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Saturday, May 9, 2009

My Own Reasons for Hope

The title of this post refers to "Reason for Hope," another book by Jane Goodall. As I continue to reflect on what I learned in Vegas, I'm trying to reconcile how I can live in a culture of such excess and instant gratification and still believe I'm making a positive impact. Vegas was an escape from the real world, and I hope not indicative of our culture as a whole. Now back in Philly I have a renewed determination to make informed decisions and stick to my beliefs. Everyday I seem to see changes for the better that make me feel just a little bit optimistic. People are starting to think about where food comes from, and locally and sustainably produced food is starting to become more than a passing trend.

When thinking about the problems created by food, the old saying "Think globally and act locally" couldn't be more true. I'll admit I'm addicted to Food Network (much more on that later) but I happened to catch a program on public television called "Farm to Fork." It's part of Gourmet Magazines "Diary of a Foodie" series and I am happy to see that chefs and farmers around the world still believe in food made the old fashioned way, by hand and with an understanding of how it's produced. It's a great series if you want food without all the "Bam" and reality competitions.

I was also heartened by an article that I saw in the local alternative magazine, Grid. It featured the Urban Nutrition Initiative that's involving West Philadelphia students in food production and education. I'm probably not explaning it well, but it's making a difference. It makes me feel like there is good going on everywhere if you look hard enough.

1 comment:

  1. I'm enjoying your blog- just spent a nice bit of time reading from start to finish, and look forward to continued entries.

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