I did some late night grocery shopping at the Bloor Street Market to find some veggies to go with a wonderful Cumbrae' s whole chicken. I grabbed some of my favourite balsamic glaze and planned on making a tomato/balsamic side salad. When I went to grab my tomatoes I noticed every single kind of tomato was from Mexico. Heirloom, cherry, roma, organic, boxed heirloom, vine ripened were all mexican. I think there was one variety from Italy. This really shocked me, most grocery stores including Sobeys, no frills, and Rabba, all have at least one type of tomato from Ontario, and they have less of a selection. It is one of my principals to buy local tomatoes: the quality suffers tremendously when purchasing from a distance, not to mention the various ethical, environmental reasons, and health reason!
         I grabbed two anyways, because I was in a hurry and they were about to close. I mentioned it to the cashier, a 18-22 year old male, who responded with "a  tomatoe's a tomato." Oh. I wasn't about to launch into a spiel while others were behind me in line, and honestly I do not want to be that crazy customer. I was really shocked to hear his response though. Are people that in the dark about where their food comes from? With the 100 mile diet, local food movement, documentaries like Food Inc, and the popularity of Micheal Pollan, I figured people would be more informed. There are some schools in Toronto that teach kids how to grow their own vegetables and read nutrition labels.
        On my way home I thought that maybe I am being crazy for caring. Should I really go to the effort of contacting a manager? I purchase other products like bananas and mangos that certainly don't come from Canada. I buy clothes that are made in other countries. But I am sticking to my guns here, the clothes I buy do not cause me to injest harmful chemicals. I try to buy local as much as I can, and refuse to eat any meat other than Cumbraes, unless I am at a restaurant. There are a few things that I will be a stickler with, and tomatoes is one of them. If everyone bought Ontario tomatoes I bet we could do a difference, improve the market in Canada, even if it is just a little bit, and save our health and the environment.
         This also made me wonder about the knowledge youth really have about food. I truly believe the younger generation, especially those brought up with foodie parents in the middle and upper class, are becoming knowledgeable about food. There is a huge lower class and immigrant population in Toronto, and I think this is where the knowledge gap occurs. Parents don't have the information to pass on and getting food on the table is more important than the nutrition or sustainability. So this week my plan is to contact FoodShare about volunteering in the community. Knowledge is power my friends. Keep your eyes on the food labels, and buy local as much as possible. Every tomato counts ;)