Well folks, the honeymoon’s over. Literally. My new hubby and I are now official, and we are officially back to work (both physically and mentally). Our ceremony was beautiful, our reception fabulous, and our honeymoon a blast. Now before you all start the hidden eye rolls and the courtesy smiles hiding what you’re really thinking (that’s great Kim but why do we care about your personal life??), let me be clear–while Nate and I enjoyed ourselves immensely in Hawaii, I gotta be honest–it wasn’t all play and no work. Wherever we went, we were reminded of my role at Region Five as a local foods VISTA. At first we thought it to be coincidence (maybe work was still on our minds), but as we kept seeing these reminders, we began to understand that the ‘local foods’ theme is a way of life in Hawaii, not just a reminder that I only had one week in paradise before returning to mosquito country. Let me explain…
Everywhere we went on the island of Oahu–and I mean everywhere–there was a major push toward the use of local food! The first restaurant we visited (Keo’s, for anyone who loves Thai food) stated clearly on their menu that they use locally grown and locally raised products as often as possible. We both noticed this at the same time and smiled. “How nice, we thought “this is right up my alley”. Later, after looking Keo’s up online we learned that Keo himself is a huge supporter of the local foods effort on Oahu because he is a farmer. He knows the value of locally grown food and sees the benefits of growing and serving his food locally.
As we toured the island and visited restaurant after restaurant, we were surprised to find that the locally grown theme was very common throughout the community. Every restaurant we visited (with the exception of McDonalds…yes, we ate at McDonalds. But just once…ok twice.) resonated the same idea–locally grown products were essential to the economy in Oahu, but more than that, the residents believe in it. Local foods as a community essential? What a concept!
While it only makes sense that an island would need to save itself import and transport costs to help sustain its viability, the local foods effort was rooted much more deeply. The Hawaiian people believe in local food and believe in its endless benefits; not only as an economical resource but as a health and wellness benefit to the point where they no longer need to question where their food comes from.
We learned a lot in Hawaii–we learned that sand sticks to your scalp for weeks after returning to the mainland, that sea turtles are HUGE and sharks are NOT your friends, and that the Hawaiian people really do have the local foods effort all figured out. I tip my hat to them and to all of you who are supporting our local foods efforts right here in the Midwest–let’s keep the ball rolling!
Aloha to you all!
An interesting albeit somewhat usless fact: Aloha means hello, goodbye and expresses affection, love, peace, compassion, and mercy. :-)
Five Counties. One Vision. One Source
