The first time I heard there was a song called "My Humps" I assumed it must be by Tubbs. I know that an obsession with all things local can be bad.
And yet. Whenever I go near the apple tree in my back garden (aka yard) I feel that it is criminal not to eat the apples it produces. Going inside removes this feeling, or reduces it to a mere idea. Part of the idea of eating local food relates to this feeling, I think. The earth provides food in certain places and certain times, and we should not spurn the gift for the sake of supposedly better food from elsewhere, or produced by artificial means. (Religion and pomposity are mingling in me here, but I don't think they are both essential to the idea.) That is Faustus' sin in wanting out-of-season fruits. His desire shows how little he is getting in return for his soul, but it's also a symptom of ingratitude.
The dominant scientism means this kind of religious attitude is likely to express itself, confusedly, in claims about health or efficiency, but this does not invalidate the underlying attitude.
Anyway, my next post will be about something else. I promise.
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