Looking for links or sources of Ethicurean food in ACT, or cafes/ restaurants with this ideal?

Yes, astrojax, hence the Ethicurean concept covers not just Local, but Sustainable too, as well as Organic & Ethical…

The same could be said abour Organic food, it may be ethically/ environmentally better, but it (generally) tastes fantastic too… anf if people eat it for that reason alone, than better than not eating it at all, I say!

sepi said :

It also makes good sense to eat apples grown in Pialligo rather than ones flown over from Tassie.

Why does that make sense and why do we do nonsensical Tas apple eating?

It also makes good sense to eat apples grown in Pialligo rather than ones flown over from Tassie.

slow food has been ‘taking off’ for years. to me, slow food is just judicious use of available produce, so seasonal not because of anything ethical, but gastronomic – it tastes better! hedonism rules, ok.

and the food miles theory is seriously flawed. it makes sense, for instance, for an area that can grow a massive bunch of, say rice, susatinably, then transport it, than have unsustainable produce in regions where it farks the ecology of that region. whilst nice in conversation, the details don’t stack up.

I am NOT claiming those things!

I’m the most ethical of all. I only eat food that is within 50cm of me.

…Sometimes I have to travel to make that happen, but it’s all worth it for the feeling of superiority.

…Now I’m off to get the local Hungry Jacks within my localvelociraptor radius.

I am claiming it’s something new! Or something suitable to everyone…

Totally agree, emd!

glasscentralcanberra said :

Omigod!! what are those poor buggers in the outback gunna do? It drives me nuts that all these discussions that have been raging in recent months about food and petrol and god knows what are always so ‘me-me-me-urban centric’. Besides, I’m so old now that I came from an era in which there was nothing but slow food. And I’ve watched this foodie cycle go around and around a number of times now…it’s hardly something new.

This is a website dedicated to issues affecting Canberrans, not people in outback towns where there isn’t much locally grown produce. We have the luxury of a widely varied range of locally grown produce, so why not make better use of it?

Actually Dixiebell, you should check out http://www.progressivedinnerparty.net for a great local blog on all things foodie, slow or otherwise. It’ll be up your alley – it’s fab.

Omigod!! what are those poor buggers in the outback gunna do? It drives me nuts that all these discussions that have been raging in recent months about food and petrol and god knows what are always so ‘me-me-me-urban centric’. Besides, I’m so old now that I came from an era in which there was nothing but slow food. And I’ve watched this foodie cycle go around and around a number of times now…it’s hardly something new.

johnboy said :

I’ll still happily get my snout in the trough at one of their functions.

Such a visual comment ! lol

Slow food is really taking off at the moment.

The arguments about trade protectionism may be valid but you’ll be hard pushed to get a better feed than at a Slow Food lunch.

So while I’m quite a fan of the global food trade myself, I’ll still happily get my snout in the trough at one of their functions.

No dilemma! I just think, Why buy organic Australian produce that has travelled a long distance, when I might be able to source organic Australian produce that hasn’t travelled very far? I am happy to base my meal plans around what is available to me, and see it as a challenge to make the most of what I can buy within the Ethicurean guidelines. I am very keen to be able to buy local, Organic food at the EPIC markets, and eat/ cook by the seasons.

I’m not sure what the dilemma is – there’s plenty of organic Australian product….

Sorry dixibelle – I don’t know about your particular take on the locavore thing; but my experience of slow foodies and locavores seems to be of an “aren’t we morally superior” mutual appreciation society. GCC said it best – buy Australian and have done with it. Don’t even worry about buying organic (if it’s from north of Canberra, it will almost certainly be covered in much more toxic residues than convential produce as they spray with Bordeaux solution with gay abandon to keep fungal diseases at bay).

Grow your own veg. No farmer’s market produce can beat it.

I applaud your efforts to support local producers though. I heartily recommend the EPIC and southside farmer’s markets. Apart from being very nice produce, it gives you a much better appreciation of the seasonality of food, the work of the producers and the ethics of what you’re eating (especially the meat).

Sunbeam sultanas packet says Produce of Australia??

Yes, buying Australian made makes sense, but buying organic, as local as possible and ethically produced Australian-made, makes even more sense to me… why not aim for the best we can do? As long as I don’t send myself (or my family) silly, or broke, in the process, what harm in trying?

Gherkins are a European speciality – real gherkins should be fermented, and not have any vinegar added.

Same with sauerkraut – real sauerkraut is fermented in clay pots, has not added vinegar, and was mooted as a cure for bird flu!

Sultanas though – wierd.

Just buy Australian and be done with it.
Grow your own vegies (unless you’re a crap gardener like moi), shop at the Epic farmers market (and the offshoot shop in North Lynham, or equivalent) and for the rest just make sure it’s Australian grown. Best of all worlds. (Except I couldn’t find an Aussie grown sultana or gherkin to save myself last time I looked. What the hell’s that about?)

Mr Shab, I am not sure who you saying that “eating ethically is alot more complicated than eating locally”… I am quite aware of this, and I think that is actually the whole point of the Ethicurean concept!

I am trying to find a balance… as many others are… knowing it is never clear cut or simple.

Should we base our lives today, on how people lived hundreds or thousands of years ago? Should we find justification in hypocrisy, as to why we do not make changes? Should we continue overindulging and making poor choices, just so we are not associated with bearded, soyaccino sipping tree huggers? (whom I have no issue with, BTW!!!)

I am just taking the concepts of the Locavore movement (160km for Australian Locavores!) and Ethicurean, and trying to apply them to my life, as best as possible in the ACT. I know it is a challenge, it may involve compromise (on our diet, and ideals) and may seem far fetched to some… but I think it is a good use of my time, trying to feed my family, whilst supporting the animals and the environment.

We will be planting vege and herbs in pots (in our rental property courtyard) come Spring…

The best reasons to support local produce have nothing to do with abstract notions of “food miles” or some desire to rail against globalisation.

Locally produced food tends to be of superior quality because they’re fresher. You have the luxury of being able to produce better tasting cultivars of fruit and veggies (i.e. varieties with softer skins picked closer to harvest) as they don’t have to survive being shipped such vast distances.

The slow food movement has a few good notions going (i.e. enjoy your food, look upon cooking as a pastime rather than a chore, get the best & freshest ingredients), but the localism bit can be a tad silly. It might work in Italy, where 100 miles is a relatively “big” radius, most of the food from the normal diet is produced within coo-ee and there’s a strong cultural suspicion (a bigotry even) of food from other regions or countries.

Contrast the mildness of Tuscany to poor ol’ Canberra, with its vast scale, lousy soil, unreliable rainfall, savage winters, baking summers and high production costs; not to mention warm embrace of the food of other nations and you find yourself in a bind. If you want to eat totally within 100 miles, you’d better give up on flour, rice, pretty much all spices, most pulses, warm climate fruit and veg and most fish. Lamb or chicken roast, cool climate veggies and green salads are much of what you’re left with (not an entirely unattractive option, but a little limited).

Eating locally is a noble aim, and often results in a better meal; but as others have said, the ethics of food are a hell of a lot more complicated than “eat local”.

IN the real world (rather than taking everything 100% literally) I still think it is better to source the bulk of food locally.

For one thing – local Australian farmers use far less pesticides than Chinese farmers.
And with the cost of petrol rising like there’s no tomorrow, why add those overheads to the cost.

But just because I say that, doesn’t mean I support norwegian tomatoes, or that I’ve forsaken pineapple or whatever.

“People have been transporting food in season since the Romans got their herrings from North Europe & their wheat from North Africa.”

Abso-f***en-lutely!

Here’s a piece from the Spectator from a few years ago that blows the whistle on the “slow food” movement. It’s a piece of protectionist nonsense from that home of wasteful and expensive food production, Europe, that has been picked up around the world by lifestyle snobs with plenty of money to spend demonstrating their superiority to the lumpenproletariat:

“Farmers and gourmets from all over the world will be descending on Turin next month for the first ‘slow food’ conference. There will be nut-farmers from Brazil, yak-herders from Kyrgyzstan and raisin-farmers from Afghanistan, all gathered to celebrate and discuss traditional ways of cooking and eating. I am sure the menu in the canteen will be jolly good but don’t let anyone fool themselves as to the true purpose of the slow food movement, which has been gaining much publicity in recent months and has signed up two British towns — Ludlow, Shropshire and Aylsham, Norfolk — to support its cause. The movement was founded in Italy in 1986 not to support yak-herders from Kyrgyzstan but to look after the interests of Italian farmers. Its manifesto does not hold out much hope for Third World farmers wishing to better themselves through agricultural enterprise.

“The drive towards free trade must be reversed, it demands, so as to ‘permit the use of trade tariffs and import quotas to regulate imports of food that can be produced locally….This is not to suggest that there should be no trade at all in food products but only that trade should be confined to whatever commodities cannot be supplied at local level.’ In other words, the world’s yak-herders would be welcome to export their produce to Rome’s restaurants because there aren’t very many yaks in Italy, but Ivory Coast tomato-growers would be frozen out, as would Chilean wine-makers and Chinese wheat-farmers.

“Under a section entitled the ‘failure of the industrialised agricultural model’ the manifesto goes on to claim that only by adopting a locally based agriculture can the world help to achieve ‘food security’. This is nonsense: the world has never been better fed, and this is entirely thanks to world trade. It is when people rely on local food, such as Irishmen during the potato famine, that they are in danger of starving. What the slow food movement is really about is ensuring the financial security of Europe’s feather-bedded farmers.”

Batemans Bay is 92 miles from the City, so under your 100 mile rule you could even get fish and oysters from the coast.

There’s the 100 mile theory – that we should focus our diet on food available within 100 miles from home. Fewer carbon miles, less need for pesticides and preservation methods that reduce the food’s nutrient value etc. Using the 100 mile rule, we could be eating food grown almost as far as Braidwood – lots of lamb, vegies etc. Some of the farmers in Braidwood are quite progressive in their thinking (example – Martin Royds).

To say nothing of encouraging norwegian tomatoes.

But hey let people vote with their wallets I say.

sepi said :

Is there anything we can plant out now – vegies I mean?

Snow peas?

The latest wanky idea emanating from bearded soyaccino sipping tree huggers. For Canberrans this would mean no seafood, bread, corn, rice or tropical fruit.

People have been transporting food in season since the Romans got their herrings from North Europe & their wheat from North Africa.

Is there anything we can plant out now – vegies I mean?

farmer’s markets at EPIC on saturdays and I think in fyshwick on sundays have local (ish) and seasonal produce, also there are community gardens you can join, contact the Canberra Organic Grower’s Society.
http://www.cogs.asn.au
Griffith shops are very good also.

I don’t like the flounders’ ethics, BT. Very shady. They’ll stab you in the back as soon as look at you.

I like SOLE food too. Lemon Sole is very nice.

My cousins call them Flounder.

Flounder fishing involves waders (in winter), a float with a battery in it, lights and spears. And beer, lots of beer. Or, in winter, other stronger warming beverages, rather a lot really.

Flounder are very local and organic. They must be sustainable because they’re still around and you don’t spear undersize ones. I’m not sure about their ethics though.

Dixiebelle, ever considered growing your own? Obviously not practical if you’re in a 1 bedroom inner city flat, but on a small suburban block you can grow a variety of crops. In my tiny lot I have spinach, cabbage, leek and a variety of herbs, and come spring, I will be doing the “summer salad” mix. If I had the room I would add chooks, ducks and a goose.

Thank you! I have looked into the Slow Food Movement before, but didn’t think there was many Australian branches of it. When we moved here, I totally forgot to find out about one in this area… one advantage of being in Canberra is the possibility to access resources and people who care about these things too!

For cafes, try “As Nature Intended”, in Acton (Marcus Clarke St, right down the end, in the new building). It’s also some kind of organic food supermarket.

dixie, check out the Slow Food Canberra group. These guys & gals promote partnerships between lovers of good food, and local producers. The Canberra region has a wealth of local produce that is well worth discovering.

Oops, should have used the preview button! Where is the edit button in this place??? LOL

I-filed said :

Hmmm … how local is local?

Well, I guess, the closest it can be, whilst also pursuing the other ideals. Primarily, I want to focus on Organic, but find out how the organic animals (meat/ dairy) are treated, and if there are farms/ producers as close to Canberra as possible doing that, that’s what I aim to find out!

Excellent, I am finally going there this Saturday! I wonder if they do ‘market tours’ there?

Poacher’s Pantry smokes their own meat and makes olives etc.

There is local meat from Murrumbatemen.

and plenty of local area wine.

Most local stuff is available at the Farmer’s Markets at Epic.

Hmmm … how local is local? Canberra in midwinter … local food? Cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, eggs (if you can find local free-range). There’s no local milk. And I guess the ‘ethical’ also cuts out local lamb, beef … um there are ripe lemons … unless you’ve grown your own and stored root vegetables and things, an ethicurian would be on short rations at this time of year! Good luck with your quest, you’ll need to compromise a fair bit to get fed!

Oh, and if anyone can help with information for the blog post in “Everyday Eco in the ACT” that would be great too…

http://everydayecointheact.blogspot.com/