brangien

So my first thought was “participate,” because I’m drawn to being a part of things… vibrant things… But then that seemed too passive, or maybe too much like a joiner. While I love to participate and, more emphatically, hate to miss out, I would not consider myself a joiner. That led me to the word “engage,” which is a nice idea. And I think it implies a more active stance than participate. However! If I’m totally honest with myself I must admit a tendency to disengage in certain situations (particularly emotional ones, er, ahem). So. I’m going to go with “discover.” Because you have to engage to discover, and discovery is pretty essential for a Jill Of All Trades like myself. “Discover” also reflects my curious-monkey-mind, which is precisely the thing that propels me into endeavors like The Petri Project.

Okay, I did this last Friday (07/06/07). Here’s what I ate and where it came from:

Breakfast:
Toast (bread from Seattle, WA)
w/almond butter (from Salem, OR)
Smoothie (from CA)

Lunch:
Falafel (mix from Milwaukie, OR) with…
cucumber (organic, but no idea where it was from)
yogurt (from Mountlake Terrace, WA)
fresh dill (from Duvall, WA)
hummus (from Seattle, WA)
feta (from WI)
tortilla (from CA)

Snackage:
Ginger lemonade (from Monroe, WA)
Roasted hazelnuts (from Lynden, WA)

Dinner:
Frittata with…
eggs (Broadview, WA)
broccoli (Carnation, WA)
summer squash (Carnation, WA)
dill (Duvall, WA)
chevre cheese (France)

Dessert:
vanilla ice cream (Snoqualmie, WA)
fresh raspberries (Monroe, WA)

Here’s what I learned:
Eating local is a challenge! I skewed my results by hitting a farmer’s market before putting myself to the test, but even so, it’s nearly impossible to ensure that ingredients are local. For example, though I ate bread from a local bakery, I have no idea where the wheat came from (it’s likely from WI, I’ve learned from a little research). Same with the almond butter… sure, it was made nearby, but where did the almonds come from?

However, I will say that buying food at a farmer’s market feels delightful, both in terms of the freshness (and corresponding deliciousness) of the food, and the fact that you can speak with the actual person who grew or made the food. In addition, I liked knowing I was supporting local, small businesses, rather than big corporate chains. My only complaint was the lack of local crackers. I subsist largely on crackers, and it seems impossible to find any that are locally made!

But I aim to try and buy local as much as possible throughout the summer. We’ll see what happens when the weather turns and the produce isn’t so bountiful.

As other people have noted, this was a surprisingly tough one… my initial responses tended to be either too small (insignificant) or too unweildy (lifelong). So. I’m going with one that will definitely take me all summer and will also change my life for the better: Finish the next issue of my literary magazine, Swivel.

Thanks to a recent slew of paid freelance work (a good thing) I’ve fallen seriously behind on my labor of love. Lots of people have been asking me, “When’s the next issue coming out? Hasn’t it been quite a while since the last one?” It’s pretty amazing to hear that people are eager for the next issue, but it’s been hanging so heavily over my head for months, every time someone inquires I get a serious stab of anxiety. The guilt – the sensation that I should be working on it at any and every free moment – is awful.

It’s a ton of work for zero dollars, but it’s immensely satisfying to have a finished issue in hand (and in bookstores). And I still really believe that Swivel fills a void on the literary landscape. Providing a venue for witty women writers is essential. So I’m going to do it. Pronto.