6 Places Where Locavores are Normal

It may seem like the local food movement is a budding trend but in reality it is a way of living that traces back to our origins as human beings. Even 50 years ago 'local' was what was available and what you could afford and it hasn't been until modern technologies and transportation advances has led us to the global market economy we live in today, where local became a trendy thing to do. In North America we take this mostly for granted, feeding into the global economy by making things like banana's and orange juice part of our daily diets increasing our dependancy on imported foods. Though North American's eat largely global diet's there are still cultures around the world that can support themselves from the food they produce.

Here are places/cultures where local eating is the norm, even today:

Pisa, Italy 

• Italy
• To Italians local means fresh ingredients and campanilismo 'pride of place'. If you look at traditional Italian foods they are based on ingredients found somewhere in the boot. The Italian diet is based not only on fresh organic produce but the the seasons and the menu's fluctuate based on what is fresh and in season locally. 
• Amish- Pennsylvania Dutch 
• As the reigning homesteaders the Amish usually have sizeable gardens and farms to grow/raise their own food. The Amish eat only in season because of this and can large quantities of food to last through the winter. Their connection to food comes from a religious connection with God and nature so eating locally is morally right to them. 
• Bolivia
• Last year the Bolivian government banned McDonalds from their country. That goes a long way in saying they denounce foreign corporations and want to maintain local food cultures for their peoples. Bolivian's are proud nationalists and therefore eat in season, local produce in most meals. 
• Singapore
•  Full of fanciful smells and colours, Singaporean cuisine combines local and foreign flavours infusisions for true taste experiences. Selecting from hawker food stalls you can benefit from ordering directly from the chef and supporting a food economy heavily influenced by local and available ingredients. 

• Cuba




Havana, Cuba

• With the sanctions placed on Cuba in the 60's the country learned how to produce their own goods to survive. Now Cuba make's everything from Tylenol to cheese all by themselves and is a great example of a modern society that has not embraced globalization. Their cuisine reflects this with it's local spices and produce with infusions from other caribbean countries. 

It look's like I have a few places to add to my bucket list! 

Happy travels,

Melanie 

"Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture" - Mark Kurlansky