Well hello!
I love food.
Oh no, not another one.
I can hear you saying it, but bear with me. I love lots of other things too, like: kitten videos, tea time, borderline offensive colour combinations and substituting swear words for old timey phrases. I’m going to make a career out of food though, I just assume cat hoarding and fashion mishaps will come in time, consarn it!
Anyway, I’m here to investigate local food systems. What are they? What do they have to offer? Why should we care about them and why are some people so riled up about supporting them?
Growing up in the Niagara Region of Ontario, I don’t think I went a day without some reminder of a nearby garden, orchard or vineyard. My neighbour has sold his peaches, plums and pears at the side of the road as far back as I can remember. My parents took me strawberry picking every June and we regularly stocked up on produce from ‘storefronts’ that were often no more than an extension on someone’s house (A trip to Houtby’s on Lakeshore Road was particularly exciting for 5 year old me, because I knew they’d let me in the back room to see Mr. Houtby’s prize chickens and if there were any new kittens from the barn cats). It was normal fare. I didn’t know it then, but I had the fortune of knowing where my food came from at a very young age. Today, I’m an undergraduate student in applied human nutrition and I love food and all it does for humankind.
But
I’m not a foodie. I’m not pretentious or elite in my dietary choices. I’m not so interested in local food because it’s hip these days. Do you know how many people in Canada are hungry? It’s hard to discern, but to give an idea, almost 900 000 people were helped by a Canadian food bank in March of 2010 [1]. There’s so much more to food sourcing than staying cool. I’m looking at my diploma for a B.A. in sociology as I type. The secret’s out. I’m a social science kid too and I care about more than just what's on my plate.
I’m going to break this trend wide open. Let’s see where my love of learning takes me now.
Sources:
[1] Food Banks Canada http://www.cafb-acba.ca/factsandstats.htm
I love how you write. It's easy to follow, and even though I haven't given a lot of thought to local food thus far, I'm very interested in everything you have to explore and teach!
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporated the use of food banks and their importance in the local food market. It's true, many people in our own community have limited access to food, and unless you have experienced that personally (or know someone who has), so many people aren't aware of this issue.
I'm really looking forward to reading your blog!
Thanks Heather! I'm hoping to lighten an otherwise heavy issue without you know, making light of a heavy issue. Hopefully I can pull this off!
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