On farmers Markets and poor people.

A certain someone I am Facebook-acquainted with has a habit of always posting very, VERY pro-vegetarian things as her status updates. Cool. Most of my friends are veggies. I didn't eat red meat for 6 years and was a full-blown vegetarian for a year or two, on and off. I shop with canvas bags at the grocery (sometimes). I managed a freaking farmers market for a year. I get it.

This morning, this 'certain someone' (CS) posted the following:

just a thought: "We eliminate food stamps and promote farmers' market stamps, allowing access to fresh, healthy foods to those who need it most, and pushing more customers towards local farmers" - Michael Pollan

Ok. CS lives a very hipster, bourgeois, vegetarian life in Silverlake. CS eats at trendy vegan restaurants.

CS hasn't stood in line for food stamps at the LA County Department of Social Services in the rain, in the heart of South Central. CS didn't see the teen moms waiting in line IN THE RAIN, holding babies wrapped in fleece Winnie-the-Pooh blankets, staring blankly ahead. These moms would, I'm sure, love to gets their babies the organic, expensive soy-protein-powder made from the bark of a rare tree in the Amazon, selling for too much money in Whole Foods, or even just stop at the local farmers market to get some fresh produce. But guess what. There aren't farmers markets in the ghetto. Guess what, CS? No one picks up recycling in the ghetto either. GASP! They have better things to do, like making sure their kids don't join a gang, or even less likely, actually graduate from high school.

While I would LOVE if all farmers market started accepting EBT payments - which many have - how are you going to get the residents of this community out to the beach towns of Santa Monica, where farmers markets have streets shut down 3 days each week? Most of the kids here have never been to the beach, 10 miles away, or have gone only a few times. I'd love a bus of my kids to pull up to the Saturday SM farmers market, to mix along bouquets of dried lavender and seriously overpriced omelettes.

In the short time I've been here, we've tried planting a community garden. 1. There's no appropriate drainage or watering systems in the projects. 2. Let's talk environmental justice - the planes that fly low over Inglewood, South Central and Watts are dumping harmful emissions into this community. "Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn has lobbied hard for a sweeping review of the health of residents, many of whom suspect that emissions from aircraft and motorists en route to the airport are responsible for a variety of medical problems in the city." The soil's messed up from these emissions. Not much of anything will be growing here soon.

Ok. There's my rant, directly mainly at CS. I love the bourgy farmers markets and I'll probably go to one this weekend. (Enter sweeping generalization here:) I'm just tired of rich people trying to cure the world with their green propaganda.