Wake Up Call at the Grocery Store

Yeah, man. That's the inside of my fridge. I had to 

have some kind of picture here! I didn't think to 

take any in the store tonight. What a shame.

I had quite the wake up call today when I went to the grocery store. Much of the produce shelves were nearly bare or half bare and many other shelves, as well. What produce was left was a bit picked over and there weren't any stocked to the ridge bottles and cans of things today.

There were so many people in the store, too, and I wondered why I didn't happen to hear anyone else asking the store clerks what was going on. I wondered why no one else seemed to be perplexed. It was a little weird to me that business was going on as usual, sales and all, BOGOs and no news anywhere about whether this store was going out of business or whether the store clerks were going to restock anytime soon.

I finally asked someone. "We didn't get our shipment in today," said one of the cashiers at the self-checkout. She didn't seem to think much of it, told me and then went on looking bored. I went on, too. I bagged my things and left the place, realizing just how short of a time it would take to have nothing at all, being so dependent as I am on such things as grocery stores.

Last night, while preparing for an upcoming shindig that will feature poets, musicians, actors, and more, I noticed this poster (pictured left) on our hostess's wall. I was reminded of some of the conversations we have had in R.A.W. about the pertinence of growing our own food.

This is something I would like to discuss further. I know that there are many people, locally, nationally, and globally working on this, practicing this, teaching others, etc. I would especially like their input, ideas, and expertise. How can this be done? Is it feasible?

Also, what are we giving up if we are not participating in the creation of our own foodstuffs? Some of this is evident to me, but I want to hear from others on this! Let's talk. Let's continue this conversation:

This post originally appeared 3/27/2011 at the R.A.W. blog.