Let me start off by saying Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. Mike likes her as well but tends to think her writing isn't very subtle since you know exactly what her motivation and politics are from the moment you start reading. I personally have no trouble with that, probably because I agree with her politics and viewpoints. Anyhow, I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I read it before I made my move away from veganism. I think what she and her family did for a year was a fascinating foray into personal sustainability and something to strive towards. However it is not a reasonable expectation for many or most people in this country due to time constraints and arable land access. But there are some important lessons to learn from it. Do we know where our food comes from? And, are those foods sustainably grown or raised? How much of our food can we reasonably get from local sources? Can we get to know any of the people who grow/raise our food? To begin to answer some of these questions makes us at least consider what we are consuming. Are they real foods or Michael Pollan's "food-like substances." Because, if we know where food comes from, truly comes from, then it's most likely a real food.
Eating real food is where we should start, and if we can get some of those foods from local sources, even better.
Maybe it is ridiculous of me to feel better when I know where all of my foods come from but I love farmer's market dinners: fish caught by Tuna Dan, potatoes from Lazy J's farm, kale from the Johnston's farm ... It feels nourishing in a spiritually grounded sense to get to know the people who grow my food. I work in Sequim one day a week and can drive during my lunch break to get raw, whole milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery. I can see (and smell) the cows whose milk I'm drinking.
Of the many impetuses (impetusi??) of becoming an omnivore again, was a desire for local protein/fat sources. I can get locally caught fish, locally eggs (and know that they are really pastured) - great big brown eggs with bright yellow/orange yolks, and just this past weekend, a family from Sequim is selling meat from their grass-fed cows at the farmer's market. They have been raising the cows for several years but previously only selling 1/4, 1/2 or full sections. Apparently it takes a different licensure or something to be able to sell small cuts. Here is the local paper write-up. Way to go small farms! The guy is a 5th generation farmer.
So, there needn't be any head butting between local and real. We all need more access to real food and until small farms become more valued once again, most people won't have much access to local, real food. Support what you can in your community.
