I'm about to go to Giant Eagle to get some produce, because I didn't buy any when I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's this week even though I'm out, thinking I would be able to go to a farmer's market this weekend, but I had a hair appointment this morning and by the time I got home to feed my hungry little belly with a quick breakfast, the one in the Strip was closing soon, and I knew I'd hit traffic and would have to pay for parking...... and...... I was sleepy anyway because I got up early for the hair appointment, and I just wanted a quick little nap, it's Saturday for chrissakes---
Blahblahblah, slap me if you will, but the point I want to make is that I'm realizing it's these little inconveniences that make a lot of people (including me today) dismiss buying locally. It's just so much easier to pick up produce where you buy your milk and Eggos and Tyson dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets too. While you're at it, why not throw in your toothpaste and mascara? Why not just shop at Wal-Mart?!
This idea of convenience is one of the main factors that has driven our society to fast foods and super mega-stores, because we simply don't want to spend the time shopping around if we know we can get it cheaper there. And what if you live in a rural area? I know my mom would love to have the abundance of local farmer's markets that I do, but she doesn't (ironically, really) because there's just too much space where she is. She can buy local, but she's gotta hike to do it. And mom and pop shops, or even just alternative grocery stores? Virtually non-existent there. When it comes to food or clothes or anything really, rural areas pretty much just have the big ol' chains. The places I avoid like the plague.
It's like this trade-off must be in the fine print of the deeds of these big country houses-- "Ah, yes, here you go, have this space, it's nice really isn't it, and so much quieter than those crazy cities, but... oh.... lack of population means lack of stores... and choices... so I hope you really like Red Lobster."
The more I write this the less I want to go to Giant Eagle, even though I can get local there probably (for about twice what I'd pay if I bought it straight from the farmer.) But if I don't go buy fresh produce today, I will have to wait until Tuesday evening, and my stomach starts feeling funny if I go too long without feeding it veggies. And I'm depleting my frozen supplies. And they're just not the same, anyway.
Words that are coming to mind: spoiled, privileged, whiny, lazy, upper-middle class.
I'm going to Nicaragua to study abroad this summer and this is one of the reasons why. To cure the gag reflexes that act up when I think of some of these words.
I may be being overly self-critical right now, so forgive me, but it's because while I feel frustrated by the obstacles of doing the "right" thing, or at least what feels right to me, I simultaneously feel like: for people who don't have the extra money or time or CAR for that matter, to try to buy local, this isn't even an issue. Getting enough food for their family is the issue.
I'm lucky to have so many options. I think I'll still go to the farmer's market Tuesday; I might as well, I can! I'll just buy salad stuff today. So my tummy doesn't hate me.
You're doing a lot better than me. My only real food shopping places are Giant Eagle, Walmart (dry goods only) and Target (also dry goods only.) I don't trust Wal-mart's "fresh foods."
ReplyDeleteGood observation on the rural areas having mainly chains. I wonder why that is. I come from a pretty rural area, where there was so little to do that kids went on "Wal-Mart" runs late at night. It was just you'd walk around there and loiter, like it was a mall or something. Pretty stupid.