BlogHer - Buying Local: Not Just for Food, Not Just About Shopping - Comments

I run into the same problem with just about everything

ejm — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:54:19 -0500

I hope it's not too late to be commenting on this thread.

Living in Toronto means that it's pretty much a given to be buying imported food - especially in the winter, and spring.

And in the summer, when market gardens are producing, do I choose "product of Canada", knowing that it might well be from as far away as BC or the Maritimes? And what about hothouse vs. field grown? Do I choose Ontario hothouse over field grown NY? Knowing that there must be fuel costs galore to maintain the hothouse, not to mention possible pesticides and fungicides because the things are being grown indoors. Are those fuel costs less than the fuel costs to truck the field-grown produce from NY?

And as for wild rice, I wonder if Manitoba wild rice travels more or less far to Toronto than Minnesota wild rice.

You've raised some very good points, Alanna.

Elizabeth
(blog from OUR kitchen)

I run into the same problem

Marlene Dotterer — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:00:08 -0500

I run into the same problem with wild rice. Do I buy the stuff that's grown in California (organically) or the REAL wild rice grown by a specific Indian tribe in (I think) Minnesota - since they're the ones who have cultivated the real stuff for centuries. And they are the only indigenus group allowed by law to grow, harvest, and sell REAL wild rice. Also organic, by the way.

I think, where a drought is concerned, I would look for other alternatives. What other grains are grown in Australia? Quinoa? Barley? Spelt? Consider it an opportunity to expand your horizons! This is one reason I consider buying rice from other areas. California is not known for an overabundance of rain and I question whether we should grow any water-intensive crops, at all.

What it comes down to, for me, is being as self-sufficient as possible. Yes, trade is important. Having a safety net is important. But first, we have to do all we can to live within the means of our immediate geographical area.

That's what we've lost, with our industrialized food systems. It's why, even if we get food from Someplace Else, it should still be Real Food that's grown sustainably. I like to know that it's also available in vast quantities for the people who live in the area where it's grown. If Big Ag is contracting with farmers to grow something, and Big Ag is taking it all at rock-bottom prices to sell somewhere else - I think that's wrong. I try not to be a part of a system that exploits people in such a way.

If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research. -Albert Einstein

Here's another thought -

kazari — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:27:00 -0500

Here's another thought - what if buying local means supporting unsustainable agriculture. I'm Australian, but I don't buy australian grown rice (there's a DROUGHT people! Grow something that doesn't require regular flooding!!). This has caused interesting discussions with passionate greenie friends (maybe rice isn't appropriate for our climate, but what if we're growing it more sustainably than in other countries, where we don't know what environmental standards are enforced?).

it's enough to make me want to grow my own potatoes. oh, but wait, you have to make sure they aren't imported, and aren't carrying any soil pests...

Also, I've been hunting high and low to find any other bloggers from Canberra, Australia - if you are aware of any, please let me know. So far I've only found one.

Eloquently written,

Alanna Kellogg — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:14:17 -0500

Marlene. And I'm glad to see you bring up the issue of risk diversification, it's something not many who are passionate seem to understand, that global food distribution diversifies risk for all of us but especially the countries that are most urbanized and rely the most on commercial food distribution. We're proud of those tomatoes we grow - and we should be - but where did the seeds, the water, the fertilizer (okay the compost and the SOURCE of the compost) come from? I've known this, of course, but yet I don't. Last year, after nearly a month of unseasonably warm weather, Missouri-Illinois was hit by four nights of deep freeze -- just as the apple and peach trees were blossoming, decimating (literally) the apple and peach crops. So it was just apples and just peaches - we could get along without - but the impact on those farmers and on the local crop, it hit me in a way I'd not come close to understanding before. In the mean time, my well-meaning and savvy friends said, What do you mean there are no peaches? The grocery is full of them.

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade &
A Veggie Venture

Being one of those people in

Marlene Dotterer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:18:31 -0500

Being one of those people in California, I can say you're right about being in our own bubble. I preach local eating - and I really do believe it's best to get as much of our food as possible from a neaby source - but I often wonder what I would do if I lived someplace else.

I grew up in Tucson; moved away before I knew about eating local. What is local eating like there? I have no doubt one could live well on the produce of the desert. Goats and chickens could provide milk and eggs, but would cows survive?

The thing is, thinking this way leads us directly to the environmental consequences of what we eat. If we limit ourselves (mostly) to what we can produce in our area, then our diet is healthier, with a strong ethnic and geographic flavor. The land can flourish. And we learn to limit our population.

But what about droughts, floods, locust attacks? Not having access to a good, nation-wide "food chain" would mean death in those situations. I think it's logical that we need a thoughtful combination of both systems.

Trade has always been part of the human condition. Trade is essential to any complete food web. I love my maple syrup, for example, and it sure doesn't grow around here! But I absolutely want to buy my syrup from a farmer who grows the trees with respect and care, who doesn't saturate them with pesticides or add corn syrup or preservatives to his product.

I want Real Food, mostly local, nearly always organic. I try to apply these criteria to other parts of life, too, so when you question which store to shop in, I know exactly what you mean. Every choice we make is multi-layered and has consequences. Which means we need to live thougtfully.

Marlene

If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research. -Albert Einstein

What a great example,

Alanna Kellogg — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:02:51 -0500

Maria, of the complexities. I think those of us who live online or write about food (and perhaps, this is conjecture) or live in California or Seattle and the 'hot' food cities might not be aware that the whole idea of 'local' is our own little bubble. Even friends who are very good cooks, very politically/culturally aware, etc, their faces go blank when I talk about local-international food/buying issues.

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade &
A Veggie Venture

PS "Thank you!"

Really great post, Alanna!

Maria Niles — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:21:52 -0500

You've done a brilliant job of providing fresh context and methods of thinking through this issue.

It is interesting how certain narratives and conventional wisdom develop and propagate. One interesting bit of information I read along those lines was about lamb. Importing grass fed lamb from New Zealand is more environmentally friendly because they are pasture raised and the environmental cost of grain feeding (as we do here with cattle) is much greater than the cost of using fuel to transport it across oceans.

There are of course a myriad of other arguments to think of within that one example but highlights that eating local isn't some pat, easy one-size-fits-all to the problems with our food system.

PopConsumer
Beyond Help

Buying Local: Not Just for Food, Not Just About Shopping

Alanna Kellogg — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:24:09 -0500

Buying local isn't just about food, even if the local 'code words' (you know, the language that suggests fresh and wholesome and all things good-for-you, ones like organic, sustainable, CSA/community-supported agriculture, locavore, green, whole food, free-range, humanely raised, flexitarian and the like) glibly fall from our lips if not as often onto our plates. But let's start there.

Please know that unconventional thinking is NOT about dictating my own value judgments. It is simply to provoke conscious consideration, discussion and decisions about our individual buying decisions. Do I hope to jar our thinking a bit, to bump us out of our comfort zones, to make us challenge our own decisions? You bet.

FOOD

Shop at farmers markets. Whew, got that one out of the way -- and isn't it what you were expecting? Isn't it what everyone assumes is meant when we talk about buying local? Don't misunderstand: I've got nothing against farmers markets, I even do my bit to encourage bloggers to support their local farmers markets. But it's too pat an answer. There aren't enough farmers markets and they don't reach into small towns and most aren't year round and too often they're becoming gentrified with gourmet artisnal food products that price-wise and even interest-wise are out-of-reach for most families. So let's move on, okay?

Where do we buy 80% to 90% of our families' groceries? Main Street vs Wall Street. Small shops vs big chains. This is often the shorthand used to frame the battle for your grocery dollars. But here's a St. Louis example (will you allow? it's local, after all) that depicts how this shorthand doesn't tell the whole story.

The Chains My home city of St. Louis is home to two large, family-owned supermarket chains. With a combined 100+ stores in a metro area of 2.8 million, these two companies make up a huge portion of our grocery market. Theirs are great stores, made better, I believe by competing with one another.

The Independents In my own local trade area, the 100,000 households that my food column Kitchen Parade reaches, there are six -- six! -- single-location independent grocers and a prominent specialty grocer.

The Nationals Every dollar I spend with Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart and Costco is a dollar sent out of town.

Choices All these companies -- the local chains, the independents and the nationals -- stock goods from the same major food companies. All import produce from California and South America although the two large locally owned chains stock some local produce during the height of the season and one of the independents hosts a farmers market. All are good corporate citizens. Which stores are more 'local'? Which ones have the ability to 'move the market' with their corporate decisions? Where should I invest my grocery dollars? See? It's not that simple.

Eating out. What restaurants do we choose? Are we choosing the small single-location spots or do we appreciate the value and speed and predictability of the chains? And what about high-end chains, the ones like PF Chang and Flemings and Mortons of Chicago? What if the food on their plates is more 'local' than the neighborhood hang-outs which haven't jumped onto the whole 'I support the local farmer' bandwagon?

MORE LOCAL BUYING DECISIONS

Okay then, let's move on. What are other ways -- if we choose -- we might buy local?

Cars Buy American? Buy Japanese? (And what about that hot little Audi?) No matter where cars are designed, parts built and assembled, auto dealerships are nearly always local. Is this enough? But cars we buy a few times in a lifetime. How about gas? There's the corporate locations of the national companies, Shell, Phillips, BP and the like. But check out independent owner-operated gas stations; because they sell name-brand gas, they may look a lot like the corporate stores -- just check the name above the door. (But if you live in Oklahoma where Quik Trip and Git 'n' Go are based? Those are your local stops.) And what about routine maintenance? Who gets their oil changed at the flag-waving "bays open now" spots? Instead, go back to the neighborhood gas station, the one that employs three or four mechanics. Get to know them, bring cookies!

Books Local bookstores are nearly a thing of the past, replaced by big chains and online sellers. Think of our own behavior. When was the last time you choose the cozy ambience and friendly attention (and limited selection and higher prices) of a local bookseller versus the choices, convenience and prices of Amazon? See? It's a choice.

Church We don't think twice about belonging to a world faith communion. Many times it's what we were born into, other times we appreciate the world outreach of our Capital C Churches even as our small c churches invest in our local communities. But 'local' options exist too, independent churches unassociated with an organized denomination.

Education It's the time of year when high school seniors are getting acceptance and rejection letters from colleges and universities. How many covet spots at state schools, true 'local' options? Community colleges are well-named -- they cater to a local population, young students and adults who mix education, work and family right there at home. Kids educated at home are more likely to stay at home, marry and start their families nearby, raising another generation of locals.

Classes I love taking cooking classes but the same concept applies here. Should I sign up for the classes that are most interesting? Or should I buypass classes at the local Whole Foods or the local Viking, say, for a class at my favorite local kitchen store. The same idea applies to health clubs, yoga classes, etc. where there are so many local options.

Vacation Ahh, springtime in Paris, the thrill of a whirlwind trip to New York or the spectacle of a weekend in Las Vegas or the awe of approaching the Grand Canyon the first time. For most of us, these are hardly local. What are the locavore weekend and vacation destinations just waiting to be explored? How well do you know your own city, your own state?

Blogs What about local blogs? Do we make it a point to encourage new bloggers in our local area? Offer assistance? Comment regularly? Create special blogrolls?

Friends Okay, so there's no 'buying' friends. But the idea of 'local' can apply to our friendships, too, especially for bloggers who love the friendships that emerge within our online bubbles. What about the friends we can see face-to-face, walk the dog with, share a meal with, the ones that can meet our families and know us so well they can 'see' a good day on our faces? Local friends, too, are worth 'shopping' for, worth our 'repeat business'.

DON'T JUST BUY, INVEST

But in the end, it's thinking about how friendship fits into the local equation that makes me realize: 'buying' local is too easy. It might make our modern and magnanimous social-justice selves feel good. Instead, let me suggest that 'buying' is passive, the simple exchange of goods for cash, no commitment, no relationship, no future. Instead, we might consider each dollar spent as an 'investment', complete with serious consideration of its 'return', that whole economic-social cycle about where your own dollars are then spent and invested. Do your hard-earned dollars end up where you want them to?

REVEL in the FAR-AWAY

Before this begins to sound like a parochial, xenophobic diatribe, let me end with the idea that my local is someone else's foreign and my foreign is someone else's local. The miracle of our worldwide food distribution system lets this Midwestern gal experience artichokes and Meyer lemons from California and kama from Estonia and urfa-biber from Turkey.

So I hope there's something to mull over here. Me, I'm off to my (hometown) farmers market for some (Missouri native) plants in my (Japanese) car but along the way will stop at my favorite (local) wine shop to pick up some (Italian) cheese and (South African) wine. You see, my garden is calling and I'm cooking for friends tonight.

BlogHer food editor Alanna Kellogg's 'local' includes Minnesota wild rice, Iowa-style Strawberry Shortcake and Missouri native pecans.