ColumnNew to Foodie Underground? Here are 5 of our favorite articles to get you started.
If you’re new to EcoSalon, you might not be completely familiar with the weekly Foodie Underground column. Yes, it’s about food, but it’s about all those things that are helping to shape the underground food movement, and take it from unconventional to mainstream. It’s not about fancy restaurants – although we do have respect for those that are pushing the envelope, truly serving local and committed to sustainable practices or expensive delicacies. Foodie Underground is a place to explore “democratized foodie-ism.” What’s happening at hole-in-the-wall joints and food carts across the country and how we can take advantage of it. Most importantly, how these evolutions and trends are shaping our food policy in general.
Ultimately, we all need to eat, and food lovers exist in all circles. You don’t need a big budget to eat well, just an eye to seek out what’s good, both for you and the environment. Our hope with Foodie Underground is that you’re inspired to push your own food boundaries just a little more; forage for mushrooms instead of buying them, host a locally sourced supper club or plant a neighborhood garden that your entire community can enjoy.
You may not think you love food, but we promise that Foodie Underground will at least give you some food for thought.
Here are some of our favorite reads to get you started.
“Appreciating Simple Food” – It’s easy to get caught up in ingredients and recipes, as we try to ensure that we’re eating well. But sometimes, we forget the most important thing of all: keep it simple and appreciate food for food’s sake. “So forget complex recipes, forget the latest gluten-free baked goods, just take some time to eat good, simple food with friends, maybe even throw in a bottle of wine for good measure, and give honor to the sustenance that your body needs.”
“Foodie Feminism” – Women are pushing boundaries in the food world. Female restaurateurs, farmers and bartenders are proving that we play a significant role in the food movement. “We as women have a lot of power, and when it comes to food, we have the potential to think smartly and creatively rather than be boxed in by conventional expectations.”
“The Replacements” – Cupcakes are a subject of serious contention for EcoSalon staff, but no matter what your take on the baked good, we can all agree that the trend has some competition. Macaroons, pies delivered by bicycle and a handful of other sweet treats are giving cupcakes a run for their money.
“Cycled Coffee” – Foodies have an affinity for caffeine, and not only are they conscious about where it comes from, but they also are concerned with how they get it. Enter the cycled coffee crowd: people making a business of combining coffee and bikes. Love this idea as much as we do? Check out our San Francisco Food by Bike Foodspotting Guide.
“It’s Not What We Eat, It’s How We Eat It” – “Before we had food science, we had food culture,” Michael Pollan said at a lecture in Portland earlier this year. We’ve become so obsessed with individual properties – omega 3’s, antioxidants, etc., that we’ve lost track of the bigger picture. So how do we change it? Start thinking about how you eat just as often as you think about what you eat.
Happy reading!
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.
Image: Anna Brones