TILFT #2 - Farmers Markets

... like farmers markets! In the age of fast food, junk food, pre-packaged food, and all sorts of ensuing health issues, I find a tidbit of information from Michael Pollan, a food activist and writer/columnist, particularly pertinent. Apparently 50 years ago or so, the average citizen spent 17% of their income on food and the government spent 9% of its budget on health care. Today, the average American spends 9% of their income on food and the government spends 17% of the national budget on health care. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm guessing a big fat no. So even thought I won't get to stock up on cheap produce next year, I guess it's worth spending the extra cash on quality, fresh produce like the kind that you buy at the numerous farmers markets that take place around New York City. One of my favorite things about Italy is the fact that you can walk into any tiny little square (Campo) in big cities like Rome and find a market selling fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, olives, wine, flowers, and pretty much anything else that comes from the earth. While New York is no European city, it certainly has kept its European heritage in the form of farmers markets and local delis and bakeries where you can buy the best, freshest, produce and animal products. I can picture myself now, riding my bike down to the nearest market and filling a backpack full of the stuff, stopping at a bakery on the way home and fitting a nice long baguette in my backpack to stick out of it. Okay so maybe that's a little romantacized but you get the point, which is that paying a little more for the really good stuff is worth it. What I will be able to get that I haven't in 3 years is produce of the American fall variety like squashes, 20 different types of apples and the cider that its made into (they have those here but they're just not the same...), pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and pretty much anything else that belongs on a Thanksgiving table. I guess I'm really going to need a normal-sized kitchen in the city, which I hear is a hard thing to come by...