(editor note: we are pleased to welcome guest blogger, Allie, who is taking the challenge here in San Francisco. Allie adjusted her budget for the week to $125 because she was going to be cooking for two large groups. We can't wait to hear how that goes!)
I'm so happy that I signed up for this.
So far, I've learned that we have it so easy here in the Bay Area -- there are so many farms and dairies to choose from! I've found myself exploring more grocery stores that carry local goods, spent more time at farmer's markets and eaten less processed crap! I'm not a junk food person but I've found that some things I was used to eating were still really processed. It's nice to feel a stronger connection to my food and really value it rather than just "picking something up at the store" and not having a clue as to where it was made or how many miles it had traveled.
I've cheated on spices and haven't made sure that the bread I bought from the vendor at the farmer's market is made with local flour and ingredients but this is my first challenge so I'm cutting myself a bit of slack.
The challenge has given me a really positive outlook on food, made me appreciate my environment more and has just allowed me to slow down and enjoy what I consume.
One reason why I started this challenge was due to an encounter I had with a salesperson at a well-known San Francisco meat market. I asked him where they got their eggs and he gave me a blank stare. He then scoffed and said "somewhere up North" but had no idea exactly where or if they were pasture-fed or forced to live in cages. I found it so interesting that I suddenly felt snobby, picky and high-maintenance for asking the basic question of where did this food come from? It's interesting (and depressing!) that we've become a society that seems to no longer ask this question. How can you sell eggs if you don't know anything about them?! It just seems silly!
