The beauty of the concept of eating locally is not what it limits, but what one gains from and gives to the community in which he or she may live. Indeed, I believe, more than anything, it is about creating a community through the most basic of human needs and desires. It builds community by safeguarding the environment in which we live, but also by supporting the local economy and reestablishing the connection to the earth that is being lost in the modern world. Fewer and fewer people know where their food comes from. Only 2% of Americans are farmers these days (as opposed to 20% fifty years ago). There is no progress in these numbers, only danger. Danger because the essence of life is now so foreign to many in the developed world and, most importantly, to young people. Eating locally protects this fragile link to the earth by, at the very least, letting people know where that last mouthful came from.
Over the last few years, I have tried to minimize my ecological footprint. I have become a vegetarian. I have tried to abstain from killing animals, which means, in turning, not buying leather or similar products. My vegetarianism is a product of various pieces of ethical reasoning, most important of which is that I think it is wrong to kill--anything. The second line of thinking is that it takes fewer resources to raise an acre of vegetables than it does to raise a beast for slaughter. If the world were better suited, this would mean that more people could eat. Of course, there are economic disparities that also stand in the way of such a plan coming to fruition, but I have made my metaphorical stand. I have also taken to transporting myself as much as possible under my own power; I am a proud cyclist. The next logical step is a combination of the two above changes: to somehow limit the amount of greenhouses pumped into the atmosphere in the conveyance of my food. The answer, simply put, must be to eat locally (as much as possible).
I have not reached my goal. Not by a long shot. I have grown accustom, like most of us in the developed world, to eating what I want when I want it. If I want a tomato in the dead of winter, goddamit I will have it. If I want a mango in the dead of winter, though no mango tree would survive in my environment let alone during the freezing winter, it will be mine. However, this is neither natural or beneficial. I all but negate the other choices I have made in life to sustain my need for out of season and exotic fruits and vegetables, not to mention the hundreds of other rare and foreign delicacies I ingest throughout the year.
Like all of my ecological (and thus spiritual) endeavors, the cultivation of my food must be as personal a matter as I can afford to make it. Therefore, Jenn and I have started a very small garden and laid the plans to expand it. We have also taken to buying organic food and WHEN POSSIBLE buying food from near our town. This is not always easy or possible. I still love mangos and bananas and other more tropical and exotic fare, but we are trying. This is the only thing that one can do.
I, with my limited expertise at automobile repair and construction, engineering, and fuel efficiency, cannot focus on creating a better means of transportation to help lessen the impact of foods' transport; all I can do is try to eat as consciously as possible. This includes thinking about the people out there in lands far from mine who toil on plantations and farms to harvest for a pittance. It is unreasonable to assume that anyone other than scientists specializing in these fields can make any headway in the complex task of mileage reform; to say otherwise, seems like a abdication of personal responsibility to me. It is all of our job, however, to monitor ourselves and our choices.
It is not regression that brings me to this point thinking. It is progress. I never thought of where my food came from three years ago. My thinking has matured and evolved. And I know that living in Northern California offers me many more dietary choices than someone in, say, Saskatoon at any given time, but, as I said, there is no hard rules about this in my mind. There is only an effort to be made.
Try to grow what you can. Try to buy what you can locally. Try to eat at home more. Try to cut processed food out of your diet. Just try. The trying is what makes the world a better place.
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6 comments:
hey chrispy,
first, congratulations on finally getting your acts together and write! i like the design. i actually used the same one when i started my blog. we have so much in common! do you wear boxer shorts too? omg!!! we really do have a lot in common!
anyhow, lets get serious. here is thang's comment on your post.
There are many ways one can view the concept of eating locally, of course. Though I agree with you that eating locally could be not about what it limits (it is sort of like being vegetarian which one can describe as not depriving oneself of meat but rather refocusing on different foods that have been ignored until that time) and there are virtues in being satisfied with what one can reasonably obtained nearby, i dont think that it is the only (or necessarily preferable) way of establishing a community. There are many reasons why we moderners are so disconnected to the earth and little has to do with not eating local. Few kids play outdoor anymore, rather they are
glued to tvs, video games and recently computers. More and more family trips are to disney world or west edmonton mall rather than camp sites or visiting the near by lakes. I believe we can stay connected to the earth despite (or
through) eating foods from other parts of the world. As long as there is a desire to learn about the surrounding nature (the trees, the creeks, the diverse wild life in our habitat), where the mangoes are from and why there are mangoes in such part of the world (such as saskatchewan) and not ours, to walk through the woods instead of making a trip to the mall, etc. then we can always be connected to the earth and the essence of life, as you put it. The fact that when we can name so few trees when going hiking has little to do with eating bananas from south america.
As for the fact that fewer people are engaged in farming, it is partly because of urbanisation of course, but largely due to the fact that we can produce food a lot more efficiently now than 50 years ago. About 1/3 of Romania's population is currently engaged in farming but produces only 8% of the national products, whereas in canada where about 1% of the population is producing the same amount (8.3%) of GDP. I dont think a larger proportion of our population engaging in agriculture is desirable. If a third of the Canadian population were to be farmers we would have a huge surplus of food (we already do in certain areas) which we will have to export to other countries (probably the developing world included because there is so much to export) and that would drive down the price of, say, wheat or corn, which will only further impoverish farmers who rely on the already volatile world prices of stable crops.
I do not preach a submission to the status quo. There are plenty of problems with the current systems, be it agriculture, social development or political, as there were in the past with the agriculture based societies.
Nor do I preach massive consumption. We could all live a less wasteful life. (People recycle so much in japan, but it barely makes a difference when a box of cookies includes 20 small plastic bags!) The fact that a large portion of the world is living in poverty isnt because there arent enough food. Currently, we, aggregately, produce enough food to feed at least 7 billion people. It is the concentration of wealth and waste in the developed countries (and the wealthy in the developing ones) that seriously need to be
addressed. I remember working in the kitchen of a restaurant back when i was a high school student, there were always plates full of untouched food being thrown away. In such cases, the fact that locally grown tomatoes were used wouldnt have made a difference. (Of course, those who are commit to the 100 mile diet would be more conscientious and wouldnt be so wasteful, i presume, but you get my point.)
I wholeheartedly agree with having a garden and walk or cycle as much as feasibly done. But should we stop travel to other places, of course not. Should we try and fly less by gathering our trips abroad together in one trip and travel economy class so that more people can fit on one plane? of course yes.
By admitting that as long as we live we will always leave ecological imprints is not a resignation a la sho-ga-nai mentality. We need to limit such imprints in sustainable, socially/politically desirable and ethical ways. I agree with your point about trying. We should try to buy as local food while we can (with certain considerations of course) but that is very
different from buying ONLY locally, which i dont agree. (one only has to look at japan, a country where the large amounts of food at the market are locally (or domestically) produced, as an example of why eating locally is not the answer to evironmental problems. massive subsidies
to the agriculture sector distort prices, waste resources and divert funds that could have been used to meaningfully tackle environmental problems.)
Certainly, trying is important, that is why we have progressed at all. Which direction to try and move toward is the question.
Thangenstein,
Thank you for being my first response. It is nice to have a virtue place to discuss issues.
Now, the thing is this. I don't think that eating locally is the only way to build community or the only way to get back in touch with the natural world. It is just one part of these larger issues. However, I do think it is of the utmost importance that more people devote some time in their lives to the cultivation of their own food. Don't get me wrong. I do not mean that more people should become farmers. You are totally correct about the amount of waste in the Western world and how it is leaking into places like Japan. My point in saying that more people need to understand their food--and know where it comes from, which is more easily done with local food--is that knowing food would and should (if taught well) help END waste. Most people would feel strongly about using their resources well, if they knew the work put into cultivating them. When people do meaningful work, which obtaining food is, then they do it well, most likely, they enjoy it, and, most importantly, it causes them to grow.
The problem, I think, with Japan...at least in my experience, is that agricultural work was not seen as something cool. It is seen as the work of the old, what Ojiisan did after retiring from the company. Because it is relagated to second class work it is valued. Thus people do value its product either and they waste.
Perhaps you are right. Only eating locally isn't enough. What people need to experience is what it is like to actually cultivate food. Then, perhaps, they can regard what they put in their collective maw with a greater respect and reverence.
Also, knowing the earth and being connected to it, isn't just about being able to know tree names on a hike. It is about something much deeper and more profound. It is about seeing that we are part of a larger system that works on more levels than we can comprehend. Indeed, namimg trees, in my opinion, is just as important as not wasting the food on one's plate or not leaving lights in when one exits a room.
I guess I am saying that it is important to "regress" a bit, but only to ground our knowledge in things that are real and important. Certainly, Disneyland, iPods, and designer purses are not the real that we need to teach our future generations. Unfortunately, that is, for many of them, the direction they are headed. My hope, I guess, that by bringing awareness to what they are eating by trying to eat locally, we are setting them on a healthier course.
I agree that people should be educated about where their food come from. It is definitely unfortunate that such thing is absent in our education system.
Not only that, if you look at how things are sold, it doesnt help either. Fish are fileted with no skin, no head, no bone; nothing but a rectangle piece of product. I believe people should see what they are really eating. If you cant stomach the fish's head being chopped off, then dont eat it! The
way things are in our society (here i mean north american) detach us from our food source to such an extreme extend that while eating local will certainly help, it should/does not end there.
Indeed, one hopes that knowing how things that appear on the dinner table were cultivated would prompt less waste. (I dont think we will ever achieve zero waste, call me a skeptic but while i have great faith in humanity, it's not reaching that far yet.) In that sense, learning how farmers grow bananas in the developing countries would help just as much as learning about how farmers in the next town grow strawberries.
The problem with the agriculture sector in japan is not only that it is uncool, but i believe the deeper problem is that japanese rural communities are falling apart. Before leaving for japan in 2004, i was in a small town in eastern quebec for french summer camp for a month and a half. the town's population was about 7000 in summer and 5000 in winter (when people leave for the cities in search of work). it was just a regular town and about the same size as nishikawa here in yamagata, and yet there was definitely the sense of community. or rather there was life! though the choices are of course limited there, i could see myself living there (not that i would want to). there is coffee shop, a local diner where people stop by for a meal and chat with whoever, etc. a small theater that runs only once a week. a river with water and jogging path. in short almost everything that the dying towns of japan are lacking. Make the towns liveable and people will choose them to raise their family. That said, i think in japan people waste a lot less food than we do. i think because of memories of the
starving days during and after the war that still live on and also because produce and such are damn expensive.
Of course, knowing tree names is not an end in itself; it is part of a larger picture of one's interest in one's natural habitat and connection with the diversity that sustains the earth (i think we can safely say that a kid who can name all the u.s. presidents is more inclined to learn about history than a kid who couldnt even name the current one). I wouldn't call growing your own
vegetable when it can sustainably be done an act of regression.
Regression happens when we shut ourselves off from new ideas and proposals(some people call that conservatism which in my eyes are pretty much the same - hence the name progressive conservative sounds like an oxymoron). We should teach the importance of food - all food, local or otherwise. It seems like an uphill battle in the face of commercial bombardments telling people what i want is what i need. But it is no cause for despair, because as you
say, we will always continue to try and improve ourselves and our
surroundings. Only when people realise that being unpopular/ different is ok that we can escape the wrath of wanton consumerism.
You have a very important job, chrispy. The responsibility of instilling critical faculty in the minds of youth is not something anyone can do. And you certainly can do that better than me (not that you are guaranteed to succeed, but at leat you have a better shot at it) because you are a lot more approachable and patient (at least you are not the one who smashed his computers twice!).
Just a short response, the thing we need to strive for is a sense of the natural. You are dead on about how fish is packaged. The same goes for most meat. There is no sense of the fact that lump of red, oozing matter was once a living being. I said in my post about fear and nature that people cannot tolerate the idea of risk and lash out against it. Similarly, I don't think people can stomach (forgive the pun) the messiness inherent in gathering sustainance. People don't like to think about the fact that meat recently died or that vegetable grow best in dirt mixed with poop. Instead, everything needs to be pre-packaged, pre-washed, and pre-prepared these days. That was one thing that REALLY bothered me about Japan--while crowing about old values, they reveled in modern convenience, symbolized by a pre-made lunch wrapped in 50 layers of plastic. That being said, the Japanese, it seems could handle some gross looking food much better than us whiny Americans.
Eating locally may mean being able to see the food being processed, harvested, planted, or, even, killed (that would be an eye-opening field trip!) It is of the utmost importance to learn about banana farmers as well, but learning about the strawberry picking that happens down the road may give students insight into what real food really is by moving it out of the academic realm and into the tactile one. Perhaps they could actually get there hands in some soil.
And, finally, I agree with you about not shuting out possibility. That is not my point. Rather, instead of waiting for the world to change, we need to make little changes in each of our lives while pushing for larger scale changes politically and economically.
Well, I'm probably a bit behind the curve on this, but why not throw in a few points myself?
I think some of this has already been covered, but I find that some of the best educational opportunities that I had in Japan were when I shared food with people. They were very curious about my eating habits, what sorts of things that I enjoyed at home, and followed up on it later on. Anything that encourages people to look afar can't be all bad.
On the other hand, so much does go into carrying the food around, and I am generally divorced from food production. I like traveling out to orchards and picking fruit and whatnot, but I'm not responsible for all the work that goes into growing them to begin with. That said, an enjoyment of nature can be carried out without much knowledge of it; somehow, some things are more full of wonder that way. Getting people to get out there and experience life is key. Even in urbanized areas, there are chances to find nature and find one's own community. They're just not as easily spotted. One wonders if things might improve some with a spot of well-placed advertising.
Moti, I think your point about cultural exchange is extremely important. Thang has mentioned it before, but not really in that way. There is some strong draw to food and to know about what it is and why it is the way it is. It lends itself to teaching and sharing, which, in turn, open the world up. However, I just can't seem to get all those tons of carbon out of my mind. They weigh so heavily on the planet.
You are also quite right about just getting people out there to experience things. I think that is my main point. The more people interact with the world around them and learn to see its beauty, the more they will cherish the planet and want to protect it.
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