B-town Food

This post finds me in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC. A California foodie girl amidst a sea of concrete, a barren pre-spring reality. I always find my reaction fascinating when I land in a city. The food system is so different here. Gone is my chicken and trees that bare, gone are the blackberries and collards that grow like weeds. Gone is the possibility of foraging. To tell you the truth, having lived near such abundance for so long, cities make me a tad nervous.

Fortunately, as featured earlier on this blog (http://alifeorganic.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html), Brooklyn has become a hotspot for all things local. My previous impression is that the food scene here is a tad on the precocious side, a lot of energy into the style of the offering, much less the substance. Not grounded literally in dirt like much of the West and Midwest.



 Regardless, being in Park Slope, I figured I'd check out the old school heart of the Brooklyn foodie movement, so I made a pilgrimage to the famed Park Slope Co-op, hoping to be able to pick up some morsels for a late dinner. When I arrived at the exterior door, I was greeted by two women in bright orange construction vests that prominently proclaimed: PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP- members on their shifts I assumed. They did not stop me. At the interior entrance, there was a very nice man who was checking IDs, and giving some sort of receipt to enter and by, when I approached and looked quizzical, he told me that if I wasn't a member already, I would have to go up stairs and sign up for a two hour member sign up class and tutorial, then I would have to pay a membership fee and deposit.
Wow, I thought, hard core! I let him know I don't live in Brooklyn, nor do I intend on living near here ever. At this, he looked sympathetically at me. His eyes seemed to pity that I wouldn't ever know the glory of being able to shop here. Well, after a pause he said, would you like a tour anyway? Grateful for opportunity, I said yes. A woman appeared, another member volunteer I assumed, and gave me a brief tour. During that few minute walk through, I ascertained a few things.
1) It's about one third of the price of a regular natural foods store,
2) It was small, cramped and totally packed with people, and
3) The hipster crowd I'd expected was only a small portion of the the scene- there were people of all stages, classes, and ethnicities. Way more diverse than any natural food store I know of in Cali.

I was impressed. This place was roots. Unpretentious, inexpensive, and diverse, it immediately made me comfortable. I felt more at ease surrounded by the intimate, communal bounty the space provided.

On my way back to the apartment I'm staying in, I stopped by a small Jamaican raw organic food store on Washington Ave. Again, a mix of cultures challenged my assumptions. After eating a delicious smoothy and some soup, I literally ate my judgement. Good organic, locally made food.  Go Brooklyn. Go.