In the business of theology it is hard not to be controversial - Jurgen Moltmann

Tuesday 20 November 2007

locavore? localtarian?

locavore (also: localvore)

【Oxford University Press (USA): word of the year 2007

  • meaning: humans who only eat food grown or produced locally
  • as in: omnivore (living organisms that eat anything); carnivore (living organisms that eat meat as main diet)
  • origin: a movement which advocates that residents in a certain region should choose to eat local food produced within the proximity (within 100 miles radius, according to those who allegedly coined the word) - for reasons mainly ecological but personal health and economic justice issues are also involved.
  • alternatively: proxivore
  • why not: localarian? localtarian? proxitarian? (as in: vegetarian)

After all, aren't all animals (or all living things, for that matter) 'locavores'? 

Only human beings today would have beef from New Zealand, Tiger Prawn from Thailand, Lobster from North Atlantic, Salmon from Scandinavia, Rice from Australia, exotic fruits from South America ... all in one meal, on a table somewhere in China. 

While by and large I am supportive of the movement, 'locavore' is in fact a poorly coined word. (The 9th chapter of my proposed 'cooking theology' is 'eat locally, think globally'.)

Personally I think __-arian (such as localtarian) is a better word that is more compatible with the concept, because it denotes a conscious choice, whereas the 'vore' in locavore or proxivore often points toward an instinctive nature. 

Note the difference between a vegetarian and a herbivore. 

extended reading:

related: cooking theology

3 comments:

rickie said...

yam,
點解突然間話你同個blog "unfriendly to IE"? 今朝睇都冇o既.
"unfriendly"係咩意思?
rickie

Yam 飲者 said...

珊珊:
謝謝垂詢。
Unfriendly者,friendly之相反是也。(此處friendly取user-friendly中那個friendly之意。)IE-unfriendly,即是使用IE(微軟Internet Explorer)可能看不到本網誌的原貌,各個元素可能會有扭曲,位置可能錯配。貼出這句勸諭(不是警告),主要有兩點刺激:
1.早前本網誌來賓數量突然飆升,但發覺絕大部份都是使用IE6的(主要是香港來賓),很有可能會看到一個很古怪的版面,所以提示一下,希望盡點棉力,改善世人過份依賴IE和微軟的陋習。
2.不久前碰到一個聲明只歡迎IE的網站(是香港某大學的某部門),令人氣憤。為甚麼要跟大財團這樣綑綁在一起呢?
另外早前偶然碰上一個大大隻字說自己IE unfriendly的網站(已經忘了是哪),覺得真好野,學囉。
那句只是臨時標題,我會大概讓它掛兩三天,便會恢復原貌。

Anonymous said...

哦, 原來係你自己加上去, 我還以為個網誌發生咩事, 被人標籤為"unfriendly", 又以為有人玩嘢, 想嚇走來賓, 不過...我嚇大, 所以冇理到, 照睇。

講起o黎, 覺得自己有啲白癡o添.