Yes, I’m a Palmettovore. I guess I’ve been one for a while and never knew it! In order to explain what it means, I need to go back a little in time.
There has been a movement in recent years, mostly in conjunction with getting us to live greener, encouraging people to eat locally grown foods. A new word was coined to describe people that go out of their way to consume locally grown – localvores or locavores.
There are a few good reasons to aspire to be a localvore. One is that we are supporting our local farmers, our neighbors. Two, is that we are reducing our carbon footprint on the earth by reducing a long chain of intervention from processors, manufacturers, shippers and retailers in getting our food to the table. Three, fresh local products are fresher, more nutritious and taste better.
Basically, a localvore encourages consumers to buy from farm markets or to produce their own food because it is better quality and environmentally friendly since supermarkets import foods using more fossil fuels and non-renewable sources.
Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of The South Carolina Department of Agriculture, says that South Carolinians spend $6 billion a year on food, yet everyone from every facet of the food business in South Carolina gets less than six percent of those dollars.
So, our Department of Agriculture has started a huge campaign to educate people of the benefits of “home grown” and to get everyone on board. When consumers see “Fresh on the Menu, Certified SC Grown” on a restaurant menu, they know that at least 25 percent of the product comes from South Carolina. We also see this sign on certain foods in grocery stores: “Certified South Carolina.” We see billboards that say “Locally Grown. It’s to dine for,” and “Nothing’s Fresher, Nothing’s Finer: Buy South Carolina.”
The latest is a video. My friend Randolph is in it. He is the ear of corn. You can watch it on You Tube. Yeah, I know, but please watch it for me.
I’ve never had a palmetto. Honestly whenever I think “palmetto” I think of those creeptastic bugs from Florida. Not much creeps me out, but those things…:shudder:
I really shouldn’t post before I’m awake. ROFLMAO I just realized what I wrote. ROFLMAO
Palmetto bugs are basically big creepy cockroaches! They live in the bark of Palmetto trees. Palmetto trees are like palm trees, kinda, sorta. A Palmetto tree with crescent moon is South Carolina’s state logo, ergo Palmettovores! But, we don’t eat any part of that tree!
They’re still creepy. People bring them here where they’ve gotten into their cars or belongings when they’ve gone to Florida on vacation. I don’t creep or freak out easily, but those bugs give me the heebie jeebies.
I recently watched The Future of Food and Supersize Me. Both are documentaries and can be found on Hulu.com. If these programs don’t make you want to watch what you eat then I don’t know what will. Of course these programs are skewed to benefit the makers of the films so you need to form your own opinion. I am very fortunate to live in a city with enough demand for organic and locally grown foods that our supermarkets are able to stock their shelves and produce department. We also have a super farmers market on Saturday’s downtown.
Care, so you are a localvore! Cool! Not as cool as being a Palmettovore, though! Just saying…