“Got Milk?” we all do. “Got Rich, Delicious and Affordable Milk?” now that's the question.

Here's one for you. I've posted previously about how anyone who enjoys wine should find that reason enough to start caring about the environment, but you have to figure, not everyone in the world likes wine. What about food though?

I challenge you thus: think about the most delicious thing you've ever eaten--whether that be an amazingly ripe strawberry or an absolutely perfect filet mignon--and hold that thought in your mind for a while until you start to drool.

Then, read this.

While you are reading, let go of that succulent thought for a minute, and let a drastically different, sub-par meal creep into your mind, perhaps even the meal you last ate. As you are reading, think about the difference between the two, between the delicious, wholesome bite screaming with flavor, and the bland, unstimulating, possibly-questionable average meal.

What makes that difference? Sure, if you're comparing McDonald's to Filet Mignon, part of the difference is in the preparation, or at least the talent of the cook who made your meal. But most of that difference doesn't involve talent or skill at all. Even the most talented chefs in the world couldn't shape a McDonald's burger into anything much better than a McDonald's burger (nor would many desire to even try).

The difference is in the quality, and the reason for the difference in quality is the land. The land on which our food was grown or raised on and the way that it was grown/raised plays an enormous part in what it ends up tasting like. It also plays an enormous part in how sustainable individual farming practices are, although when our stomachs are growling that's not always the first thing that comes to mind.

What hopefully does come to mind, however, is that delicious, mouthwatering bite you were thinking about minutes ago, and my hope is that after you read what Dan Barber has to say (which was published as an op-ed in the New York Times earlier this week), you too will want to seek out the sustainable, mindfully raised, and flavorful foods rather than the mass-produced, factory-farmed, by-product-causing bland ones.

Yes, all of this may be about another reason why we need to care about the Earth, but it's also about a gratifying and delicious decision we're able to make each time we sit down to a meal. And that's just the point--sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is the best thing we can do for the world.


Well go on. Here are two resources to help you find bursting-with-flavor sustainably-raised produce in your area:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/

http://www.localharvest.org/