30 Days of Thanks, Day 3

Today I am thankful for food.

I'm thankful that I have regular access to it. I'm thankful that I have enough--if not too much--food on a daily basis. I'm thankful that my tastes in food have evolved over time.

This morning I went to the farmers market. It's Saturday and the market goes until December 22--so I was there. The market is half the size it is during the summer and early fall and my beloved Ethiopian food is gone until April (she only keeps the stand open until the end of October but she is looking for more permanent space).

This morning I walked to the market and picked up a few things: cauliflower, zucchini  potatoes, onions, apples and whole wheat bread. All organic and all local. Because the Ethiopian food stand was gone, I tried the newest food stand: An Asian fusion stand. The guy that runs it was the chef at the only four-star restaurant in town, but it closed a couple years ago. Since then he's started a noodle bowl food stand open for lunch during the day and Saturdays at the market (and soon he will have an actual space). Today I ordered rice noodles with veggies (the pickled peppers and roasted squash was killer),  tofu, and nori in a vegan mushroom broth. Holy shit, it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. I want two more right now.

When I say I am thankful my tastes have evolved, I mean I am thankful that I am willing to try new  food, and that I have access to different types of food. In a way I am a foodie, but I consider myself a foodie be default--I'm a foodie because I'm a vegan. This means I pay more attention to what I eat and appreciate some things more than others. Don't get me wrong, I love food and have loved food for a long time, but it's different now.

I look at myself now and my habits of both eating and shopping and am oddly amused. I buy most of my food from local stores within walking distance of where I live. I only go to Trader Joe's when I really have to mainly because I grew tired of fighting for a parking lot. And I've found that the local co-op is surprisingly cheaper than the traditional grocery stores. I buy higher-end food--meaning specialty (veganized versions of non-vegan food, tofu, etc) and organic, mainly. I don't know if organic is really all that better, but most of it locally grown and I'm down with supporting local farmers and businesses.

Basically, I'm one big walking NPR-listening, organic-buying, food-obsessed cliche.

And I'm okay with that.

Anyway, so, yes, I am thankful for food. I am thankful for my access to it. I am thankful for my foodie-ness.

**This was edited because the original post was half-baked and boring. Hopefully, this is a little better.