Anyone who knows me knows I love to read. (Yeah, I'm a nerd) but seriously I will read anything you give me. So recently while perusing at Borders I picked up a book called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life"
This book follows a family who leaves Tucson, AZ to live on a farm in Appalachia - abandoning the industrial food world and vowing to buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or just go without it.
I figured if nothing else the book would be humorous....a regular family decides to become farmers. But as I read it became more than just a funny memoir. This book reinforced everything I feel about food, made me loathe the idea of stepping foot in Jewel (or Whole Foods for that matter), and once again made me realize my role as a chef has to be different than the norm.
I've always known I had a passion for food. I never realized how much until I went to culinary school and now even more since I read this book. Sure people say that their lives are changed by reading "Purpose Driven Life" or "A New Earth" or whatever self help book Oprah is touting this week. But here I sit, blogging via Blackberry to say that Animal, Vegetable, Miracle moved me, touched me, pushed me in more ways than I can tell you. Yes, a book about FOOD brought about more emotion in me than one of those infomercials about poor guatemalan kids at midnight. I laughed and cried and got angry all about the food culture of Americans.
One particularly moving part of the book brought about many memories from my childhood - moments that I credit with giving me my passion for food. The author says "Food turns events into celebrations. Its not just about the food, but the experience of creating and then consuming it."
Wow. Food does all that?
YES!
Honestly, I know a lot of people don't get it but there is nothing more satisfying than watching something go from invisible seed in the dirt to a delicious meal on your plate.
So, this summer (and every season) I encourage every one of you to REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT....go buy some local produce not some crap that was picked last week and then driven 2000 miles cross country in a truck running on $5 a gallon diesel. You'll save money buying direct from the grower and you'll save the planet. AND you'll be helping contribute to the livlihood of a LOCAL farmer.
And please please please do yourself a favor and read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Learn about where your food comes from!!! If you have kids, talk to them about where their food comes from. Do your part to become a member of a healthy food culture. For yourself and for future generations.
If you live in Chicago there are farmers markets in almost every neighborhood on almost everyday of the week. And if you don't I gurantee there's one near you! If you aren't sure where to start visit: www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets or www.localharvest.org or
www.csacenter.org (community supported agriculture)
So that's my food rant. Believe me, it matters more than you think. Go read more and visit www.animalvegetablemiracle.com for information and yummy recipes!
Peace & Love
1 comment:
So my Dad is hardcoe into self-sufficiency and wants to give up his job and start a smallholding in the country living off the land. It was our fathers day on Sunday and I got him this book based on what you ahd said. He has nearly finished reading it and it has defeinitely affected him. You might want to look to see if you can get any of the River Cottage series by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, this British chef who gaves everything up and lives seasonally off the land, it is in a very similar vein and i think you will be impressed, I might just post you one!
Much love!
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