SALMON NATION

I've had the same conversation twice this week. First with my mother on the phone and then with the Muse over dinner; over a hot bowl of kale and potato soup.

First we talked about voting with our forks, the usual conversation I have with either of them, but then both times, the conversation wound it's way to the idea of how we have other choices too, choices to vote with our purse. Not buying something new but in places where we're already spending money and where a different choice might exist.

I thought the Muse was going to hit the table with her fist as we went on about it. She got that let's make change kind of a look. And then cleaned her bowl of soup with the last bite of bread. First things first - food and then change.

Mom didn't hit her fist on anything, not that I could hear anyway, but I could tell, she had her fist in the air with that let's-do-it-gesture too.

This is what I did. This is for my Mom and the Muse.

I applied for and received a SALMON NATION Visa card. It has a big red jumping, I swear it's smiling, salmon on the front and bigger blocked letters spelling out SALMON NATION.

It's not a huge change, it took all of five minutes to print, fill out and fax back the application, but really, those are the changes that work best for me. Five minute changes. My best changes have all been small but that's why they last. I hardly notice them.

A percentage of income from the SALMON NATION Visa card goes to Ecotrust to help grow a SALMON NATION. And honestly, I don't know the due diligence of that equation, but I'd rather have even a penny go to SALMON NATION and support communities working together to improve watersheds than have the same penny go to a Bank of something. Plus it feels good to pull the bright red salmon from my purse and hand it over.

As good as kale and potato soup.

Haiku Friday

Surprise

Visiting Portland

with the farmers' market closed

I eat everything.

Haiku Friday

Hot Lips Pizza

Hot (red) lips pizza
Garlic, tomato, blue cheese
Three slices to the wind

Eating On The Road

The cute guy's sister turned sixty yesterday and on Saturday she's running a marathon. In Portland. The threat of industrial, plastic wrapped or microwaved food is not going to keep us away. We are heading out in the morning with a bag of almonds and a couple of they-really-taste-like-nectarines, nectarines. But from there I have to let go of my 100% committment until our return. I am comforted however by the fact that Portland is happening in the eat local scene.

I want to say I won't go out first thing and have pizza but the truth is I think we will. I've been looking at restaurants in the area and the one that comes up repeatedly for using local ingredients is Hot Lips Pizza. Damn. And we have reservations for tomorrow night at Terroir that serves small plates of regional and seasonal foods. I think we are going to eat our way through this town.

Saturday morning before we run (in our rental car) to the finish line to whoop it up wildly when my darling sister-in-law crosses the finish line, we'll head to the Portland Farmer's market to get snacks for the day and I'll snoop for local items I can't get at home.

Other than a celebratory dinner after the race, we don't have eating plans but some time ago while cruising the Eat Local Challenge webiste I found this entry, with the following guidelines that we'll use as our road map:

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

I can't wait to see what we find.

Oh, and to eat pizza!


(As an aside, per my challenge commitment to pledge $5 to an organization, yet to be determined, for every day I successfully eat local this month, I add that for every day I don't eat fully local, which will be the case while traveling, I pledge $10 a day. And that includes last Saturday when there was no excuse at the Pt. Reyes farmer's market when I had a warm ginger scone from the Tomales Bakery because I am weak in the face of a good scone.)