blog (January, 2003)
grassroots and beetroots
Since returning home to an environment where I'm at least sharing responsibility for the provision and production of my meals, I've been making an effort to buy locally-grown produce.
Working on small-time organic farms (through WWOOF) in Spain earlier this year, I had a great introduction into the world of family farms and a more natural and sustainable means of agriculture. I'm doing my best to hang onto the habits and ideals I inherited.
An interesting parallel is drawn in the O'Reilly-hosted interview, Supporting Family Farms with Open Source Software, by Guillermo Payet, of LocalHarvest(.org):
Both open source proponents and "buy local" people are advocates of diversity and the absence of centralized control. There is the idea in both realms of the underdog fighting the status quo to build a better world that empowers individuals and offers wider choice. It's been great for me to use tools built by a virtual community of hackers to build a system that strengthens real geographical communities, and that in some ways embodies such a similar system of ethics.
-- Guillermo Payet
LocalHarvest "makes it easy to find family farms, farmers markets and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area."
I'm inspired when I see the internet adopted in this way. Individual empowerment, health, and ecological sustainability brought about by technology, (sometimes a seemingly lifeless and unnatural enterprise.)
ease myself down, comin up brown
In consumption, I annihilated many of the food combination rules I know of, but these little triangles of unearthly Mexican delight had called me from their unformed state of tortilla, tomato, mozarella, black bean, onion, lettuce, and salsa, charging me with the duty of their construction -- only then to fuel the very temptation for and exaltation in their own demise.
day off
Just left the playa desnuda in Almuñecar. My first (skinny) dip in the Mediterranean was short as the water is still quite cold, but all in all quite a tranquilo day. Lots of fun and relaxation. We passed innumerable tourist-oriented restaurants on the walk from the beach back into town and I tried to take in all of the smells and sights I could. I'm still unsure how much I'm going to stick to this mode of eating (100% raw) when I leave this place. I am quite convinced of many of its merits and benefits, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to give up, and that the life I want to lead (socially, etc,) fits well. Dishes of ice cream, beautifully designed plates of rice and steamed vegetables, cervezas, coffees -- even signs with the word pizza -- made me a little bit forlorn.
I wish I had the time and inclination to talk more about the diet; it's consuming me as much as I, it, right now. I have the same kinds of regrets as after reading The Good Life; that there's a way of life I should be following, but know I won't be able to (ignorance is bliss.) I have to remind myself that I'm only better off for knowing more, and with the knowledge I will only improve my situation...