Items
topic_interest is exactly
local
-
2022-06-10
From Sourdough to Inflation: How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Eat
This is a news story from Eater by Jamie Feldmar. This chronicles the changing food habits of people throughout the pandemic. In 2020, there was a wave of panic buying for things like flour, canned soups, and frozen vegetables. The use of grocery store delivery apps also increased that year. Instacart, a grocery delivery app, saw a 229% sales increase. With the panic buying came people looking for ways to use up things like canned goods and dried pasta. Things like sheet pan dinners, salads, and other easy meals became sought after in that time. Another change that occurred was people trying food trends popular during the pandemic. Things such as sourdough and whipped coffee were major food trends of that time. Meal kit delivery rose during the pandemic. Blue Apron had subscriptions to their food service skyrocket. Hello Fresh did as well, and was forced to close down temporarily to hire 3,000 extra workers to tackle the rising demand. In 2021, other food trends occurred while many restaurants and other dining establishments could not operate at full capacity. Things like espresso martinis and the dalgona candy, and candy made popular by the TV show Squid Game, were just some of those food trends. The food trends were not without labor issues though. In October 2021, Kellogg's workers went on strike, which affected the supply chains of that brand. Supply chain issues have become an ongoing problem since the beginning of the pandemic. In February 2022, the US temporarily shut down avocado imports from Mexico, making the food more expensive. With supply chain issues comes rising inflation. According to the USDA, food prices in 2022 were expected to rise between 6.5% to 7.5% increases. The Russian war with Ukraine cited as one of those causes. May 2022 saw a baby formula shortage, where 40% of baby formula was out of stock. Today, the USDA is looking to learn from the pandemic and the food issues that are occurring. One way they are doing this is through "a framework to transform the food system," which has the focus on building a more resilient supply chain while providing for rural and underserved communities. My own prediction is that the supply chain issues will mean more local food and less imported food overall in the United States. This means opening more food processing plants and increasing work domestically within the food industry to meet demands. The global food system is very fragile to things like pandemics and war. If food prices are to ever get lowered as well, it is important that more food gets produced and used locally. It would have the added benefit of being more environmentally friendly too, as the food would not have to be shipped as far away to where it gets used. -
2022-06-09
Columbia Pride Month events to return to full capacity, celebrate LGBTQ community
This is a news story from Columbia Missourian by Chloe-Ryan Woolfolk. After two years of either cancellations or limited capacities, Pride Month events in Columbia will be returning to full capacity. Listed in the article are local events that people can attend now, with lists of fees and general details. -
2021-07-24T14:50
Chicken feeding as a lockdown activity 2021
In July 2021, while on one of my afternoon walks, I discovered this local lockdown activity of chicken feeding. A local household was offering people the chance to feed their very friendly and excitable chickens. I am unsure when this activity first started as I do not usually walk the way that would take me past them. However, it was an amusing and relaxing thing to be able to do amidst the chaos of a global pandemic. The chickens were really very cute, despite not the brightest creatures I've ever known. I have visited them with my family regularly ever since that first time and have noted that other people, often local children, have also relished the opportunity to interact with live animals. In a small way, I believe the chickens have brought the neighbourhood a little closer together and given local children the opportunity to interact with animals they would not normally get a chance to. Sadly, due to old age and the presence of urban foxes the number of chickens has decreased and only one of the original trio remains (as of October 2021). However, she has a new friend now and is very keen to establish her authority. The sign and container of dry food has been removed but we often bring them other food- they are particularly fond of sowthistle. -
2020-12-07
Local Changes.
With the rise of COVID infections, local stores and restaurants became cautious with their employees to flatten the curve while continuing to operate. Il Mundos pizzeria, on Huntington Avenue near Brigham Circle in Roxbury, is one of the small businesses that could not afford to stay closed or only deliver during a spike in COVID cases. Local businesses that once were so memorable to the neighborhood are forced to adapt to be safer in 2020. As places began opening back up, plexiglass barriers became commonplace in restaurants big and small, and with the addition of a ‘remember to social distance’ sign, this is the common image of what ordering food in 2020 looks like. A lot of places, like Il Mundos, do not allow customers to eat inside of the restaurant, but still allow people to grab-and-go with their food. This is the ‘new normal’ of going anywhere to get food. Some places are a bit different but everywhere has made accommodations for everyone’s safety. -
2020-07-05
The Life-Giving Locale
This is the Moonee Ponds Drain. Concrete behemouth. Primary function: transport storm water to the Bay via the Maribyrnong River. Secondary functions (that came to light under lockdown): bike path, rollerblading circuit, mushroom foraging field, freeway viewing platform, late night extension of the lounge room during household parties, study break spot, skate park, graffiti canvas, shortcut to nearby suburbs, and shopping cart disposal pit. This place truly brings the community together. HIST 30060 -
2020-07-03T11:54
COVID-19 in My Small Suburban Town of West Chester, Pennsylvania
In my small suburban town of West Chester, Pennslyvania, the effects of COVID-19 were abundantly evident. People of all ages were impacted in significant ways. High school graduates were forced to stay home under Governor Wolfe's stay at home advisory during a time sacred to spending time with peers before college takes us our ways. The elderly worried about the safety of doing basic tasks like grocery shopping, most likely contemplating if this basic need will be an ill-made or possibly fatal decision. Another major event to be noted was the shortages of food and other necessities in the supply chain. This was a real wake-up call for many families in my town. Anxiety and panic definitely could be seen in everyday homes. I recall my one friend racing to Costco after hearing a small supply of toilet paper was in stock. He ended up spending a couple of thousand dollars, filling five carts to the brim with essentials. The sight of many bare shelves triggered this spontaneous decision to hoard. Many families acted similarly in my area, believing that the only option was to prepare to outlast a complete shutdown. While many businesses were forced to shut down, a local dairy farm called Bailey's Farm took advantage of the situation. It proposed a unique solution to the food shortage. Bailey's Farm began to increase its food output by collaborating with local farms across West Chester and Kennett Square. This agreement lessened competition among farms, allowing farms to focus on producing goods that they are most efficient at producing. Bernards Orchard grew a variety of fruits. Baileys Farm increased its milk and cheese production by adding more cows to their grassland. Northbrooke farms sold local pies, bread, pastries, and their famous apple cider donuts. Many other farms contributed to this network; however, these were the farms that I primarily worked with. These farms began to deliver goods to the doorstep of families. This solution relieved families from worrying about contracting COVID-19 in grocery stores, running out of food during a shortage, and simultaneously supported local farms. At the beginning of summer, I had hours of free time; I was advised to stay home and limit interactions with my friends. To utilize my time wisely, I began to look for work to have savings for college. Jobs were scarce because of the many closed businesses. I was beyond grateful when Bailey's Farm reached out and hired me as their new milkman to drive their refrigerated truck. Yes, I occupied the small niche of a milkman during a Global Pandemic. -
2020-08-20
Get Out!
Even in a global pandemic when everything is shut down, there are still a million things to do and see. This was our family’s trip up Kennebec Pass, which is only an hour from our hose. Covid is the perfect opportunity to explore your own back yard, provided you do so safely! -
2020-10-28
Disappearing Hotels?
I submitted this image because it has a lot of significance to the town of Scituate, with it being the only inn/hotel in this town. The owner has to cut a lot of employees and other things because of this pandemic and they are not receiving any money to do what is normal. Local hotels are getting diminished, just like this one and if these go down, so is the history. There is so much history that is brought along with local objects and there is meaning that locals understand so we need to try and protect local objects, not just hotels during this pandemic. -
2020-05-02
Merchandise in Quarantine
In Cambridge, MA, we depend on small businesses, whether they’re corner stores, beauty parlors, restaurants, or specialized outlets. This picture is the lattermost, a music store called Cheapo Records, which I visited often before quarantine. Places like this are extremely important for both conserving history and discovering new music (without algorithms). COVID-19 has only exacerbated the danger Cheapo and others are facing due to rising rents. This picture I took before they reopened spoke to me because it shows how the hiatus wasn’t expected to be this long; the merchandise is left outside, behind an iron curtain, in uncertain indefinance. -
2020-05-27
Boarded up Bars in the Byward Market: Heart and Crown Posters - Keep Calm
Boarded up Bars in the Byward Market: Heart and Crown Posters Many establishments in the popular shopping, dining, and bar area of the Byward Market have boarded up their front windows with plywood to reduce the chance of robbery while they remain closed due to the pandemic and restrictions of gatherings. While some remain plain, or are painted black, other establishments chose to hire muralists to liven up the natural wood with images related to vibe of each bar. Some also plastered the wood with posters. One such poster display is on one of the boarded windows of the Heart and Crown pub not taken up by murals. Riffing off the popular Second World War posters in Britain which read "Keep Calm and Carry On" they read "Keep Calm and Shop Local" as well as "Keep Calm and Support Local Artists" in an attempt to create a sense of solidarity and duty when facing this crisis. They were created by the Byward Market itself.