Why eat local?

First of all, "local" is not a goal. Local is one of a number of means to making food more fulfilling. Anything that connects us with the source of our food, the people who tend to and prepare it, and the method of preparation makes food more fulfilling. Finding locally produced ingredients is one of many ways of creating these connections, and it's the one we've chosen to focus on.

There are many reasons to search out local foods, and at least a few of them should resonate with any one person. Our favorite is this: the fact that you can personally know the people who grow the food you're eating brings such an important level of intimacy and knowledge with it that it makes the food taste that much better, for both body and soul. If you love to wander through farmer's markets asking questions about the type and origins of the produce and getting to know the people you are buying from, then you will appreciate what we are doing at Sea Rocket Bistro. There's a huge wealth of knowledge in our local farmers and fishermen- not just in the technicalities of how they grow or catch it, which varies widely depending on their specialty, but also in unique recipe ideas, the history of their work, and in the food politics that surround their industry. The best part, though, is in the personalities and stories of each of these individuals who, often against great financial odds, continue to provide very healthy and accessible alternatives to what has become a very industrialized corporate food culture which is unhealthy in a multitude of ways. If you haven't read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, or another similar publication on this issue, we encourage you to do so.

Then there's the simple fact that produce and seafood acquired locally will be fresher and therefore taste better than food that has been transported from far away and stored for days or weeks or months. Not to mention the myriad of chemicals sometimes used on such food to keep it in an edible condition for much longer than is naturally possible. Once a local farmer picks his crops, he needs to get rid of them immediately since there are no preservatives involved, so we are the benefactors of that pristine "just picked" or "just fished" flavor. We try to buy directly from fishermen whenever we can to assure this freshness, and since we do not have live holding tanks this is our best option. Our next best option is to buy fish from a local distributor within a day or two of landing- they usually know exactly where the fish came from and how long it's been around so that we can make an informed decision on the best catch to buy. We also try to keep our food stock as close to our daily needs as possible in order to avoid having to store and freeze things for too long.

Here are some of the advantages to eating locally-sourced food:

• Learn the story behind the ingredient- the people, their history, and their philosophies- for a much more meaningful meal
• Taste the difference between nearby, independently farmed produce & industrially grown- many are certified organic while some farm organically without certification, the official designation of which itself garners plenty of argument
• Avoid the greater costs and pollution of transporting goods from far away- this is where the "carbon footprint" of an ingredient comes into play, which makes your typical grocery store food far more expensive than anything you might find locally
• Know exactly where your food comes from, how it is grown, harvested, and handled
• Support your local economy and contribute to a sustainable fishing and agricultural future- the people actually working locally are more in tune with sustainable practices than any of the companies or organizations trying to regulate it
• Be a part of the community by sharing in all of the amazing things this area has to offer!