Comments on: Kosher Locavore? http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:20:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: lauren ahkiam http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4470 lauren ahkiam Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:39:24 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4470 I am a wife but not yet a mother, and I respect how hard it is to work full-time and get real meals on the table (I can only imagine how much harder it must be when you also have kids, with their varying appetites!). But because I believe it's important to do what I can to be a good steward for God's creation, and leave a good earth FOR my future kids, I'm trying to balance this with what choices, including food choices, I make. Without going crazy, as NY Mom says. I think one of the pretty easy first step is to not buy perishable items from other countries. For a banana or mango to get to the US from Peru or Ecuador before it spoils requires a LOT of resources! Maybe in the winter, dried fruits would be a good option for a healthy desert, or fresh New York apples? Also, local produce can be a really good way of getting moms excited about feeding their families healthier meals, or even making it easier through programs like CSA's, community gardens, farmer's markets. I live in LA and know that these mechanisms are some of the best ways of getting whole foods to people in poor areas, who otherwise are forced to rely on corner markets (like the boquerias in NY), that usually have really crappy options like whole milk that is certainly not organic, and gross vegetables! No wonder people turn to prepared food! But farmer's markets, CSA's and community gardens are ways for whole families to get excited about food, and get kids involved in the meal preparation process. And certainly, part of the struggle is for stores to provide easy local options, so we don't have to traverse the whole city in pursuit of them! So I don't think anyone meant to detract from the hard work moms everywhere are doing in trying to balance all the things they are juggling, and certainly, moms deserve huge praise! But as we balance so much in our life, let us also incorporate our role as stewards of God's creation-we are called to serve and to tend the earth! I am a wife but not yet a mother, and I respect how hard it is to work full-time and get real meals on the table (I can only imagine how much harder it must be when you also have kids, with their varying appetites!). But because I believe it’s important to do what I can to be a good steward for God’s creation, and leave a good earth FOR my future kids, I’m trying to balance this with what choices, including food choices, I make. Without going crazy, as NY Mom says.

I think one of the pretty easy first step is to not buy perishable items from other countries. For a banana or mango to get to the US from Peru or Ecuador before it spoils requires a LOT of resources! Maybe in the winter, dried fruits would be a good option for a healthy desert, or fresh New York apples?

Also, local produce can be a really good way of getting moms excited about feeding their families healthier meals, or even making it easier through programs like CSA’s, community gardens, farmer’s markets. I live in LA and know that these mechanisms are some of the best ways of getting whole foods to people in poor areas, who otherwise are forced to rely on corner markets (like the boquerias in NY), that usually have really crappy options like whole milk that is certainly not organic, and gross vegetables! No wonder people turn to prepared food! But farmer’s markets, CSA’s and community gardens are ways for whole families to get excited about food, and get kids involved in the meal preparation process. And certainly, part of the struggle is for stores to provide easy local options, so we don’t have to traverse the whole city in pursuit of them!

So I don’t think anyone meant to detract from the hard work moms everywhere are doing in trying to balance all the things they are juggling, and certainly, moms deserve huge praise!

But as we balance so much in our life, let us also incorporate our role as stewards of God’s creation-we are called to serve and to tend the earth!

]]> By: New York Mom http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4461 New York Mom Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:50:29 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4461 I agree that how we eat is a judgment on our character, which is exactly why I was so defensive. I am defensive for all moms who think they are doing a great job just by getting a healthy dinner on the table so that everyone can sit and enjoy whole food together and talk about their day. We are doing a great job! I work in one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC, trying to inspire mothers to feed their children better, and I am not talking about eating locally. I am talking about using actual food and not something that comes out of a jar/can. So when I see what me and my friends are doing for ourselves, our husbands, and our children, I am proud of us. We schlep around the city to find kosher (maybe organic) chicken, grass-fed milk, and pick up our CSA's in the summer. I think this article did a great job explaining how many of us have to balance our desires and not turn crazy in the process. Cut us some slack if we also use many non-local foods in our home cooked meals, and praise mothers for doing a great job! I agree that how we eat is a judgment on our character, which is exactly why I was so defensive. I am defensive for all moms who think they are doing a great job just by getting a healthy dinner on the table so that everyone can sit and enjoy whole food together and talk about their day. We are doing a great job! I work in one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC, trying to inspire mothers to feed their children better, and I am not talking about eating locally. I am talking about using actual food and not something that comes out of a jar/can. So when I see what me and my friends are doing for ourselves, our husbands, and our children, I am proud of us. We schlep around the city to find kosher (maybe organic) chicken, grass-fed milk, and pick up our CSA’s in the summer. I think this article did a great job explaining how many of us have to balance our desires and not turn crazy in the process. Cut us some slack if we also use many non-local foods in our home cooked meals, and praise mothers for doing a great job!

]]> By: Anna http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4454 Anna Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:23:03 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4454 Dear New York Mom, I'm not a mother, and don't pretend to know better than you how to take care of a household. I'm sure you're doing a great job. I think Katerli said it well. I wish that it wasn't about ethical demands, that how we eat was somehow a judgment on our character or morality -- clearly it is, because you felt defensive. I wish our food systems were different. I wish that eating in ways that support the local economy and ecosystem was taken for granted, a priority for everyone involved in food production, from the gourmande to the local deli. I wish it was a matter of local pride. Clearly, we're not there yet. I made that comment because where I'm at right now, I see the benefits of eating locally so clearly, so strongly, that I personally couldn't imagine not having those values be as important as kashrut & getting food on the table at the right time. It's how I want to live -- but then, I don't live on the UWS for a reason. Dear New York Mom,

I’m not a mother, and don’t pretend to know better than you how to take care of a household. I’m sure you’re doing a great job.

I think Katerli said it well. I wish that it wasn’t about ethical demands, that how we eat was somehow a judgment on our character or morality — clearly it is, because you felt defensive. I wish our food systems were different. I wish that eating in ways that support the local economy and ecosystem was taken for granted, a priority for everyone involved in food production, from the gourmande to the local deli. I wish it was a matter of local pride. Clearly, we’re not there yet.

I made that comment because where I’m at right now, I see the benefits of eating locally so clearly, so strongly, that I personally couldn’t imagine not having those values be as important as kashrut & getting food on the table at the right time. It’s how I want to live — but then, I don’t live on the UWS for a reason.

]]> By: katerli http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4452 katerli Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:05:16 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4452 I think the key is that it isn't about absolutes - it is about, as leah said, purchasing (and eating!) with your values. I doubt anna meant to chastise the UWS caterer, as much as she meant just to say that its too bad. it <em>is</em> too bad - it is unfortunate that the way we approach food in the modern world is so laden with ethical issues that we can't just celebrate and rejoice in the abundance but instead must sift through the burden of multiple, often contradictory frameworks. the pull of being a locavore is partly that it seems to solve so many of those multiple frameworks at once - its difficult, but rewarding. frankly there are people who treat it as a game to find food that is within the local area - and there are people who, because of legitimate other demands, don't have the luxury of making it their top priority. and the way our food systems and cultural obligations are set up now, it <em>is</em> a luxury for some - so maybe we can agree that the point of all this talking about food is to figure out how to make eating better (better for the world, better for ourselves) more viable for everyone? I think the key is that it isn’t about absolutes – it is about, as leah said, purchasing (and eating!) with your values. I doubt anna meant to chastise the UWS caterer, as much as she meant just to say that its too bad. it is too bad – it is unfortunate that the way we approach food in the modern world is so laden with ethical issues that we can’t just celebrate and rejoice in the abundance but instead must sift through the burden of multiple, often contradictory frameworks.

the pull of being a locavore is partly that it seems to solve so many of those multiple frameworks at once – its difficult, but rewarding. frankly there are people who treat it as a game to find food that is within the local area – and there are people who, because of legitimate other demands, don’t have the luxury of making it their top priority. and the way our food systems and cultural obligations are set up now, it is a luxury for some – so maybe we can agree that the point of all this talking about food is to figure out how to make eating better (better for the world, better for ourselves) more viable for everyone?

]]> By: New York Mom http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4430 New York Mom Sun, 10 Feb 2008 05:28:31 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4430 Anna, I was just wondering if you were a wife/mother/responsible for keeping a kosher kitchen. If you are,then kudos to you for figuring out how to keep kosher, shop locally, prepare/help prepare a local dinner nightly, prepare/help prepare a local packed lunch for you, your husband, and your children, and make sure that your children are receiving all of the vitamins and minerals they need to grow properly, all while holding a full-time job. If not, then maybe you need to understand the full implication of the "expense of other demands." In the dead of winter, when my son is tired of kale, collards, cabbage and potatoes, its nice to know I have a beautiful ripe mango from Peru waiting for him for dessert. Anna,

I was just wondering if you were a wife/mother/responsible for keeping a kosher kitchen. If you are,then kudos to you for figuring out how to keep kosher, shop locally, prepare/help prepare a local dinner nightly, prepare/help prepare a local packed lunch for you, your husband, and your children, and make sure that your children are receiving all of the vitamins and minerals they need to grow properly, all while holding a full-time job. If not, then maybe you need to understand the full implication of the “expense of other demands.” In the dead of winter, when my son is tired of kale, collards, cabbage and potatoes, its nice to know I have a beautiful ripe mango from Peru waiting for him for dessert.

]]> By: chanie http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4422 chanie Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:40:53 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4422 interesting article, and great publicity. i wonder if it is slightly easier here in israel, where given that the country is small, anything produced here is pretty local anyway. i think there is definitely a value to trying to do what you can - i would imagine vegetables and fruits can be local anywhere - and supplementing where you can't or want to. interesting article, and great publicity. i wonder if it is slightly easier here in israel, where given that the country is small, anything produced here is pretty local anyway.

i think there is definitely a value to trying to do what you can – i would imagine vegetables and fruits can be local anywhere – and supplementing where you can’t or want to.

]]> By: Anna http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4411 Anna Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:07:21 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4411 It's too bad that the UWS caterer would see being a wife, mother, or responsible for keeping a Jewish household as antithetical to being a locavore -- either that this was a privilege they couldn't indulge in, or not a priority compared to other demands. I think that the best thing a wife, mother and/or keeper of a kosher kitchen would be to acknowledge the relationship between the household and the foodshed, and work to strenghthen it. Not at the expense of other demands, but as a means to better carry them out. It’s too bad that the UWS caterer would see being a wife, mother, or responsible for keeping a Jewish household as antithetical to being a locavore — either that this was a privilege they couldn’t indulge in, or not a priority compared to other demands. I think that the best thing a wife, mother and/or keeper of a kosher kitchen would be to acknowledge the relationship between the household and the foodshed, and work to strenghthen it. Not at the expense of other demands, but as a means to better carry them out.

]]> By: Leah Koenig http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4410 Leah Koenig Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:45:49 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4410 Ha! For the record, Hazon definitely did not start the first CSA in North America...we're cool, but not that cool. (Hello fact checkers!) I'll definitely submit a correction to the Jewish Week as you suggest Alix. Ha! For the record, Hazon definitely did not start the first CSA in North America…we’re cool, but not that cool. (Hello fact checkers!)

I’ll definitely submit a correction to the Jewish Week as you suggest Alix.

]]> By: Alix Wall http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4409 Alix Wall Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:33:36 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4409 Tovah, I was going to write exactly the same thing. While I don't mean to diminish Hazon's role in any way, Hazon didn't exactly start the first CSA programs, which is what the article implies. I'd suggest writing a letter to the Jewish Week to correct this (gets you more press, too!) Tovah,
I was going to write exactly the same thing. While I don’t mean to diminish Hazon’s role in any way, Hazon didn’t exactly start the first CSA programs, which is what the article implies. I’d suggest writing a letter to the Jewish Week to correct this (gets you more press, too!)

]]> By: Tovah @ Gluten-Free Bay http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/comment-page-1#comment-4408 Tovah @ Gluten-Free Bay Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:24:26 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/kosher-locavore/#comment-4408 Thanks for this article! Being kosher in a rural/small town area and trying to eat local isn't that easy, either - Believe me! I wish I could say it was simpler. Inevitably I need kosher-certified staples, such as oils and vinegar and wine and canned goods, that simply aren't available from local sources. I think this is why many kosher people are hesitant to take on any more strictures to their diet - It's already expensive and difficult, why make it harder? So showing people that it can be done, if not in an absolute way than at least in a small way, is half the battle. BTW: "organization founded the first community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs in North America, Tuv Ha’Aretz." I don't think this can possibly be correct. Maybe you meant to write "first JEWISH community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs"? Thanks for this article! Being kosher in a rural/small town area and trying to eat local isn’t that easy, either – Believe me! I wish I could say it was simpler. Inevitably I need kosher-certified staples, such as oils and vinegar and wine and canned goods, that simply aren’t available from local sources. I think this is why many kosher people are hesitant to take on any more strictures to their diet – It’s already expensive and difficult, why make it harder? So showing people that it can be done, if not in an absolute way than at least in a small way, is half the battle.

BTW:

“organization founded the first community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs in North America, Tuv Ha’Aretz.”

I don’t think this can possibly be correct. Maybe you meant to write “first JEWISH community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs”?

]]>