Environment, Food: 100-mile diet

You might remember map magazine’s story on the 100-Mile Cafe in Melbourne – an eatery that sources all of its products and produce from within a 100-mile radius of the cafe. Here’s the same idea taken to a different level. The 100-Mile Diet is a new book to hit shelves recently, which follows the journey of a couple who challenged themselves to only eat food that has been grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of their apartment in Vancouver, Canada. Starting without much research Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon were thrown into the deep end of trying to source local food. Local wheat farmers proved to be one of the hardest finds and the couple ate a lot of potatoes as a result. Struggling to adjust to the sudden change, at first their meals were boring and minimalist. As they learnt more and their knowledge of sources expanded they began to benefit from the freshest, local ingredients and experience new flavours. Forced to eat seasonally, what began as a one-year experiment turned into a whole lifestyle change. Launching the book in Australia and New Zealand recently, the authors were quite jealous to discover that our subtropical climate meant we could enjoy a range of wonderful local foods, making our potential 100-mile journeys a little easier. The 100-mile diet is a moreish publication that challenges the politics of consumerism and offers some great suggestions for how we can all get started on such a journey to eat locally, start a small vegetable garden and join the 100-mile movement.