Eating local

In the past few years there has been an incredible amount of interest on the issue of eating local. In the book, The 100 Mile Diet, two young writers attempt to live according to such standards. A brief synopsis of the novel is as follows:

“When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically traveled at least 1,500 miles—call it "the SUV diet." On the first day of spring, 2005, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon chose to confront this unsettling statistic with a simple experiment. For one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia.”

I recommend visiting the official site for the novel and in particular, the FAQ section, which seems to cover all bases. I enjoyed reading their response to the question: “Did it take a lot of time?”

Their answer:

“We won't lie–it takes time to find local food sources, to make food from scratch, to do canning for winter, and so on. But it also raises interesting questions about how we're spending our time. What if we spent more time on self-sufficiency and less time at the office?”

They also responded to the question: “Was it expensive?”

“Again, only in the beginning. Most of us pay a big premium for out-of-season foods like cherries in winter or prepared foods like spaghetti sauce, usually with a long list of ingredients we might prefer not to have in our bodies. Eating locally, we bought fresh ingredients in season and direct from the farmer–and we were often buying bulk. We preserved enough food for the winter that we rarely had to buy groceries. Our bet? Most people eating a typical diet could save money by eating locally.”

I’m going to be honest: Time and money are probably the biggest factors that would restrict me from a local diet. I wish it were possible to grow my own food or to avoid supermarkets altogether. I also admire the environmental benefits of eating local. However, I feel like I’m stuck in a rather cruel, matter-of-fact reality, which is quick to remind me: You barely have enough time in the day as it is and your bank account cannot afford to go any further.

I have shopped at the Farmer’s Market, local food co-op and at independently owned, small-scale grocery stores in my area. While I’ve discovered I can afford a few items from these locations, the majority of the items are just too dang expensive. I can’t be tossing around $7 for a cantaloupe or $5 for a single blueberry muffin. I’m sorry, but I just can’t afford those prices. If I start spending that kind of money I might as well purchase a new laptop, the digital SLR camera I’ve been dreaming of and quality toilet paper instead of the cheap stuff I’ve been buying. I want to make the world a better place but I just don’t want to do it while living in a cardboard box.

As for the matter of time, I’m willing to admit I probably could find more efficient ways for managing time. Do I really need to spend hours doing absolutely nothing with my boyfriend? Should I really be putting aside time to check in on my favorite blogs? And what about all that time I spend in the day responding to the 100 or so phone calls from my Mom, should I really be on the phone that often?

I know if I had more time I wouldn’t be rushing off to spend it planning food options or debating what to preserve for the long Michigan winter. With extra time in my life I would set out to write the great American novel or, forget the novel, I’d spend more time gossiping with my sisters because doing so keeps me happy. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of changing my diet someday. I just know that day is not today.

* In this entry the Canadian cover of "The 100 Mile Diet" is shown. An American version of the cover also exists, but I prefer this version.