FOLIO
by anna rabhan
Could you go a whole year eating only food grown or raised within 100 miles of where you live? That was the question contemplated by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, both freelance writers, after successfully feeding surprise guests by foraging from the land at their off-the-grid cabin in northern British Colombia. The resulting feast made them wonder, “Was it possible to eat this way in every day life?” In order to answer that question, they committed to one year of eating food originating within a 100-mile radius of Vancouver, where they live most of the year. The resulting website articles led to the creation of www.100milediet.org and to their book, Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally.
The authors examine where the food we eat comes from. They discover that “the food we eat now typically travels between 1,500 and 3,000 miles from farm to plate” and that the distance is likely continuing to increase. They also discover that shipping food nationally uses 17 times more fuel than a regional food system. These facts, and the authors’ desire to “live more lightly on the planet,” drive the experiment and the book.
The co-authors alternate writing each chapter, which adds a fascinating layer of perspective. They begin in March, titling each chapter with the month, and they preface each chapter with a recipe. The food itself becomes a character with its own life as they weave the story of the discovery or acquisition of ingredients throughout the chapter. The way the authors describe the magic of that first meal in the cabin reflects the elegant style of writing that pervades the book. “It was the kind of meal that, when the plates were clean, led some to dark corners to sleep with the hushing of the wind, and others to drink mulled wine until our voices had climbed an octave and finally deepened, in the small hours, into whispers.”
There are delightful jewels of humor throughout the book. The first chapter finds the authors adjusting to their new diet with the lack of imagination inherent in the beginnings of most great experiments. In other words, they eat a lot of potatoes. Potato Amuse Bouche is the opening recipe of the next chapter. The recipe ends with, “Serve in the center of a very large plate, alone and a little heartbreaking.”
The authors lead their readers on a journey to discover what it means to eat locally, where food really comes from, where it could come from provided people have open minds, the connection between humans and their food, and even much about themselves and their relationship with each other.
Along the way, the reader learns plenty. The examination of the concept of “traceability” is eye-opening. The connection drawn between human history and food and the decline of genetic diversity in our food is also fascinating. While the authors present compelling evidence and make a solid case for regional food systems, this is not your stereotypical “green” book with an impossible heap of statistics, studies and dry facts. In this elegantly written adventure, the authors vividly describe the landscape all around them. They set the scene for the city they live in, the countryside around it and all the magical places they visit, from Minnesota to Malawi, in their quest to understand man’s relationship with food. By the end of the journey, the reader feels he has been to exotic places and seen uncommon things.
The reader is likewise transported as the authors experience resounding successes, such as regaining confidence in food safety. As they make the decision to eat meat after 15 years of vegetarianism, they realize, “Our faith in the food we were eating was higher than ever before; in fact, we’d only realized how much confidence we’d lost in the food system when we started to regain it.”
They make clear, however, that this is no Pollyanna idyll, as we also witness the devastating setbacks the authors face. Their first attempt at preparing a “local” meal ends up costing more than they normally spend on food in two weeks. There is also a shocking description of a chemical spill into a river which causes a fish kill just as they were planning to stock up for the winter on salmon from that river.
Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally is one of the best “green” book that’s come out in the last five years. It’s a beautifully written, fascinating look at our food, food sources and our motives behind the engineering of the two, as well as the vast possibilities we may not be considering. It is intellectually satisfying, as riveting and entertaining as fiction and as delectable as garden-fresh spring vegetables.
eating locally
www.100milediet.org
The authors’ site contains great local eating tips and resources.
www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307347336
This is the U.S. publisher’s link. The book is also sold as Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet.
www.localharvest.org
This site is useful for finding farmers markets, CSAs, farms and more.
www.attra.ncat.org
Visit the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service site to learn about such topics as organic farming.
www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0
The USDA’s “organic” designation is the most trusted. Learn how a product earns “USDA Certified Organic” status and more at this site.
www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html
Learn to preserve your farmers market surplus in a variety of ways.
www.annarabhan.com/JaxFarmersMarkets.shtml
This is an extensive list of Jacksonville area farmers markets.
www.sustainabletable.org
Type in your state and the specific season and see what’s fresh and local.
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