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December 10, 2007
Locavore? locavorious? locavorely?
According to the editors at the New Oxford American Dictionary, the word of the year is "locavore."
This is a noun meaning someone who eats locally grown food. I am clearly not in that category as last night's dinner was tuna from Mexico and asparagus from Peru. And the coffee beans I think came from Sumatra. Can asparagus grow in New York or Connecticut?
But not being a locavore doesn't stop me from being fascinated by countries and cuisines that are more locavorious than the New York metropolitan area. Two of my favorite television chefs/food writers have books out that talk about exotic meals from around the world.
Anthony Bourdain's latest provides a behind-the-scenes account of his global culinary adventures, from New Jersey to New Zealand, offering commentary on food in every corner of the globe.
And Tom Parker-Bowles The Year of Eating Dangerously documents his year-long odyssey in search of the world's most unusual and risky foods. Locavorely, he consumed poison blowfish, a variety of insects, and other taboo cuisines.
We'll all just have to wait for In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan, the most trusted locavore in food writing today. In addition to discussing the importance of eating and enjoying traditional vegetables and fruits, he'll tell us the reasons why people have become so confused about their dietary choices.
In the meantime, if you want asparagus in December, I'd recommend stalks from Peru. They were wonderful.
Posted by MaryF at December 10, 2007 01:14 PM