I Love the Farmers Market

BYU has been hosting a test farmers market over the past few weeks to see if they should hold one full-time next year. It's being held on Thursdays from two till seven until October 14th. Try to go, as higher turn-out means it's more likely they will hold it again next year.

I care so much about the continuation of any farmers market because they are so awesome. I feel healthier just shopping at a farmers market, and the produce is usually organic or heirloom variety (which just means it will probably look uglier, but taste better and contain more nutrients). I also think it's really important to support the local economy by truly shopping locally, and what could be more local than a farmers market?

When I first started going to the farmers market, I was extremely nervous, because one of the things a lot of people tend to like about farmers markets is being able to talk to the farmers. This is good if you want to know where and how your produce was raised, and the best ways to store and prepare it. This is bad if you have extreme social anxiety like I do. Still, after a few shaky tries, I found that most farmers are happy, open people who are enthusiastic about what they are selling and delighted to share information about their produce. I actually learned a lot of really interesting stuff just from a few short conversations, and I now can wander around an open market with much less anxiety than I normally have.

There are two drawbacks to a farmers market. The produce tends to be more expensive, and the times and places the market is hosted are not always convenient. I can't go to a farmers market at two in the morning for a doughnut run, and I find I have to be much more mindful of how I'm spending my money at a farmers market. However, I like that I have to make time for the farmers market. It means that I am more conscious of what I am eating, and the effort it took to produce it. Spending a little more is kind of frustrating, especially as a poor student, but it does feel good to know that my money is staying in the local economy, that I'm supporting people I am getting to know, rather than throwing money at a faceless corporation, and I do get a little bit of a superiority kick out of living my ideals. In short, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

So, in conclusion, I highly encourage everyone that is able to carve out a little extra time, save up a few extra dollars, and head down to their local farmers market, if anything, for their own happiness.

My Love Affair with Meat

Kimber thinks the title of the post may or may not sound dirty, depending on the person's mindset. She'd like to inform the readers that she only loves to eat meat, not do ANYTHING else with it.

I've recently been on a health food kick, where I read books like Fast Food Nation, The China Study, and In Defense of Food. This inspires me to eat better, but I usually end up craving all the unhealthy foods they talk about, and then seek them out before I'm halfway through the book. I have made some overall improvements in my eating habits, but mostly I just buy more fruits and vegetables, then end up feeding them to my dogs.

While I do want the benefits of eating healthily, and I like vegetarianism, raw foodism, and slow food as concepts; in practice I love chicken, I adore pork, and I'd die for a good steak. I enjoy eating salad, as long as I know it will be followed with a substantial amount of meat, or at the very least some sort of refined carbohydrate.

I've made a pro/con list of whether or not to give up meat and start eating a balanced diet in earnest. Sad to say, I'm willing to cut a couple of years off my life and add a few inches to my waistline as long as I'll be able to eat meat, fat, carbohydrates, and sugar. Luckily, even the very strict China Study has a loophole.

You see, the China Study, and other studies similar to it, measure food intake in terms of percentages, so by increasing consumption of a certain type of food (say, vegetables), then you will automatically decrease your consumption percentage of another type of food (like meat, for instance), without actually changing how much you eat of the second group of food.

Since my pro/con list clearly states that I cannot stand to give up meat altogether (just the cheap hot dogs and fast food hamburgers), I have decided to significantly increase my vegetable intake, thus decreasing my meat intake, hopefully to the recommended five percent. If that fails, I can always go back to giving the dogs my leftovers.

Christmas Service

Kimber asks a favor.

The holidays are the time where we're supposed to become more selfless, more thoughtful, and more inclined to commit our resources towards the good of all mankind. However, I have fallen prey to the relentless advertising and am simply looking for more places to buy better things.

Unfortunately, one of the best places to buy the awesomest things does not have a location in Utah. Yes people, I'm talking about Trader Joe's. It's a grocery store with recycled, free-range, organic, free-trade, sustainable, and imported products that are surprisingly cheap. Trader Joe's has a wide selection of spices, cookies, juices, and chocolate, all of which are extremely delicious. If you thought the arrival of In-N-Out to Utah was spectacular, then Trader Joe's will blow your mind.

But let's get back to the topic at hand: Christmas service. We shouldn't be concentrating on what awesome deals we can get on Japanese ice cream balls or the more worrying aspects of recycled toilet paper. We should be concentrating about how we can better the world and lift each others' spirits. Of course, if you want to multi-task, then you can perform the extremely invaluable service of requesting Trader Joe's to set up a location in Utah by going to:

http://www.traderjoes.com/static/location_requests_form.aspx

and filling out a quick little form. If enough of us do this, they will hopefully be convinced to come to our little mountain state, and everyone will be insanely over-joyed and live happily ever after. You will have taken part in one of the most noble efforts this Christmas season, and it won't have even taken up much of your time at all. Plus, you'll have another place you can go Christmas shopping.