Feb 9, 2009

i am grateful for world trade



good morning blogiverse. i had an eye opening weekend. the thaw has begun with a new warming trend. and i am seeing the world with new hope and a bit of clarity this morning. and so, a bit of food philosophy to begin the week. 

i am begging here for a bit of reason regarding the guilt of carbon footprints for importing foods from further than 150 miles from your home. i say, stop the madness. stop feeling guilty. this movement makes perfect sense in only one regard. when produce is in season try to buy it locally. that is all. 

all these chefs, foodies, and climate fanatics, i ask you, where do they buy their shoes? were they made locally? their clothing? their lighting fixtures? their cars? where were their computers made and shipped from? how about their cookware? is it local? what is the carbon footprint on importing that fancy cookware from france? those knives from japan? how about in their restaurants...are the stoves and sinks locally produced? the china? where was the fuel that fires those ovens and stoves produced? where is the tile from on their floors and walls? italy perhaps? egypt maybe? (i realize this is overkill, you got the idea several lines ago, i just cant stop once i get started!) my apologies alice waters, i simply disagree.

by this reasoning, i should never have an avocado, drink tea or peel a tangerine living in new england. like i do. and world trade should cease to exist. if it is wrong to eat blueberries in february. than i am very very wrong. these lovely blueberries are getting me through the winter, making dreary days seem much brighter. so go ahead, enjoy some delicious produce imported from somewhere. 

there are many ways to live responsibly. we should all try harder. but to associate all this guilt with beautiful fresh produce, which is healthful and wonderful, i strongly disagree. and i bet the avocado and passion fruit farmers are with me. and those wonderful chilean blueberry farmers. muchos gracias. and if you do not agree. by all means, stick to the local stuff. i understand.

2 comments:

  1. amen. i think you just wrote what i've been feeling for so long (but didn't have the balls to write it!). thank you for your blunt honesty.

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  2. Regarding your living responsibly post.

    I agree. I try so hard to be a locavore. I can't wait for our local farmer's market to start up again.

    It's hard with regards to shoes, etc because EVERYTHING comes from China. We have to pay through the nose to buy Canadian.

    I also have the same feelings as I see my neighbour with 5 kids sail by in her Nissan Armada. What a gigantic footprint they're leaving.

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