BlogHer - Healthy Body, Mind & Wallet - Comments

Sigh heard 'round the world

JenInShanghai — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:43:07 -0500

I was dreading returning from vacation this week and having to admit failing at some of my goals. We spent the last week in New Zealand which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The contrast between daily life here in Shanghai and there could not be more extreme. While IT was a perfect vacation, I was not so perfect on vacation. The Sauvignon Blanc would not leave me alone and on our three day sailing trip (www.ecocruz.co.nz) they fed us the most delicious meals that absolutely required second helpings, not to mention the fact that I caught the tuna that the sushi was made from so I should eat LOTS of it!So thanks for not asking for more promises this week. I am going to reward myself by not counting the last week and move on as if I haven't missed a single workout session or consumed an extra calorie.

Thank you Lisa!

RavinPictureMaven — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:28:13 -0500

Those are the very questions I have, and I do have some answers. That's Phase II.

I'll also try to fix the links. They were fine when I checked the article yesterday so I'm not sure what happened and why some are okay and others are not.

Julie
Using My Words

Julie, thanks for the great post

Lisa Stone — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:00:46 -0500

I've linked you from the homepage --- terrific links you share here. What I want to know is (a) what will the candidates do and (b) how will they pay for it? More in one bucket means less in another...

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

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

The problem with "More"

Multitalentedmommy — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:58:51 -0500

This is such a great community - thank you Kristen. (Most hilarious boob post brought me here!)

The problem with "More" is that it is never attainable! How will you ever accomplish "more"? I want to be a "better mom". How the @#*& will I ever know if I arrive? I don't know about you, but I love to arrive! More arriving the better, in fact. Actually, I could arrive all day long and be okay with that. lolol

I so LOVE the smart goals!! Especially Attainable!

~ Cathy

Personal: Mommy Motivation

Gluten Free: Strawberries Are Gluten Free

Great advice!

fordude — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:11:38 -0500

I was never a coupon user, heck..I never even used one coupon in my life. Now I'm rethinking the whole thing - it's definitely worth it. I wouldn't go overboard on coupon usage, but why not save money if you can? Hm...maybe I'll post something about coupons!

Thanks for the great advice everybody!

Thanks Belinda

Elisa Camahort — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:02:56 -0500

I think those are great questions. Most people do not live in big cities, so access to all this good stuff we're supposed to eat is critical!

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

We're trying hard to get "off the grid"

ninjapoodles — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:49:56 -0500

of factory farming and agribusiness as much as possible, by learning to grow and preserve half of our own food this year (and if it goes well, maybe more next year), but since we do eat meat (granted, we're moving toward ONLY eating meat that we raise or hunt ourselves--and when I say "we" hunt, I mean my husband hunts), I don't imagine there would be a lot I could ask (or feel comfortable asking, anyway).

If there are tips about finding locally-grown produce, that would be helpful. People assume that if you live out in the country, there are just farm stands all over the place, and fresh produce is in abundance, but that just isn't the case. We only have large chain groceries and big-box stores--there are no greengrocers like you see in urban areas. Finding a clean source of grain is especially challenging to me. I don't at all mind grinding my own flour, but where to find the grain is always an issue.

Belinda

Any more questions? Omnivores, are you out there?

Elisa Camahort — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:39:45 -0500

I'm sure some of you non-vegans out there want to ask her questions about how to most ethically and environmentally shop, cook and eat if you're not quite ready for a plant-based diet, right?

I hereby promise to ask those questions in a completely objective reporter-like way!

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org