This morning we embarked upon a quest across the city of Boston. The mission: to find food items, to talk to the local people, and to take some weird pictures. Our group was split into three factions, each with a different territory to scour, and ‘twas rather eventful. Our group, consisting of us (Lessley and Lindsey), Josh, and Christine, was due east on Boylston Street towards the Boston Common.
Over the three hour journey, we met a lot of friendly and welcoming lasses and lads, along with a few that left some qualities to be desired. We were instructed to find someone wearing a New York Yankees hat; unfortunately, while we did find a man sporting a Yankees cap, he was unwilling to have his picture taken. None of our pleading could change his mind, so we continued on our way.
Amongst today’s many interesting experiences, one that was most notable was our discussion with two women in a Borders Books café. We needed to find a list of organic and natural food items, such as chard and free-trade chocolate, but were not permitted to go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Therefore, we figured it was worth asking a local person for some advice or direction. Not only did we get some directions for a grocery store in Beacon Hill, but these two women gave memorable answers to our three questions:
1. Where did the ingredients from your last meal come from?
2. Where is the nearest farm?
3. If you could be any vegetable, which would you be?
They had trouble answering the first two questions, but for the third we received prompt answers: butternut squash (it’s voluptuous and delicious) and rutabaga (has a sweet name). This exercise taught us that while some people know where their food comes from, most do not. Some credited a market, a deli, an elusive “farm”, Chile, pigs, or any number of vague answers, the bottom line is that the American food system leaves people in the dark about the origins of their meals.
In the afternoon, we had the privilege of visiting Green City Growers, a small company that specializes in raised beds and related urban agriculture. Jessie, one of the owners, gave a tour of their operations, materials, and methods. What was most interesting is that this business is just that: a business. It is very different from the nonprofit and collective urban agriculture operations within the city, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Their business targets middle to upper-middle class individuals who are interested in growing their own food as well as able to afford such services. Because GCG is only two years old, they still have room for improvements in sustainable operations, for example use of local compost. Currently, compost is shipped from Vermont, rather than formed on –site. The difficulty of the land acquisition process obviously makes such things all the more difficult, but we found GCG to be a step in the right direction.
For dinner, Ayesha, Jesse, and Ekpa fixed a marvelous meal. Breakfast for dinner was given a whole new heavenly meaning… roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary, whole wheat French toast, eggs with onions and peppers, and soy sausage (soysage?).
We have nothing else to say. Good day.
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