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You might've already read Felicia D'Ambrosio's review of Louisa Shafia's new Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life in this week's food section. Here, she touches base with the Philadelphia native, who runs her own green catering business in New York, to talk about her new book, urban foraging, locavore elitism and the joy of the farmers market.
Why was now the time to write this book?
I went to cooking school in New York, and had to do an internship somewhere to graduate. I went off to San Francisco to a pretty well-known vegan restaurant, Millennium. As it happened, someone got fired as soon as I got there and they offered me a job right off the bat!
I ended up spending a year and a half there, and it really influenced the way I thought about food and cooking � the process of producing food. This was a place where we composted everything � it was no big deal to chuck things in the compost bin rather than the trash. All the food came from local farms, and we really tried to cook with seasonal ingredients.
When I came back to New York and the East Coast and eventually opened my own catering business, I brought those green principles to doing events. Like, no bottled water, no waste events, seasonal menus, composting everything � it seemed like no one in New York had had access to that style of entertaining. It was happening in restaurants to some degree, but not going on in the world of fine entertaining.
People were so excited that they could have an event with elegant food and not create any waste. So I thought, I�ll write a cookbook, and touch on these low-waste entertaining concepts.
Is it possible to be an ecologically conscious consumer without being a true vegan or vegetarian?
This book isn�t either of those things, though I�ve been both. I still don�t eat a lot of animal products, but if something crosses my plate, especially when I am a guest in someone�s home, I will eat it.
Look, if we all cut meat out of our diet we would definitely release less carbon dioxide and pollutants into the world. But the truth is, it isn�t realistic for a majority � or even a minority � of people. I�m thinking it�s beside the point to suggest everyone become a vegetarian.
I do suggest, in the book, that you eat much less meat. Also, buying humanely and responsibly raised meats makes a huge difference. There are lots of things you can do short of being a vegetarian.
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The locavore principles have filtered down from "seasonal" and "farm-to-table" restaurants and taken hold in the food-interested population. Do you think this kind of eco-conscious diet will ever have mass appeal in America?
It's happening, I think because of all the food poisoning scares getting more frequent across the country. They are mostly resulting from food that comes from a factory and is then distributed all over the country, which makes the outbreak hard to track. People are getting more curious about where their food came from, and seeking reliable sources. It's so much safer to eat local, because if something is tainted it is only going out amongst a small group of people, and is sooner detected and recalled.
Shopping at farmers markets and this sort of eating is often criticized for being elitist. Is this diet attainable for those of more modest means.
I don�t know about Philadelphia, but farmers markets in New York accept food stamps. Though not as cheap as the average crappy supermarket, a farmers market is definitely cheaper than convenience markets. I feel like eating fresh, local food is pretty affordable � the cheeses and meats are more expensive, but cutting down on those products in the quantity that you eat and buying higher quality solves it.
Also, I discuss in the introduction of the book how buying local keeps money within the local economy and provides local jobs. It�s important for the health of the local economy to buy local. Iit�s a longer-thinking strategy.
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In your book, you discuss foraging for food to supplement your diet. Is that something you can do in NYC or any other big city?
You know, it�s not a totally normal thing to do! I mean, I mostly shop at farmers markets, but it�s just a lark to go foraging. I�ve found quince, apples and all kinds of herbs in Central Park, and berries and wildflowers just outside the city. It�s a wonderful way to get in touch with nature. At the farmers market, they are selling a lot of wild-foraged things � ramps, wild mushrooms and sorrel.
There are things like gingko nuts that there are a lot of in Philly. People are harvesting these in the fall. They are good, healthy nuts with a lot of fortifying qualities, besides being tasty.� There are so many things that immigrants are so attuned to that Americans have lost touch with. We don�t remember where our food came from. It�s like having a mulberry tree when you are a kid. People walk by these in full fruit every day and it would never occur to them to pick one and eat it. It�s about getting in touch with your food source.
What is the first step for someone who wants to eat more responsibly?
Go to the farmers market. The products are beautiful and if you are concerned with price, you will certainly find something in you price range. Thanksgiving is coming up � look for the gorgeous sweet potatoes or cranberries. Seeing something beautiful and bringing it home to experiment with � you will get inspired. The farmers market is a fun place to go! It�s got great energy and people are excited to be there.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Check out our interview with @lucidfood author Louisa Shafia: http://tr.im/FMZV...
Well expressed Louisa. I like the balanced approach you have to advising how people could eat better without getting to extreme. We need to have these more realistic and fun options so the mainstream can feel safe to change some pretty ingrained eating habits. CSA's are an even better way to get local food and support the local economy and you probably mention that in the book anyway. We will get the book for our library Cheers Robert Australia
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