The Green (100) Mile…diet

I recently returned from a week long trip to the 5 star, all-inclusive Sandals resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It presented a whole new realm from which to eat local. The island is only 234 km in length and 80 km across, which made almost everything from the island local eating. I ate primarily fish, shellfish and local dishes. I gorged on bananas, mangos, and pineapple (fruits I have been missing ferociously since returning); steadily drank rum and red stripe beer; and buckets of Blue Mountain coffee the mornings after.

Most of the options at the 11 on-site restaurants were grounded in traditional Jamaican cuisine. Trying the saltfish and ackee is a must, as well as anything with “jerk” in its name.

What surprised me was all the “western” options like burgers and fries (I figure at least go with yam fries—yams being one of Jamaica’s major exports). There were Italian and Asian themed restaurants and I couldn’t help thinking, “you’re in Jamaica, not Italy. What is wrong with this picture? Why order salmon when the snapper was probably caught today?”

The phenomenon of travelling somewhere to eat a steak you could get at home began to irk me throughout my week long visit. Why on earth would you order Bud Light if you live in Texas year round when Red Stripe is on tap? It seemed like people wanted to eat apples that were imported from their home while at home they want bananas from the Caribbean.  I thought the reason for traveling was to experience a different culture. That includes food, particularly in the Caribbean. Perhaps this trend had to do with the type of clientele resort life cater to. It made me decide that the next time I travel I will not stay somewhere so far removed from the country I am in.

A major personal pitfall in adhering to my newly acquired 100 mile diet is a crutch I have not been able to kick: coffee. I, like 63% Canadians who average 2.6 cups of this magic brown elixir each day (Coffee Association of Canada), are faced with an ethical dilemma. Baristas throughout each city have begun a slide towards fair trade java. It is easier to come across the fair trade certified logo that feels morally imperative when purchasing coffee these days. Coffee vendors that say they pay fare wages to workers but do not have the certification are, in my opinion, shady—bringing me to my coffee conundrum: shade grown coffee.

Coffee grown in tropical regions like Brazil, Columbia, and Mexico has for many years been grown in areas of clear-cut tropical forest. Obvious arguments for not burning and slicing the tropical rainforest include (but are not limited to): biodiversity, air quality, habitat loss, and the possible benefits of unknown species in the area. My concern above and beyond these thoroughly important problems is our migratory birds and pollinators. Humming birds, butterflies and diurnal raptors are facing the loss of their breeding grounds to fields of coffee. Pollinators and top predators are essential to our ecosystems and ensure balance and survival. Shade grown coffee is grown in and amongst the natural trees and foliage in areas where the land is typically clear-cut to speed up the growing process. Some vendors have the audacity to claim they provide shade grown coffee while the shade they speak of is generated by tarps placed over clear cut fields.

The brand of coffee I have been sipping recently is Kicking Horse , which is roasted in BC. It is a little pricey, about 15$ a pound, but you get a choice of 20 types of fair trade, organic, shade grown (and as Kicking Horse puts it) “kick ass cup(s) of coffee”.  I think the biggest thing to realize is that clear cutting in the tropics effects our species here, important pollinators that help our crops at home. When you can’t buy local, buy ethical and environmental.

Jared James, University of Guelph Environmental Science student, purchased 4 chickens last week.  He erected a 9’x9’ coup consisting of a dog house and chicken wire fencing.  This student, who specializes in plant ecology and culture, took self-sufficiency a step up from gardening—hoping to be producing 4 eggs a day in his backyard coop.  This setup includes chickens (6.50$ each), their feed (16 $ for 20kg, the chickens only needing a cup a day), and housing cost totaling less than 100$. Although James admits it “would be cheaper to buy eggs from the store,” other reasons caused this urban undergrad to take this challenge under wing.

James realized his town, Guelph Ontario, has an interesting bylaw. The town has “over 100,000 people but it’s still considered rural. I could have a cow back there if I wanted.”  Although James has been an avid gardener in Guelph and his family’s cottage in Harriston, this is his first attempt raising poultry. When asked why he undertook this endeavor, he said he likes animals and it gets him up in the morning—rising at 8:30am to tend to his flock.  James admitted he became attached to his chickens but has decided not to name them.  His coop isn’t insulated and he will be killing them when winter hits. He hopes to get a couple nice breasts and use the rest for soup stalk.

This is a small but substantial move to self-sustainability is a big step for someone like James who has no agricultural background.  When I asked him if he has aspirations to be completely self-sufficient for food he seemed hesitant, saying that he would like to but didn’t see it as a real possibility. It takes a lot of time, dedication and a vast start-up fund, as well as the right type of land. I think kudos are in order for this grassroots project that I hope takes flight.

If you were wondering, he likes his eggs fried.

       As you wander though the halogen-illuminated aisles of a supermarket, do you have the flashing image of waving wheat fields as you pick up Wonder bread? Do you hear the cattle rustling as you toss lean ground beef into your shopping cart? Do you ponder the name of the man on the other side of the world who first picked that bunch of bananas? Mostly, I think about whether or not I can afford ice-cream this week.

      There is detachment severing our fast food nation from the people who feed it. As Canadians we consume vast amounts of imported foods at high environmental costs (just think of the transportation alone). In 2008 Canada imported nearly eight billion dollars in fruits and vegetables alone (Statistics Canada). We buy imported foods that can be grown in our own country, province, or even backyard. In March 2005 J.B MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, two Canadians from Vancouver, challenged themselves to a year of eating locally and wrote the book 100 Mile Diet about their experience. It is now time to challenge myself.

       I will delve mouth first into the community of local growers. I plan to eat as locally as possible for the next 3 months, barring certain students necessities (yes, it turns out coffee beans don’t do well in the North American climate). I will share the challenges and successes of eating locally, perhaps even some recipes. In the next 3 months I want to meet the person who brought food to my table, look at their face, and shake their hand.