“When we claim that eating well is an elitist preoccupation, we create a smokescreen that obscures the fundamental role our food decisions have in shaping the world. The reason that eating well in this country costs more than eating poorly is that we have a set of agricultural policies that subsidize fast food and make fresh, wholesome foods, which receive no government support, seem expensive. Organic foods seem elitist only because industrial food is artificially cheap, with its real costs being charged to the public purse, the public health and the environment.”

-Alice Waters

Read “Slow Food Nation,” the article from which the above quote was extracted, and learn about the Slow Food movement that Alice Waters represents.

I am a passionate believer in Waters’ food philosophy, and the older I get, the more I believe that mindful eating is one of the deepest pleasures and rewards of life. Like so many other choices that amount to what I’d call “creative living,” mindful eating – which I’m defining here as seeking out local, organic, and sustainably harvested food – means stepping off the treadmill of mainstream habits and carving your own path…it takes energy, but the rewards are plentiful. (This recent story from the Post, “Vegan Soul Grows in Anacostia,” inspired me – Vita seems like a kindred spirit…I want someone to fund her restaurant so I can eat there!)

If you don’t usually cook – try cooking one meal at home this week with ingredients that inspire you.

Other tips:

• Check out a list of local farmer’s markets

• Read Kim O’Donnel’s weekly What’s Cooking chat on washingtonpost.com, and read her blog, “A Mighty Appetite”- it doesn’t focus exclusively on local/organic/sustainable food, but Kim is very eco-conscious and is so creative in her approach to building delicious meals
• Explore getting organic produce and dairy delivered to your doorstep or around town

• Read about life on a local farm

Enjoy!

Tagged as: food