At one time we were all locavores, or as I say, locatarians. The way the fossil fuel industry and global supply chains are breaking down, we may all become locatarians again.
Essentially, a locavore/locaterian is someone who eats a simple diet of locally grown and prepared food. See also related topics like "seasonal eating", or The 100 Mile Diet.
Being a locavore is a good thing to do for improving your relationship with your natural environment and with your community. It is also the freshest way to eat.
However, there can be challenges for those of us used to sourcing our foods from around the planet, and having basically everything available all the time. It has been that way my whole life. That may now be changing.
“Eat organic, seasonal, locally grown, and sustainable for optimal health - yours and the planet's.”― Annie Falk
Regionality Challenge
What if your favourite fruits and veggies aren't grown close to home? If you lived in a northern clime like I do, you wouldn’t eat a banana again.
And what about coffee? Spices? Walnuts? Dates?
Help!
Quitting cold turkey is a hard way to go.
In my home we have been trying to wean ourselves off bananas for years, but still eat them.
What we did do was reduce our consumption of far away foods, including bananas, which is also beneficial.
Seasonality Challenge
In winter, you may not have any fresh vegetables at all unless you have preserved them yourself. To get over this, preserve as much yourself as you can, and look for local greenhouses that grow all year.
Cost Challenge
Buying locally might cost more, but food isn't the only thing you are getting when you buy local. You are also buying a more resilient, dependable food system, and a healthier local economy.
Eating like a locavore may cost more, but supporting your neighbours and community goes a long way if you ask us!
In our own locatarian adventure we have successfully dropped avocados and orange juice from our grocery list, but are very undecided about giving up our morning coffee. Not sure if dandelion root beverage will do it for us. But it might have to some day. Soon.
And what about my array of exotic, aromatic, and delicious Indian spices? Help, again!
Some things may have to be declared essential, but the fewer of those, the better.
Ultimately, many people used to live happily without bananas and a lot of other imported foods we take for granted now, and we may have to learn to do so again.
That will be the challenge.
In the process of meeting that one, we will reacquaint ourselves with the beauty and simplicity of local living within a supportive, thriving community.
Do we even remember what that was like anymore?
Excellent post, Gregg! I've not been able to give up my daily pot of tea (I have tried many times!) and I no longer beat myself up about this. Culturally, it has been with me from earliest childhood and reminds me of my grandmother and the comfort of sitting at the kitchen table with her. Unfortunately, many of the macrobiotic food items I love are made in Japan - lots of carbon miles!
ReplyDeleteMy solution has been to slowly ween myself off daily use of those foods like umeboshi, miso, shitake, but to keep a small stock for medicinal purposes. The other thing I did was to really educate myself about traditional diets and lifestyle (especially my Croatian heritage) and see what would actually work in my climate (cool temperate with heavy frosts).
I found lots of inspiration watching Pasta Grannies and cooks like Diane Kochilas. They cook local, healthy delicious food that is easy on the budget, especially if you are growing and preserving some food yourself. This may help you start to let go of the Indian spices - maybe those curries could be special occasion dishes? And, just my personal observation, spices and foods that travel a long distance to get to us do not strengthen our health in the long run. The herbs, fruits, veg etc.. that grow at your back door help you adjust to your particular climate whereas those from tropical climates actually cool the body and so are more helpful to people living with heat. That said, I do have an occasional banana myself, it is hard to let go of the things we grew up with.
The challenges of the last few years meant a lot of things weren't available and we shopped online more than ever. I was drawn into online shopping because I wanted to buy ethically made, chemical-free items that weren't available locally. However, there is a price for that as it means more carbon miles and hours spent trying to source things. So I've gone back to the mindset that if it's not at my local shops I just do the best I can with what is available. As you've written so often over the years, buying less is really the answer. Often so called green items turn out to be not so green or ethical after all.
Madeleine.X
I will not leave bananas behind! At the rate Cavendish are going, they may not be available for many more years. Since I am 76, I may die before they disappear.
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