On Food and Connections

We all want to live sustainably. 


We want to live simply and make healthy choices. 


The problem is most of us just don't know how. 


That's why, for me, when I meet a person who really embodies a that kind of life. I want him/her as a friend. I want a little of that mojo to rub off on me. 


Same holds true for things. The other day I brought home a bag of Lays potato chips from Safeway. My wife said, " let's eat them quick. I don't want that 'brand' around the house". I didn't have to ask why ( that's why we're married ). 


The Lays emblem doesn't align with who we want to be.  I guess, we're more of a Kettle Chips family. That package can live on our shelf and interact with our kids. 


Why?  Because somehow we've came to think that Kettle represents a different set of values. Ones that are more in line with the kind we want in our friends and the kind we want to instill in our kids. Until now, I wasn't even sure if our perception of Kettle was, in fact, correct. Maybe we were wrong.  Maybe Kettle is just another brand that hooked us in with savvy earthy-looking packaging. Not so. I just visited the web site . It has a whole section committed to sustainability with news about building "green plants" and running trucks on biodiesel. It seems like a pretty cool company doing good things. 


But really, do I know these guys? In fact, when you get right down it, Ketlle chips are one more highly processed product that comes from a long way away. Not really a friend.So as I sit drinking my imported beer and eating my Kettlecchips, I get to thinking. Wouldn't it be great if we made our own potato chips... from potatoes we grew ourselves... And then used the left over grease to fill up our car. 


And this beer? I could even brew up my own beer. 


I sip and munch and dream and I draw inspiration from my friends on the Slow Coast.  


Can I trade my beer and chips for your cheese and pie?


Dave Bernard
Mythmaker.com