Monday, September 24, 2012

What remains

The challenge is over.  The sun rose this morning no differently than before, and apparently our local eating moved no mountains nor turned water into wine (though not for lack of trying.)  What I hope it did do, though, was inspire a few people somewhere to make a meaningful choice about what they put into their bodies.  I can't help but leak a little sappy inspirational talk here - I'm a mom and a teacher so it comes pretty naturally to me.  Please forgive me.

There are a lot of fad diets out there these days.  We hear all about "natural cleanses" and eating "caveman style."  Everyone wants their body to be a temple, right?  And, to continue the analogy, I guess that there are all different styles of worship.  Some religions require a sort of cleansing of the soul, others value sacrifice, and most honor tradition.  I guess I worship through simplicity and by doing so, incorporate all three aspects to some extent.  We didn't do this challenge to cleanse our bodies, or to feel as those we have sacrificed convenience and flavor for a greater cause.  We didn't do this challenge to honor the traditions of settlers who came long before us.  In the end, we did do all of those things, but none of them were the point.  The point was to see how simply we could live and by doing so, maybe affect some longterm changes in our family values and eating habits.  I think the way your family eats says a lot about you.  Now that I'm raising a child, it's even more important that I think critically about the values we are living on a daily basis.

So, what will remain now that the week is over and what will be thrown to the wayside?  I have to say, I have missed ethnic foods and flavors - cumin, curry, fish sauce, and sesame oil.  I have missed olive oil and pasta and rice.  I have also missed the option of going out to restaurants or meeting friends for a drink.  All of these things will return to our diets.  Local eating is not cheap and it is not convenient.  One would think that eating food from two miles down the road should be markedly more affordable and accessible than similar food produced two thousand miles away, but that is not the state of food in our country right now.  I'm not saying that it will ALL be thrown to the wayside.  There are some elements that we will continue in our daily diets.  We will continue to use our own sea salt and fresh herbs.  Though they are slightly more expensive, I will continue to buy local eggs and milk because the difference in quality is so notable.  And I will make the pilgrimage to the winter farmer's market to see what produce I can buy year round.  Maybe most important for our health, we will eat fewer processed foods.  I enjoyed my time in the kitchen and though I can't commit to spend 4 hours cooking every day forever, I do think it's worthwhile to make more of our own foods like bread, yogurt, and cheese.

Baby grommet seems pleased to be allowed his old foil packets of fruit puree.  I know it was healthier and even cheaper to feed him my homemade applesauce, but the convenience of handing him something that he can feed himself happily for a few minutes is unbeatable.  I think he must have missed pasta, too, since I just found him doing this:


Oh, and in case you're wondering, breakfast this morning was oatmeal for both of us.  I also had half a bagel and he had a fruit puree packet (gasp!)  





       

1 comment:

  1. Great fun, enjoy your return, guilt free, to the 'new normal' which will include 'mindful' eating and good beer!

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