Michael PollanPollanites, take note: Everyone’s favorite omnivore has a long piece in the upcoming New York Review of Books. He writes about—wait for it—the rise of the sustainable food movement.
Yes, I would read this guy’s grocery list, but the piece is still a great overview.
I especially liked this part:
Farmers’ markets are thriving, more than five thousand strong, and there is a lot more going on in them than the exchange of money for food. Someone is collecting signatures on a petition. Someone else is playing music. Children are everywhere, sampling fresh produce, talking to farmers. Friends and acquaintances stop to chat. One sociologist calculated that people have ten times as many conversations at the farmers’ market than they do in the supermarket. Socially as well as sensually, the farmers’ market offers a remarkably rich and appealing environment. Someone buying food here may be acting not just as a consumer but also as a neighbor, a citizen, a parent, a cook. In many cities and towns, farmers’ markets have taken on (and not for the first time) the function of a lively new public square.
So true! Want to see the social aspects of a Farmers Market in action? Come to Collingswood any Saturday morning from 7am – Noon. Better yet, take the Patco Hi Speed LIne. The Collingswood Farmers market is located next to the station.