I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to live in the midwest. When I first moved here, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to road signs, but as I've been driving to Louisville fairly often lately, they have caught my attention. Signs to Lexington, Cincinnati, St. Louis. St. Louis? Honestly, I have no idea how far away St. Louis is, but where I used to live (Pennsylvania) it was eternally far away. And these cities are our landmarkers? I grew up with signs to Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York. Cincinnati seems like a pithy place compared to Philadelphia. Midwestern cities are so odd to drive towards as well. They seem to spring up in the middle of cornfields. Houses dot the plain and then, boom, there's a city. But not a city by northeastern standards. They are not old or stately or even gritty. I don't know them well enough to explain them adequately, but they are different. These cities also do not rest on coastlines. Some form at a meeting place for rivers, but others are even more isolated.
It is strange to live so far from any ocean. This changes the way you view your home, land, and those around you. I think it even effects the way you think of God. I haven't placed my finger on it yet, but here in the middle, things are different.
Yet surrounded by all this land, things are isolated. People are more self-reliant and internalized than back east. Less social, more familial. It may be true that no man is an island, but those who live in the middle part of this island have driven themselves far away from the central social zones of a country.
I hope I haven't put this in seemingly negative terms. I don't mean it like that. I am just amazed that there is so much and so little that binds us as a country. The things that bind us, although not completely, these are regional too: name brands, governmental systems, language, social movements, and cultural concepts such as freedom. So, we can traverse this country and on the surface everything is familiar, but the more time you spend in a place, you realize it's completely different than the last.
One social movement that seems to be sweeping the nation (slowly) is the local food movement. It appears that this existed here in Indiana long before it was written about in books and magazines. Just about every back road here begins with a large handwritten sign advertising produce from one of the locals residing in the direction the arrow takes you. Travel through the maze of roads aimlessly and you will stumble across zucchini, peaches, cantaloupe, tomatoes, maple syrup, eggs and home-made baskets. The road not taken could keep you from an enviable smorgasborg. I have yet been brave enough to knock at anyone's door to buy something. Not that this exactly takes bravery, but I do feel shy when thinking about the concept of just visiting a stranger at their home. Fortunately, our local co-op and farmer's market carries many of these wares--and more. Our farmer's market keeps growing exponetially; it currently has 65 different vendors, which is truly amazing, since it is held in a town of 5,000 people and a tiny county of 20,000 in the middle of truly nowhere.
We have therefore been feasting. I can't get enough of tomatoes. I could just survive on a diet of fresh salsa alone. Just the thought of those tomatoes, cilantro, limes, peppers.....my mouth is watering now. Tonight's dinner consists of local: eggs, French bread, orange and red tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, green peppers, garlic, eggplant, zucchini. It's going to turn out to be vegetable torte (chocolate tortes are MUCH better, I know, but this will do) and buschetta. I was thinking about throwing in a local wine, for good measure, but we also have this Spanish white wine and I don't want to have local overkill, right?
While I am speaking about local food, I must face the facts of this location. As I mentioned above, we are obviously far from any ocean. I have a friend moving to Florida and we went on www.localharvest.org to check out what kind of local produce and such she has in her new home. I shouldn't have looked because I became jealous almost immediately. My farmer's market is pretty good, but hers is going to sell freshly caught local seafood. I think I may need to visit!
Comments (9)
ours is a vast and diverse country indeed, yet many good things bind us together. i think our large geographical boundaries are a primary reason why we are so different and diverse. weather plays a big part in the cultural makeup of a certain area too. compare a place like international falls, minnesota to san diego, ca to boston to st. louis to chicago to miami to san antonio. . .
what do you mean by this statement:
It may be true that no man is an island, but those who live in the middle part of this island have driven themselves far away from the central social zones of a country.
i know we have plenty of local options here, and i really want to start eating more locally...but it's so much more convenient to just hit the grocery stores in one swoop! we've had our eye on joining this local co-op for a while though, so this fall may just be the time that we finally join. i've spent the past year trying to find new ways to enjoy seasonal vegetables just to make sure i would actually eat it if we bought a share. i'm really excited for fall and winter veggies! i've decided those are my favorites.
Kara, you are so observant! The midwest is truly a series of island-people, not in the Jimmy Buffet sense, more the Islands in The Stream sense. Well put.
Figs are in season! Figs! So far we have had roasted figs with blue-cheese and prosciutto, fig and pepper chutney with pork-chops, and caramelized figs over ice-cream... and I still have a big basket of them to play with!
Our farmer's market is one of the best things about living in California! It is not that big, but you can find almost any fruit or veggie that is in season. On top of that, they sell fresh honey, olive oil, plants, coffee, and a variety of breads and pastries. Going to farmer's market is my favorite within-walking-distance Saturday morning activity! (Oh, and a recommendation, if you can find them: try Summerfeld apples!)
I like your observation that one's location can influence his/her perception. I have thought about this too. I don't know if it changes the concept or just enlarges it... but I look forward to reading more of your thoughts on this!
Take care.
yum! so, when can i come over for dinner? :)
i totally know what you mean about living near the ocean and not living near the ocean. having lived in both "locations" i can totally relate to what you are trying to say (though you put it into words much better than i could).
i hope you are well, my friend.
enjoy a glass of wine for me.
Don't let Cincinnati fool you. It may be "pithy" -- though I'm not entirely sure what you mean -- but it has LOADS of grit and history. Swing through my old 'hood, Over the Rhine, and you'll see what I mean. It's gorgeous.
how did i miss this post?
I have not seen that movie-i need to. "cat on a hot tin roof" is one of my all time favorite movies!
what i love about a farmer's market or a stand on the side of the road, is how the sanitized mask of a grocery store is removed. it's food and dirt and hard working people. not plastic and labels and ad campaigns. i find this most obnoxious when buying meat. it's as if the American goal for every piece of meat OR FISH is for it to look like a damm steak! almost impossible to find cheap cuts of meat, that require long cooking and have lots of flavor.
i have never been to the midwest. seems like a faraway place.
take care! happy cooking!
Kara, I happened back on Xanga today after about a year, and decided
to have a look at your blog again. I have always enjoyed your insights.
This entry though I connected with as I have been living in Minneapolis
for the last 6 months. Having grown up on the East Coast, then moving
to Europe, I've experienced a lot of different perspectives and
cultures. One thing you don't expect to find is such drastic
differences in your own country, and yet I do. It still amazes me that
how much beauty there is in each region, how much they each have to
offer. I'm such an East Coast boy though. I moved back to the East
Coast, but not back to PA this time, up to NY. Even though NY has a
reputation for being a more harsh environment than PA, I still feel
more at home here than I did in MN.
Hope you are doing well. Was sad to see that you haven't written anything since August.
bye. i'm leaving xanga. hope you'll come visit me on tumblr: thomas on tumblr