Where does food come from? In a simpler (and healthier) world, the answer is: the earth. As populations have rocketed exponentially, today the answer is more often than not: large-scale agriculture.
For the first week of my project, I worked on a small, organic CSA in Helvetia, OR called Abundant Harvest. After becoming increasingly aware of the provenance of my food as I grow older and more informed, having the chance to live and breath small-scale food production was eye-opening. My first realization? It's backbreaking work, day in and day out. Another farmer I spoke to described small scale ag. as "a constant juggling act." That analogy seemed spot on to me.
My week working and watching on the farm gave a perfect backdrop to the second phase of my project: a research project about diners (and more broadly, food) in Portland. As foodha (food buddha?) Michael Pollan often writes about, we live in an age where many people are either apathetic to or obscured from the provenance of their food. As I embark on my research, I'm going to try to take a more holistic approach to the restaurants I encounter--starting with where they source their food. It seems like there's a mounting food movement to promote transparency and source locally, I'll keep track of who's on board and who's not.
No comments:
Post a Comment