hif you know me even a little bit then you know i’m greedy. greedy sounds bad and like taste has little to with anything, let’s call me a “luv grub” as S used to. i love the parts of my day that involve food. a healthy part of my excitement about being in the bay area is food related.
as such, it never really crossed my mind, beyond an academic exercise, how access to food can be limited. thinking back, we discussed it at the university of auckland. we tried to get the city to implement grocery stores in their planning around government housing. as it was, the marginalized populations were also left to fish and chip shops and corner stores. come to think of it, i lived in a neighborhood like that. without a car at my disposal and facing the intense hills of new zealand i had to walk quite a distance or catch a bus to get reasonably priced groceries.
and so it is here. staying in the tenderloin and i have yet to find an actual grocery store – one that carries fruits and vegetables. i haven’t been really far, but even when i discuss it with locals they ask me where i’m staying and shake their heads…there is no fresh produce here except twice a week when the farmer’s market emerges by the bart (today was one of those days but it was packing up by the time i got home).
as a result i’ve eaten out every meal every day for about a week. a luxury i can barely afford but can afford none the less. it leaves me thinking about those that can’t…what do they eat?how nutritious are their meals? beyond the homeless scrounging for scraps in garbage cans or sips of coffee in abandoned paper cups, even those who have homes are subject to the prepared food lining the streets.
spoiled by the lake merritt area – where i continue to search for housing – complete with a sizable grocery store in addition to its weekly farmers’ market, i find this insane. the bay being so walking friendly – so car hostile – i assumed groceries would be near.
wrong…
one of the apartments i’m looking at (despite their refusal to call me back) is in a – shall we say – less glamorous part of town. just for kicks i googled neighboring supermarkets. after sifting through the corner stores that popped up i discovered the closest one requires a ride on the bart. convenience and nutrition apparently don’t go together unless your rent exceeds $1000 a month.
Tags: health, soapbox, socialcommentary
a different kind of hunger
hif you know me even a little bit then you know i’m greedy. greedy sounds bad and like taste has little to with anything, let’s call me a “luv grub” as S used to. i love the parts of my day that involve food. a healthy part of my excitement about being in the bay area is food related.
as such, it never really crossed my mind, beyond an academic exercise, how access to food can be limited. thinking back, we discussed it at the university of auckland. we tried to get the city to implement grocery stores in their planning around government housing. as it was, the marginalized populations were also left to fish and chip shops and corner stores. come to think of it, i lived in a neighborhood like that. without a car at my disposal and facing the intense hills of new zealand i had to walk quite a distance or catch a bus to get reasonably priced groceries.
and so it is here. staying in the tenderloin and i have yet to find an actual grocery store – one that carries fruits and vegetables. i haven’t been really far, but even when i discuss it with locals they ask me where i’m staying and shake their heads…there is no fresh produce here except twice a week when the farmer’s market emerges by the bart (today was one of those days but it was packing up by the time i got home).
as a result i’ve eaten out every meal every day for about a week. a luxury i can barely afford but can afford none the less. it leaves me thinking about those that can’t…what do they eat?how nutritious are their meals? beyond the homeless scrounging for scraps in garbage cans or sips of coffee in abandoned paper cups, even those who have homes are subject to the prepared food lining the streets.
spoiled by the lake merritt area – where i continue to search for housing – complete with a sizable grocery store in addition to its weekly farmers’ market, i find this insane. the bay being so walking friendly – so car hostile – i assumed groceries would be near.
wrong…
one of the apartments i’m looking at (despite their refusal to call me back) is in a – shall we say – less glamorous part of town. just for kicks i googled neighboring supermarkets. after sifting through the corner stores that popped up i discovered the closest one requires a ride on the bart. convenience and nutrition apparently don’t go together unless your rent exceeds $1000 a month.
Tags: health, soapbox, socialcommentary