100-Mile Diet in Scotland
By Mike
BURNTISLAND, SCOTLAND--Thanks to James and Alisa, I'm about to embark on a very similar project in Scotland. I'm based in Burntisland in Fife with my son (Sorley, 2) and my wife, Karen (pregnant and vegetarian). We're going to eat food only from the region of Fife over the next year.
Not easy given that much of Fife--from Rosyth to Longannet to Methil--is an industrial or post-industrial landscape. The Firth of Forth is an unlikely cornucopia. Only a few miles away, Dalgety Bay recently reported radiation from samples taken on the beach, and the huge chemical plant of Grangemouth shines in the night across the estuary. The winter is cold and bleak. Throw in the fact that my wife and I have a two-and-half year-old toddler and another on the way, and the stakes are raised.
It's not all doom and gloom. There's a farmers market once a month in Kirkcaldy a few miles away. There are two organic farms we know of and rumours--but no sign of--a ‘local food initiative'. The East Neuk of Fife is full of fishing villages and there's even a Fyfe Brewery selling local beer. Maybe we'll be alright?
Doing the diet, we want to challenge the idea of organic as a stand-alone solution, and rebuild awareness of where our food comes from. It's ambitious to think that we could help challenge the grip of the supermarket on society, but maybe we can help. We also want to test how difficult it is to eat local on a budget. We have a small garden and a smaller income. We're not very Fearnley-Whittingstallish.
Thanks again for the inspiration.
