Assignment #4: Question 1

I respond to the omnivore's dilemma by eating as locally and organic as I can. I like to buy my produce from the farmers themselves and try to foster relationships with the people that I rely on to grow my food. Buying bread and cheese that is made locally eliminates a lot of the shipping costs that would be necessary if they were shipped from all over the country and even world. I have been keeping a vegetable garden since last summer. In the winter I grow carrots, beets, kale, chard, and potatoes. This summer I have green and yellow zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries, basil, rosemary, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and bok choi. Having a garden makes me much more aware of the work and effort that is required to grow food. It also helps me eat more locally, by being able to use food from my garden instead of buying it from the store, I'm able to eliminate some of my reliance on others for food.

I also grow my own food as a part of my family's tradition of growing our own food. My mother grew up on a farm where they kept sheep, cows, and grew crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat, as well as maintaining a huge family garden. This is where she learned to garden vegetables and flowers. When she moved from the Midwest to the West coast, she brought her family's gardening tradition with her. She still has a large garden with flowers, vegetables, fruits, and berries. Her gardening practices definitely motivated me to start my own garden. As well as providing local, organic food for me, my garden keeps me connected with the traditions that have been in my family for hundreds of years. I may be growing different food than my ancestors, but I am still connected with the traditions that they practiced.


I mostly think about the environment when I am making choices about what to eat. I know that factory farming is extremely detrimental to the environment, as is chemical pesticides and fertilizers, so I try and avoid any foods that would have extremely negatively impacted the environment. This is what has led me to a mostly vegetarian diet. I will still eat some seafood, especially if it is freshly caught or sustainably, wildly caught. When I am shopping I try and keep in mind what foods are the most damaging to the environment and which foods are lighter and easier to produce naturally. Keeping these things in mind makes shopping new and fun each time because I can always look and find a new, local, organic product that will better replace another, less sustainable option.