Campus festival celebrates local food, vendors

The average grocery store tomato was picked before it was ripe, transported thousands of miles and artificially sprayed red.

A fresh tomato tastes like fruit, said Christine Barbour, co-director of Slow Food Bloomington .

“It’s sweet. It’s tart. It’s acidic. It’s juicy,” Barbour said. “We know there (are) advantages to eating locally, but students don’t know that.”

Big Red Eats Green, organized by Slow Food Bloomington , the IU Office of Sustainability and the Indiana Memorial Union, took place Wednesday in Alumni Hall after a change in venue due to rain.

Restaurants including Laughing Planet and Lennie’s sold snack-sized portions of dishes made from locally grown food.

Groups involved with food production, such as Bloomingfoods and Heartland Family Farm , worked booths to answer students’ questions.

Event organizer Sara Minard , a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology’s Food Studies Program, said Big Red Eats Green was created as a cheap, low-impact way for students to try local food.

“I talk to students all the time who are in their third year and they don’t know where Soma (Coffee House) is, or they’ve never been to Upland (Brewery),” Minard said. “It’s a risk to go to a restaurant you’ve never been (to) and try it.”

Other students may be aware of local food options but don’t have the time or money to try them, Barber said.

Sophomore Melissa Fielma said even though she eats most of her meals in her dorm, she still tries to buy produce from the farmer’s market.

“I really appreciate local, organic food,” Fielma said. “In the long run, it’s not only important for our bodies, but also for the environment.”

While local food is more expensive, Barbour said students should consider consequences beyond price.

“There are a lot of hidden costs in terms of things we ingest,” Barbour said. “We don’t know about the long-term effects of the chemicals that go in our food.”

Minard said eating locally allows consumers to interact closely with the people who grow their food, as well as receive more information about how the food is produced.

“Most farmers who are growing locally, and certainly the organic ones, aren’t growing genetically modifi ed food,” said Susan Welsand , who is better known as “The Chili Woman” and has been selling chilies grown on her farm for 19 years.

“Most are also growing sustainably. We’re taking care of the land so it actually will be better each year.”

Paying attention to local food is beneficial to the health of Bloomington’s residents and the community’s environment.

“I think it’s great that everyone’s coming out to support the slow food movement and local foods,” said Lisa Meuser , a volunteer at the Bloomington Community Orchard.

“It really nourishes our community by keeping the food and resources local and accessible for everybody.”