Davidson- last day!

Today we scoped out the Davidson Farmer's Market (http://davidsonfarmersmarket.org/local-producers/). Bought some yummy cheese, sweet potatoes, sour cream, and greens. We used these ingredients along with other ingredients (tortilla wraps, salsa, etc.) that we had purchased from the Harris Teeter to make sweet potatoe quesadillas!

At Davidson

We had a late breakfast/lunch at the Union Cafe. I ordered eggs and toast. I am not sure if the eggs were local, but there were no other options for breakfast.

For dinner, we ventured to the grocery store, Harris Teeter to buy some ingredients to make spinach ricotta pizza for dinner. I sent an email to the communiation specialist, Catherine Rheul at Harris Teeter inquiring about their suppliers. In response to several questions, here are a few excerpts of her responses:

• Regarding organic products: As the organic food industry started to take hold in the marketplace and our customers began voicing their opinions about the importance of having organic food options in 'their' Harris Teeter we stayed true to our pledge to provide the best in customer service and the highest quality product; we responded by not only introducing organic foods to our product mix but by also developing our own HT Naturals product line. We began to steadily introducing organic products into our stores, all the while educating our customers about the new offerings. We launched our own HT Naturals brand in April 2002 and, as our company launched the HT Naturals product line, we also continued to introduce other organic items into our stores and quickly established long-term relationships with multiple organic farmers. By 2004, we not only carried HT Naturals products but also an additional 50 shelf stable and 35 fresh organic items. Currently, 94% of our HT Naturals products are certified organic. These include peanut butter, juices, cereals, canned vegetables, macaroni & Cheese, fresh products and much more. All organic items are labeled with our organic logo.
• Regarding locally grown products: Harris Teeter also places a strong emphasis on supporting locally grown produce. It is another way Harris Teeter can stay true to its pledge to provide a wide variety of the highest quality products while helping improve the environment and local economies. When you see the Locally Grown logo on a product it means the produce has traveled 6 or fewer hours from the farm to facility. This shorter drive time reduces the carbon footprint on our environment while supporting local farmers and their neighborhoods.

Fly to Charlotte, NC

I woke up early today to catch my flight to Charlotte, NC to visit two of my best friends from home, Jacqui and Jenny, who go to school at Davidson College. When I arrived, we went to their Union Cafe, a small eaterie in their student center. There I was surprised to find locally grown fruit, and my friend Jacqui bought me an apple.

For dinner that night we went to their main dining hall, Commons. This dining hall was similar to the Ratty at Brown, except it had much fewer options. I was, again, surprised that the cafeteria had local produce, such as local lettuce and tomatoes. I made myself a salad with this local produce and also got some pasta as a supplement.

After doing some research, I found that students at Davidson have implemented a Dining Services Sustainability Program for 2009-2010. Products offered included Fair Trade Coffee, an organic herb and vegetable garden and purchasing a substantial amount of its produce locally.

Drive to DC for Game

On our drive to DC we stopped by another teammate's house for lunch. Her mom had lunch catered by Olive Garden, clearly not local, but we were not given any other options.

After our game in DC and the end of our rugby trip as a team, I decided to stay the night with my friend Adria in DC since my flight to Charlotte, NC left early the next morning. When making plans to stay there, I told her about the Read Food challenge that I was trying to complete. Because she knew ahead of time, she did some research to find out which restaurants in DC served local foods. While there was a plethora of restuarants that served organic foods, what she found is that the local food selection in DC is quite limited. There are several farmer's markets, but their hours are limited to the weekends.

Adria managed to find one small cafe, Bread and Brew, that served sandwiches, quiches, soups, and a few entrees made with organic and local ingredients. While only a 10-15 minute drive by car, the cafe was inaccessible by the Metro, which was suprising given the reach of the DC Metro system. Fortunately for us, Adria had a car and so we made the commute. She ordered soup and a sandwich and I ordered a spinach and cheese quiche. Yum!

A Relaxing Day at UVA

Today, we neither had to travel or play any games so we had a long practice. After practice we ventured to "the Corner", a collection of student shops, bookstores, and cafes. On the street, there were a few local eateries, yet chain restaurants like Starbucks and Qdoba seemed to be taking over. Our team ate at Bodo's Bagels, which was locally owned and operated since 1988.

After eating there, I sent an e-mail inquiry to Bodo's Bagels to ask whether they purchase their ingredients locally. In a response, manager Scott Smith says:

" I'm afraid we don't use local sources. To my knowledge, there's nobody in the area who can consistently provide the volume that we need. If that seems surprisng, it may help to know that we use over 200 50-pound bags of flour--and a similarly large pile of produce--each week. Our produce buyers are local, but most of their stock comes from further a field."

Drive to Charlottesville, VA (UVA)

Breakfast-- Ate organic cereal that I purchased at a grocery store that we stopped at. While it was not local, this was a better option than the hotel food.

Lunch-- On our long drive from New York to UVA, we stopped at a rest stop. With limited options, I decided to eat a turkey sandwich from Quizno's.

Dinner-- Our spring coordinator made reservations at a chain restaurant named Cheeseburger In Paradise, which had a limited selection. Included in the menu were cheeseburgers (of course), veggie burgers, salads, and an assortment of sandwiches. Here I ordered a chicken sandwich.

Four-Leaf Tournament in NYC

Breakfast- Ate at the hotel. Definitely not local. With no access to a car, and no stores in walking distance, there were no other options available.

Lunch- A teammate's parents bought hummus and pita, which I ate, but there were no other food options at the tournament except for a food truck serving hotdogs and hamburgers

Dinner- After the tournament, we headed to New Jersey for a home-cooked meal at a teammate's house. At the dinner, her mother had prepared pasta with tomatoe sauce; romaine lettuce salad with tomatoes, carrots, and cheese; bread; several baked goods. Unlike the dinner in New York City, most of these foods were purchased at a large grocery store (ACME) and were most likely not local foods.

En Route to New York City

The Brown women's rugby boarded the bus in Providence around 3pm en route for New York City. Participating in a tournament in Randall's Island in New York City, we made a pit stop in the Upper East Side at a teammate's house for dinner. For dinner, her parents had prepared a delicious array of food found below. I was able to inqure about the locality of most of these foods since her parents had directly purchased the ingredients and cook all the food themselves.

• Spinach lasagna (Spinach and cheese local, pasta purchased at a grocery store)
• Broccoli-cheese pasta (both purchased the grocery store)
• Mixed-green salad with cherry tomatoes, onions, avocado (produce purchased locally)
• Fresh-baked bread from a local bakery (partial local ingredients potentially)