Back to when we started losing who we were

Yesterday, after a rousing football match at Audubon park, I headed over to Whole Foods to complete my weekly grocery run. I already had plans to make a quiche, and tomato sauce with pepper and mushroom. However, I wanted to make a pot of split pea daal as an easy lunch option. The recipe is a simple split pea with curry, but I like to add carrots. Imagine my surprise when I scanned the produce aisle and saw no pointy orange roots, no frilly green offshoots. When I inquired about the lack of carrots to the produce man, he looked surprised and gestured to the bags. No, sir, I do not want a tiny carrot encased in a plastic bag. Where goes the rest of the carrot? Why do I have to waste plastic to find my carroty goodness? Where is the wholeness in this equation?

Sadly I left Whole Foods with no carrots.

More and more I realize that I like my food sans barcode. It requires greater assembly, but the effort pays off. I feel better. My kitchen is a mess but I can be proud of what I've created. It encourages me to share with friends. So now, when I have to buy food covered with plastic film, it irks me.

This is one of the reasons I have accepted a position on the New Orleans Food Cooperative Board of Directors. I was upfront about my desire to relocate closer to home, but let them know that I am still passionate about food access and fostering a local food economy in New Orleans. The membership voted me in, and I am thrilled to have even more of a voice in creating the co-op. I hope that we can create a suitable plan focused on sustainable, local fresh goods mixed with healthy, affordable items.

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Now playing: Copeland - What Do I Know?
via FoxyTunes

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Now playing: Copeland - Not So Tough Found Out
via FoxyTunes