The issue of eating seasonally is not just a problem in the United States, it is a global issue. Over New Years, I was in Paris, which I have long regarded as being the bastion of culinary knowledge. I thought that the French only ate cheese from France, bread from the corner bakeshop, ham from the local butcher, etc. I do not mean to say that they are not worldly in their cuisine, because it is quite the opposite. However, I thought that when it came to the basics, the French were picky about where their food comes from.

That is why I was shocked to see that the price of fruit was astronomical, not only in the big supermarkets, but even at the local produce stands. The only ones I could afford to buy were domestic apples. When I took a closer look at the origin of everything, I realized why. Most fruits are from Chile or Argentina, and travel quite a great distance to get to their buyer. On menus, I see things like blueberry tarts and strawberries, both summertime treats. I witnessed a woman buy a 6 Euro mango. It seems that even in France, people are drawn by the exoticism of the fruits and their taste, and disregard their origin, seasonality, and price. When fruit travels so far, there is an incredible waste in energy transporting it. Think about how different it would be if people were eating apples in winter, while they were in season, and waited for blueberries in the summer? There is not much more to say about this issue, but it is something for everyone in the world to take into account.