A new opportunity to eat healthy.

Tanya Steel: I think the local . . .movement is brilliant, and it all makes perfect sense because we went from kind of in the . . .  The ‘50s and ‘60s in America it was all about convenience, and anytime you cooked it was French food.  And then in the ‘70s and ‘80s it was this explosion of world cuisines, and we learned about Mexican.  Not just Mexican, but . . . and food from Veracruz.  And we learned about Italian food.  And not just Italian food, but food from Emilio Romano and. . ..  So there’s been this evolution of knowledge and sophistication, and it’s all kind of come back down into where the food from where you’re from.  And even though the local . . . term has only been coined two years ago in San Francisco, it makes a lot of sense.  I mean essentially what it is is a food movement that says you should really . . . your diet should really be consisting of food that has been harvested or processed from within a hundred mile radius of your home.  And that makes a lot of sense because you’re sustaining the farmers.  You’re eating food that is as nutrient rich as possible.  You are contributing to the greening of the planets by doing this, and you’re helping small businesses grow in your area.  So those are all very important points.  And hopefully the food is organic.  Hopefully it’s been harvested or processed in a really healthy, green way.  And you know you’re helping . . .  You are really thinking globally and acting locally.  I mean it really is kind of the fruition of that concept which was, you know, in the last 10 years so that you’re really helping sustain your area and the people that live within your radius.  So to me it makes a lot of sense, and it’s the way that we lived all those years ago.  And in terms of health it makes the most sense for sure, because what it does is it forces you to eat in a much more healthy manner.

Recorded on 1/17/08