The Value of Experiments Such as This

Okay, I admit it - I was freakin' out and raging on Day 2. I tried to get Kari to quit the Total Local campaign, so that I could.
I had a particularly long wait on a bus stop, after a long day, where, with plummeting blood sugar, I came up with plenty of angry rationalizations about why this experiment was just plain DUMB. We are spending lots more money. Yep, it's frequently cheaper to eat apples from Argentina and our choices are limited anyway, because the majority of food, even at our co-ops and fancy food stores comes from far away.

Besides, I rejected holier-than-thou lifestyle choices a long time ago. I do believe that the personal is political, but being this focused on food couldn't help but focus me on my privilege. The privilege to take up some crazy experiment involving food, when people are frickin' starving and malnourished all over the world.
I was more than relieved to give up the "I don't eat (fill in the blank)..." lifestyle to the "Thank you for this lovely meal of chicken feet or beans and rice or..." I was happy to give it up, not because I enjoy sucking the gummy flesh off chicken's toes, but rather because my hostess did. I was happy to give it up because it helped me to connect, to be humble, to be grounded in my surroundings and grateful for what I was offered. But then, maybe you can tell from the foods I mentioned that I gave up that lifestyle where going local was much more a way of life. I was in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras - and much of the food we were eating was local, especially in the smaller towns. In San Marcos, we'd hear the cow's long moans, as each Friday night, one was slaughtered to be sold for the next week. In many places, women walked from kilometers away with baskets of food on their heads, to sell in the larger towns. Primarily locally based diets in these countries are under attack from Pepsi and Pan Bimbo to be sure. Chiles are being shipped into Mexico from India, and corn from the United States. Globalization is screwing small farmers and the environment everywhere. We are all in grave danger from this process. But you probably already knew that...

Today is Day 5 of our Total local experiment. I have gone through some ups and downs with this experience and I really value that. I am learning how to make new things in the kitchen. I made tortillas from scratch with local spelt flour, and just this morning I followed a recipe for crepes - they turned out delicious! I'm more aware of what is in season, and more elated than ever when I come upon a plum tree or blackberry bush. I think we may even figure out the economics part of it - as we order large bags of flour and our tomatoes ripen, we won't be shelling out so much at each visit to the grocery store.

I'm glad that I have had my freak outs, and thought about what privilege I carry - wherever I go in the world, and whatever food choices I make. Like my house mate said, growing food is hella' difficult, back breaking work. I want to support people who are doing it, and doing it sustainably.
The value of experiments such as this - deep reflection and transformation. We'll see where it takes us.

Here is the recipe for crepes!
2 eggs from your local chicken coop
1 cup flour (we used wheat pastry flour from Fairhaven cooperative in Washington)
1.5 cups milk (Sunshine dairy - our source of NW cow milk at the moment)
.5 cup water (from our tap)
2 TB honey (I think this honey came from bees that used to live in our yard)
2 TB butter (we are using Tillamook unsalted butter)

Beat the eggs, milk, water
Combine honey and butter to melt honey.
add to egg mixture. add flour. don't over blend. add several spoonfuls of batter to a buttered skillet. cook til almost dry on top. flip and cook 15 more seconds. enjoy with plum sauce or apple sauce, fresh fruits, or sautéed veggies. Yum!