.blogspot.com I've listed more new work on my website! - http://www.bluevalentinepress.com ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
