The Idiocy in Local Food

'Let’s get real, people: Globalization is the best thing that ever happened to mankind. Most of the edibles you enjoy on a daily basis come from thousands of miles away, grown in climates where you wouldn’t want to live: Coffee, sugar, chocolate, wheat, rice, cinnamon, vanilla — the list is endless. Civilizations have risen and fallen in pursuit of new foods. The Romans conquered North Africa to get access to its wheat fields; the Arabs invented international capitalism by gaining control of the spice trade; the French and the English colonized half the globe to bring home sugar and tea. The story of the last 4,000 years is the story of our quest for exotic foods.

And here comes the locavore movement to say, in essence, Let’s go back to neolithic times when we only ate what grew in the immediate vicinity. I say: Screw that. We worked hard as a species to gain access to every imaginable kind of food that this planet can grow. I’m not about to give it all up now just so I can feel a little more smug.'


- Zombie, 'The Elitism and Racism of “Local Food” and the Edible Schoolyard'.

Comments

Victoria Rose said…
Interesting spin on the locavore movement. I think for most though it's about eating seasonally and not buying foreign fruit when that same fruit is in season in your area,etc.
Its perfectly fine to grow foreign fruits/vegetables locally, provided the climatic/soil conditions support as they are available for the common man and thus a mass market.

However, only the rich can afford the exotic fruits/dishes that are imported from thousands of miles across continents. Then it becomes a niche segment.

How many can buy 550 Rs per kilo Chile grapes daily?

Popular Posts