The Cooking Process:

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Procuring Locally Sourced Ingredients

All of the vegetables and the milk used in this project were bought at Whitehall Farms. They operate as a hub for other farmers and food vendors in the area. The milk comes from Misty Meadow Farms in Maryland (78 miles from GMU). Because they operate as a hub for multiple vendors, it not clear which farms specifically produced which crop. Here is a full list of the potential farms where the vegetables came from: Bellair Farm (113 miles), Critzer Family Farm (120 miles), Goldman Farm (170 miles), (68 miles), Kirby Farms (97 miles), Malcoms Market Garden (139 miles), Spring Hallow Farm (132 miles), Valley Farming (122 miles). I procured the herbs from a rooftop garden bed on campus and from by own at-home herb garden. — miles are calculated by distance from GMU.

Project Summary

This project was a collaborative event where each student from our class had to procure, prepare, and present a dish that is locally sourced. We defined local as “within 100 miles of GMU”.  We all brought our dishes to class this Wednesday and shared delicious a meal. For my dish, I decided to make a fall vegetable soup. I thought it would be fairly easy to find locally sourced seasonal vegetables but I ran into a bit of a snafu. I went to Whitehall Farms to get my produce but it turns out that Whitehall farms operates as a vendor for many farms all over Virginia and they are not able to identify where the individual vegetables came from but the woman working these told me that they were all close by. When I went home to research these farms I found that my definition of “close” and the woman working at Whitehall were very different. Most of the farms where slightly over 100 miles from campus, a few were under a 100, and some others where between 100-200 miles away. This was not what I had hoped for but I decided to work with the produce in order to avoid food waste. Both the milk and the herbs in my dish were sourced under 100 miles. My biggest “aha” moment was realizing that the word “local”, similarly to the word “organic” has many meanings and definitions depending on your perspective. Even though some of my ingredients may have come from over 100 miles away, they were all sourced from Virginia Farms (except the milk), which I think is still an accomplishment comparatively to my usual buying habits. At the end of the day, I made a pretty tasty soup, shared in community with my classmates, and learned about the process of obtaining locally sourced food. 

Artwork Discussion

Buylocalvirginia.org

This is a visually appealing website with the profound purpose of widening access to local and nutritious food to the residents of Virginia. It makes the process of finding farmers markets and other locations to buy fresh local products fast, simple, and easy. They provide an incentive program for SNAP users where they can receive money back for shopping at these places. This programs helps provide food justice for those with food insecurity in Virginia. This is important because poor people often do not have access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable food within their communities, this is often described as a “food desert”. This form of art also helps to provide racial justice because often these disadvantaged communities are also communities of color who have had their access to resources systemically dismantled. This programs helps people overcome the obstacle of in accessibility by providing them with spaces and means to shop for sustainable and nutritious food. The design of the website is really user friendly and intuitive. This allows for people with different levels of digital literacy to access this information. This simple website helps encourage many sectors of justice from racial to environmental.

The Giant Picnic

This piece of art is a wonderful example of how food and art can be used as a revolutionary tool for social action. The simple act of having a meal at this certain place during this period of history is an act of civil disobedience. That speaks volumes towards the mental state of our nation. But the fact that no one was removed or detained during this meal also proves that hearts and minds are open to change and acceptance. It is very interesting that this piece was designed to provide a place where politics can be left behind yet their participation is highly politicized and even potentially criminalized. The fact that you can only see the eyes of “the dreamer” from a large aerial view is indicative of the very issue that this piece is trying to address.  The boarder literally splits the person into two halves but this can only be seen when you are able to step back and see the whole picture. This piece allows viewers to see injustice staring back at them, this could potentially empower people to take action or have a shift in beliefs. While it acts as a call to action it also provides viewers with a sense of hope and healing between our communities and countries. 

Karma Kitchen

Karma Kitchen operates on a completely different philosophy and system of operation from other food vendors. This project gets at the heart of what it means to share. All of the workers are volunteers. They gain value from this project that does not have economic value, rather it provides volunteers with social and personal value. The food has no “real cost” but people are encouraged to pay it forward to help cover the cost of a meal for a fellow patron. Instead of paying for yourself, you are paying for a stranger and this simple act allows for people to stop seeing each other as strangers and start seeing them for what they are, members of their community.  Through this sharing a sense of community is built and people continue to come so that they can experience and be a part of this vibrant community that has formed around the simple act of sharing a meal. The building and sustaining of places and a sense of community among people is one of the most meaningful purposes that sharing can fulfill and this project encapsulates this higher purpose.  

Media Discussion

Sustainable Communities:

These communities and businesses are acting upon the process of “systems thinking”. Systems thinking is the recognition that everything interacts within one system so when we talk about the economy, we must also include discussions about the environmental and social impacts and vise versa. I found the terminology “relationship economy” versus “one-night stand economy” very interesting. This terminology plays on the concept of systems thinking by blending the economic with the social. These businesses and communities are attempting to build and sustain more integrative links between a multitude of sectors and systems. When these links are made, sustainable connections are strengthened and allow these businesses and communities to operate in a moral, healthy, and rich environment both physically and mentally. The new wave of “green jobs” is an exciting way of building these kinds of connections between industry and individuals/communities. Often times though, these sustainable connections can only be made when people let go of their obsession with accumulation and distribute resources, materials, and opportunities directly to their communities or employees. This kind of action requires a significant shift in the way that people think. In order for systems thinking and action to be successful, people must stop thinking in terms of “we” instead of “me”.

Worker Owned Cooperatives Part 1 and 2:

These videos follow the stories of two different locally owned businesses that are attempting to change how power in business systems is distributed among workers while also trying to change the operating systems of these businesses by implementing green technologies and innovations. The first business is a green co-op laundry company. It operates under a “worker co-op” where the company is a part of an attempt to implement co-ops on a large industrial scale. They advocate for local jobs not only for their own company but for jobs generally in their community of Cleveland, Ohio. The second business that these videos follow is a worker co-op whose purpose is to help other people establish their own worker-owned co-op business. I think that is work is truly inspiring and needed. Many people who may want to start a small business may not even know that this type of business structure is possible and this organization provides people with the first step in taking on something radically new: education and support. This work also strengthens the connections between people and industries in their communities and empower people to think and act more holistically. The only large co-op that I am aware of is REI. While REI is running a co-op business, they are doing it on an industrial scale. I would argue that small local co-op businesses, such as selling empanadas, are better for the health and sustainability of communities because they allow people to directly interact with their community members in a more meaningful way.

Time Banking

The “Hour Exchange Portland” project proves that the exchanging of services has other types of value attached to it that are not economic. This is a radical departure from how most of us in the United States view exchanges. The most impactful part of this project for me is that it provides people who do not have access to necessary services such as doctors and therapists with a way to obtain these services without having to spend money. Rather, they spend their time. One hour of you volunteering your service for one hour receiving someone’s services. This completely bypasses the obstacles and barriers that people normally face when trying to get services for themselves and their families. While the hour exchange provides people with a space to share their talents and receive services, it also creates a space for people to build and strengthen their community by making individual connections. This also forces community members to critically analyze what they view as valuable. Is it the money that they would make in an hour at a minimum wage job more valuable than the hour spent and received by and with your community? I think most of the people in the hour exchange would advocate for the latter. This type of system allows people to move away from a survival mode and towards a sharing mode, where everyone’s needs can be met and they are supported by their community.