It’s that time of the year again, when the New Oxford American Dictionary makes its big announcement : The 2007 Word of the Year. That's right folks, it's TWOTY time and only one word can win, and what a word it is, oh boy. The latest and greatest word is...wait for it..."LOCAVORE."
What's a locavore? Well, we're glad you asked:
"The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation."
Apparently the word was coined two years ago by four women in San Francisco who encouraged local residents to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of the city.
A few of our favorite runners-up for the 2007 Word of the Year include "mumblecore" (an independent film movement featuring low-budget production), "tase" (to stun with a Taser..duh!), and "upcycling" (transforming waste materials into something more useful or valuable). You can read all about it here.
Fun! And on the subject of eating locally, two new books I very highly recommend: Alice Waters's THE ART OF SIMPLE FOOD and Nina Planck's REAL FOOD.
Posted by: C.M. Mayo | November 14, 2007 at 02:18 PM
Thanks, Catherine. Mr. Happy Booker may find those on his holiday giftie list; he's mister Slow Food
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food ) ; these books sound perfect.
I take it you've read Buford's "Heat"—I couldn't put it down, even the overly detailed chapters on the history of polenta held my interest.
Thanks for stopping by-- tHB
Posted by: thb | November 14, 2007 at 05:51 PM