Let's Get Loca-Vore!

It is hard to replicate the euphoria that occurs when eating a dish that includes produce a friend or yourself have grown , or simply a gem from your local farmer’s market. I love all food, but it is hard to replace the sensation knowing the produce I am using is local. One of my most influential moments realizing this sensation occurred on a farm with which a restaurant I worked for had a partnership.  Weeks after weeks I would see large amounts of produce come in but it was not until that pivotal moment on the farm that I had my wow moment. That is when I realized, this is the way to eat. 

This feeling is hard to replace but upon further research, I realized that a spectrum exists from the cult-like preachers of locavorism that do not just include produce, but meats and dairy as well, to people who simply buy and eat locally sourced food whenever possible. As I began thinking in an extremist state of mind what I can grow myself or purchase locally, including all food groups, the possibilities started shrinking. Even in California where we have microclimates and farms ranging from commercial to local, it seems that this appearance of variety is still too constrictive. Beyond California, what do we say to the people in the Midwest who grow only a few staple crops to trade with or have poor soil for much else? Is it really possible to eat everything from local purveyors and farmers? These are the barriers to the macro view of locavorism. Perhaps Californians can make it feasible for themselves, but it is still hard to imagine a person sustaining themselves off of purely local food without stripping out choices like farro, for example, that are healthy and make sense. 

I have come to a conclusion that the idea of locavorism is moving in the direction of awareness and action within the constraints of one’s own home. Let’s be honest, any food grown at home or bought at a farmer’s market has an impact on what we buy in the grocery store. Those small changes will have a greater impact on the environment than a large change in a few people’s lives.  Let’s eat seasonal local food, be aware of things we can produce ourselves at home, and let the experts of other produce, meats, and dairy do the rest. 

Related Articles:

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/locavore-movement-052411

http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/11/14/the-inefficiency-of-local-food/