Wait...you don't like the taste of local food?!

Almost all press surrounding the local food movement is positive. In general, most people are very supportive of local food, even if they don't frequent farmers markets or subscribe to a CSA. From an ideals perspective, it's hard to argue with supporting local farms and farmers. From a pocketbook perspective, sometimes it's hard to see the long-term impacts of a pricey bunch of carrots (even though local studies have shown the prices to be comparable). I understand that angle. But never before have I heard taste as a reason not to like local food. Looks like some University of Portland students are unadventurous eaters. Wow. My favorite quote from the article:

"We are not HIPPIES. We don't care where our food comes from. It just has to taste good. This does not taste good."

Instead, the student wanted his/her regular Tuesday chicken wrap. Ahh, to be a student again.

Talk to any chef worth their salt and they'll tell you that local is where it's at for flavor and freshness...and not from a idealist perspective. Sure, some of them love their farmers, but you'll find chefs out there who don't really care about the movement, so long as they can get their hands on top quality product.

So hurrah for UP students who don't like local food (or hippies), may they enjoy their institutional chicken wraps on Tuesdays and their obesity and urban sprawl on Fridays.

Mark

In other news:

Snohomish County pays to preserve farmland