Yesterday I was checking out hulu (my new favorite past time it seems), and I landed on an intriguing little documentary called The Future of Food. As I am sure you can guess, it got me thinking a bit about where my food comes from, who is really controlling what I eat etc.
Now I am no conspiracy theorist (maybe just a little – I am married to a journalist), but the rapid changes in the management of our food supply is a bit alarming to say the least. Of course this is not new information for most of us. In my family, we try to eat everything organic, and we read & reread our labels.
However watching a movie like this just reminds us to really stay on our toes, and to fight to control something as basic as our daily food intake. Although there were lots of scary facts and figures given in the movie, the overall feeling I was left with wasn’t fear. I just can’t stop asking why. Why do we do this? Why do we feel the need to control all aspects of EVERYTHING? Why can’t we just trust nature? It has obviously worked so far.
If you know me at all, you know I am a city girl through and through. However yesterday I felt a longing for a simpler life like never before. A life close to and connected with the land. A life where I can trust what I eat and revel in its natural beauty.
This is why I am happy to share with you this little gem called Fait ici. Fait ici means “made here,” and they are words to live by for this beautiful nouveau urban general store in Montreal. Products range from fresh and prepared foods, items for baby, bath and body, and gifts. The vast majority of which are produced in Quebec (thus, fait ici). The mission at Fait ici is to provide clients with as much information as possible about where the items come from, and how they were made. They believe everyone should have a choice when it comes to consumption.
What are your thoughts on this issue? What do you do to combat/avoid some of the tactics used by big box farms? Do you have a gem like this in your own community? I would love to hear about it!
Fait ici
2519 Notre Dame O.
Montrel, Quebec
514.439.3888
I am a licensed artist who creates modern surface patterns, lives to travel, and eats lots of olives. Yep, it’s kinda that simple. You can find my work on fabric, tableware, lamps, wallcoverings, etc. Are you ready to transform your art business by doing a trade show? Then you are ready to be a 
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by FAIT ICI, Khristian A. Howell. Khristian A. Howell said: best of the bricks is up on @scoutiegirlblog + I'm calling 4 a food revolution! Join me? @FAITICI montreal, quebec http://ow.ly/2ohMc #in [...]
It’s a little scary when you think about all the chemicals that go in our bodies from the food we eat. Veggies and fruit are good for us, but not all the chemicals that are sprayed on them. Not to mention the steroid induces animals produced for meat.
Dianna,
It is scary indeed, and it goes much deeper than just the chemicals sprayed on top of what we eat. I encourage you to ask questions, and read read read. I know for sure at least animal products should be labeled if they are injected with hormones.
glad to find your blog….and blog ideas….i sem to be deserting my blog for our facebook, whichis growing lots faster……. and also glad to see you writing about a brick and mortar store..there are some of us left!!!!
heres mine… http://www.greenoakantiques.com.
we love recycling and rehabbing and do it on BIG STUFF..
ANN
Oh yes! This is a huge issue for me also! I live in a regional area and a looooooong way from any capital city (Aust.) but I feel so grateful for what we have available to us. I can buy just about anything we need from within a 200km radius at the most. Just about everything except toothpaste, toilet paper… I do it for lots of reasons though. Local money spent locally, low food miles, knowing where it comes from and being able to speak to the person who grew it, farmed it or made it are all important to me and my family. My area has a lot of dairy farmers and there is a huge company that is not even owned by Australians pushing them out. Basically they told them they don’t want or need their milk any longer and these families, many of whom have been on their farms for generations, are facing a life with no means of survival.
It costs us more to eat and shop the way we do, but these farmers being treated this way is EXACTLY why we do it.
Kathryn,
Thank you for your passion on this issue, and your dedication to buying local. I would love to hear more about what is happening on this front in your corner of the world. I think it is a fundamental right, not a privilege to know where are food is from and what we are putting into our bodies. My fear is that the nature is being stripped out of nature right before our eyes. Soon we will have no idea what is in our food, how it got there, what the long-term effects may be, and what the real motives are behind the changes. I think what we can all do right now is question – everything. I am optimistic that their still time to reverse this trend. However, it will take work, and a bit of sacrifice of the convenient from all of us.
Living in South Florida we are always hunting and gathering fresh fruit from our trees and our neighbors. We also live close to the water and are able to catch fish. Most of our produce is either grown in a backyard garden or from our loc
Jeannie,
What a wonderful treat for you to have fruit trees (jealous)! You know this is probably something easy we can all do in our local communities. Of course every climate is not right for beautiful orange or lemon trees, but I am sure there is something we can all grow where we live that is as easy as a fruit tree. I am really starting to think about what I can do to take back some control. Getting together with neighbors is a great way to start to share the maintenance responsibilities. I know many areas have community gardens. I am also investigating the growing trend of urban window gardens.
This is definitely a timely post. I logged online this morning to find one of my friends discussing this: http://open.salon.com/blog/gordon_wagner/2010/08/07/s510_–_illegal_to_grow_share_trade_sell_homegrown_food. This is S.510, a bill that would basically make it illegal for U.S. citizens to collect seeds, grow their own food and trade or sell that food. It would also put control over food production into the hands of Monsanto, one of the most evil corporations around.
I am so glad that there are places like Fait ici, but I worry about these awesome little shops (as well as people making body products, selling baked goods, etc.) since there are bills like S.510 on the books. I guess all we can do is keep voicing our disapproval and hoping that our elected politicians will listen and act.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for sending this information. Team K and K (that’s me and my hubby) are officially on a fact finding mission on ins and outs of this bill. I mean, this would be absurd for sure! You are dead on that these Monsanto people are really really scary. The scariest part is that they control both sides of the fence as many of the execs have also done stints in the FDA and EPA. It is truly going to take protest on a level our generation doesn’t really know to keep our basics rights to food. This could very well become the next civil rights issue.
We must continue to support places like Fait Ici! If you hear of others with a similar mission, please share!
So cool! I happen to lived in Montreal! I’m so exicted. You can be sure I will visit them by metro cause there are not too close. Love your blog!
Thanks for this blog and all those who left comments. I buy local, grow my own foods and fruits or pick wild. I am not really a meat eatter but, my family raise cattle and pigs, so I can have chemical free eats if I choose eat meat.