Plenty

Our frigo is full.

I read the book Plenty in almost one sitting. The rest of the title is One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. The young Vancouver couple recorded their year of only eating food grown within a 100 mile radius.

They claim, and rightfully, that most of us have no connection to the production of the food we eat. Some children have never seen a real cow (although this can’t be true here in Switzerland).

They also commented on how food is no longer safe not just because of pesticides, but lack of inspections and methods of production, which has produced the mad cow and e-coli scares. This does even begin to touch on the extra hormones and GM problems. Also the amount of oil used to ship a kiwi 10,000 miles has other negative repercussions to the planet. And we won't mention the cruelty to animals shoved in holocaust camp like conditions.

Interestingly enough, he wrote more about the history of food, lost species, etc. She wrote more about the relationships of food, who cooked, getting to know the fishmonger, etc.

Because they started in winter, their limitations were far greater. Of course things like olive oil were out. Even salt, but they experimented in making their own.

Finding wheat in a region where wheat was once plentiful took them almost the full year. Their first attempt produced half wheat half mouse droppings and difficulty in grinding it to useable form, not anything that would encourage people to duplicate their experiment.

Recipes were included.

But they have a point in terms of food corruption and the environment. There is something far more meaningful chatting with my honey producer on which is the best honey for a cake than walking up and down a supermarket aisle. I love my fishmonger who was at the dock at dawn and includes cooking suggestions and the latest neighbourhood gossip.

It is much nicer to go to Leo's and Marike’s place for our hand raised goats and chickens and pluck tomatoes smelling of the sun off the vine during the summer in Argelès, or walk up to local farmer’s market in Corsier knowing I have been by the farm hundreds of times and I am supporting a neighbour, not some nameless stockholder in a conglomerate.

If the authors had nine to five jobs spending the amount of time they spent searching for food (most often on bicycle) would probably be impossible. However, they pointed out that often taking the time to shop for fast food and cooking a healthy meal can be the same depending on certain factors.

I have tended to buy locally and seasonally, more because the flavours are best and the idea of support of people I know already mentioned. And it is not hard to buy local olive oil and olives when one lives with groves in walking distance. The same is true of wine. So many restaurant meals have been accompanied by wines where I can see the vineyards that produced them out the window.

But I don’t want to give up my bananas and tea and some things that can't be bought locally. And I do try and buy fair trade wherever I can. Unlike so many on this planet I realise how lucky to be hungry only by choice...