Friday, August 14, 2009

What's the Story?

At my doctor’s office this morning, I found this delectable quote from chef Dan Barber in the August ’09 Martha Stewart Living magazine:

It’s what unfolds every morning at the farmers’ market – not just food grown in the right way and picked at the perfect time, but food with a story. Even in our most auspicious moments in the kitchen, that’s better than any seasoning you or I could provide.

Storytelling is one of humanity’s earliest art forms, one that still resonates with most of us today. Most children I know love having stories read or told to them. Stories underlie many of our holidays: what would Christmas or Passover be without the retelling of the ancient stories that gave rise to the celebrations? And aren’t the most interesting people we meet people whose life is a richly-textured story?

The idea of food with a story is very appealing. The vibrant colors, textures and aromas of farmers’ market wares speak volumes about the generosity of the land, the challenge of growth in unpredictable weather conditions and the care of the farmers and food artisans. As Barber points out, there’s no comparison between open market food and the tired variety found in supermarkets, often processed beyond recognition, taste dissipated over miles of transport…food with its story silenced.

See you at the farmers’ market.

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