1) 45 degree weather and new running shoes (long overdue). My ?? pair of Brooks Adrenalines. Love them.
2) Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market. I rode the bikeski to the market this weekend for organic fair trade coffee from Roos Roast. Sorry for the candids, Ann Arborite strangers.
3) Sleeping at Last’s April EP (they release 3 songs per month as a part of their Yearbook project). Especially fantastic and timely songs this month. Love falling asleep to their thoughtful lyrics on repeat.
4) New recipes. This Moroccan quinoa and pistachio salad brings a whole new meaning to pesto. My good friend Dave (with his ever expanding culinary skills) made this for me a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty amazing. The recipe calls for orange juice, but I blended an entire orange (minus the peel) in my food processor instead. Quinoa is also one of my fave vegetarian sources of protein.
I recently read this article in the NY Times about quinoa [keen-wah]. As ethical eating is a continual process for me, I realized that I know absolutely nothing about where the quinoa I buy is grown.
According to the article, Bolivia is one of the chief producers of this complete protein-containing pseudo-grain, and it’s ironic that as the demand for quinoa increases, few fewer Bolivians can now afford it, hastening their embrace of cheaper, processed foods and raising fears of malnutrition in a country that has long struggled with it.
It’s also fair to note that some of the decrease in buying quinoa there may be due to food preferences vs. economics. Processed food is attractive for many, just as it is in the US.
So what, then is our response to this problem? Buying quinoa from Bolivia certainly aids their economy, and the government is trying to beef up domestic aid, but it still remains to be seen just how much of an impact this will have on malnutrition. I wish the article had talked more about the kind of wages Bolivians make in return for growing the crop.
Hope April has started out well for all of you, too. :)
