On April 24, two friends set out on bicycles from Hardwick, Vermont, to explore the local food movement. As they approach their final destination—Portland, Oregon—my post on the USA Character Approved Blog shares some of what they found.
To our grandparents and great-grandparents, local food was just food, something grown by them, their neighbors or maybe a farmer a few miles away. Anything that had to be shipped from someplace more distant—an orange, for instance—was deemed exotic, something to be reserved for a holiday gift.
Fast forward to today, though, and local is the new exotic. Increasingly, “locally sourced” is the new mantra for restaurant chefs, home cooks, community activists, environmentalists… But what does local food really mean, to those who produce it and those who consume it? Friends Aaron Zueck and Robert DuBois decided the best way to study local was to go national, biking across America, hosting potluck dinners along the way and talking to people about food, over food. They named their epic project Bikeloc.
Zueck lives in Brooklyn, DuBois in Washington, DC. They chose Hardwick, Vermont, as their starting point because, “Ben Hewitt, author of The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food, calls it the Epicenter of the Local Food Movement.” When they reach Portland, Oregon, for their final potluck of the trip on August 8, they’ll have thousands of miles, more than a dozen potlucks and countless adventures behind them (including one involving a swarm of honey bees).
When I asked Zueck if they would do it again, he said, “Bike across America—again? Both of us look forward to being off the saddle for a while. But bike touring and all of the wonderful scenery, introspection and people that come with it is very desirable; I’m sure you’ll find us taking a long bike trip somewhere down the line.”
To read more about Their Bikeloc adventures (including what the name means) and to see a video about the project, visit my latest post on the USA Character Approved Blog. You’ll also find a link to the Bikeloc website there.
Very cool! It reminded me of artist Jim Denevan, who is the founder and organizer of a worldwide moveable feast called Outstanding in the Field. Have you heard of him? He puts together outdoor dinner ‘events’ all over the country with local foods prepared by local chefs. The website link is:
http://outstandinginthefield.com/landing/
{He also does incredible beach art that washes away with the tide ~ http://www.jimdenevan.com/sand.htm#sand_images/01_IMG_1546.jpg }
i love this, hadn’t heard of it elsewhere, look forward to reading more.
Dani, I hadn’t heard of this project. It’s very cool sounding—thanks for the link!
Hi, Judy! Thanks for stopping by.