Last Spring I was in NYC for the Yoga Journal Conference. I'm lucky enough to have a good friend who lives there so I was about to stay with her and not spend a ridiculous amount of money on a hotel. It was my first time visiting her since she had moved to NYC. She was always destined to live there. She grew up in a small town in North Dakota and went to college in Minneapolis prior to her big move and, although she didn't express any amount of surprise, she would share with me the outrageous price of things like cereal, toilet paper, and bread in NYC. I of course left with a larger sense of pride and content with living in the Midwest.
During my visit she wanted to take me to her favorite Thai restaurant. I love Thai food and love the Thai restaurant that's less than a block from my doorstep. My local Thai restaurant serves local ingredients from local farmers whenever possible. My friend was so excited to share her NYC Thai stop with me and continued to use the word "fresh" the describe the menu's offerings.
I'm definitely a creature of habit and decided to order the exact same thing at the NYC restaurant as I do at my local favorite. With just one bite I felt let down. "Fresh" is not at all how I would have described my meal. By no means was it bad, but it definitely could not compare to the freshness of the Thai food I eat on a regular basis in Minneapolis.
I had to share my experience with my boyfriend. He responded with, "What you had was probably some of the freshest food the city had to offer. Remember, it's New York City. Nothing is fresh in New York City." He was right. In the concrete jungle you won't easily come across kale that was picked from a local garden or eggs that were gathered up this morning from a family farm. That is unless you're willing to pay a pretty penny for those fresh commodities.
Don't get me wrong. I love New York! However, living there is something I will never do. My short trip last Spring just solidified by deep love and admiration for the city in which I live. I am extremely grateful for the ability to eat fresh food that was grown within a few hours from my home. Of course the large super markets don't always have locally grown options, but I can easily make a trip to the co-op or farmer's market and find seasonal foods all while supporting local farmers.
My most recent purchase was an obscenely large beet. Funny enough, this beet was the smallest beet the co-op had to offer!
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