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Is 2010 time for a locavore backlash?

Posted Jan 12, 2010

Only weeks ago we were exposing a new trend of urbanites-turned-hunters for the sake of eating local. Yet we already seem to be witnessing a backlash as more and more start to question and downright reject locavorism. Is eating turning into a crime against the envrironment?

It most definitely isn't easy being green and whoever makes an effort to apply this logic to their eating habits will most likely agree. While farmers' markets might appeal to our more romantic sides they often come at a price too steep for many and we're also realistic about the impossibility to survive without processed rubbish.

Ethan Epstein of True Slant writes: "The “eat local” movement is profoundly misguided. For “locavorism” is a thinly veiled cousin of tribalism and racism. Locavorism encourages people to weigh the interests of their local farmers, cheesemakers, or ranchers over that of others. That is, solely because Farmer John happen to live near us, we should care more about him than Ma Kettle, who lives farther away. This attitude hardly differs from tribalism and racism."

Others expressed similar concerns as they pointed out how some populations' economic sustenance actually depends on food exports (the Yupik Eskimos of Alaska and the salmon industry being one such example).

And so we were only half-surprised to come across reports that more and more were beginning to reject the Good Life and their inner Felicity Kendalls to indulge in sometimes extravagant ways.

Read GQ's travel journalist Brett Martin's account of how he decided to give overnight shipping a go as a means of feeding himself; indeed what about those unable to travel to experience foreign foods locally, why deny themselves the treat! All in all a rather unpractical experiment but a very valid point indeed and a sure sign of changing times.

 

For every noodle soup shipped from the Far East a free dining set!

 

Our alternative suggestion?

 

If Superman were a delivery guy then we'd never need to feel guilty for craving exotic fruit in the winter and we could even experience some of the billion US-only Ben&Jerry's flavours here in Europe. Sometimes making the world a better place works in mysterious ways...

 

Source: GQ,True Slant

Photo credits: Main illustration courtesy of Shamara Goodall; other images from various sources.

 

TAGS: food locavore eating local food miles fedex meal plan

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