Imports

Each meal here seems to involve a trip around the globe. I had peach jam from South Africa and granola from the UK for breakfast; the rice I ate for dinner last night came from India; the crackers I enjoyed for a snack were from Hong Kong and a glance in the pantry shows tomato paste imported from Dubai, olives from Spain and tuna from Thailand. Similarly, while shopping in Kampala this weekend, I was pleased to find cranberry sauce from the US to serve at our Thanksgiving dinner.

It is quite amazing to see not only the variety of goods available here in Uganda these days but also how far these goods have travelled to get to my table. The carbon footprint of many meals I have eaten here is a bit staggering when I think about it! However, much of the produce I eat on a daily basis easily falls within the boundaries of a 100 Mile Diet. In order for you to enjoy the same items in Canada, they would have to have been transported a long way; I figure these things should sort of cancel each other out.

For example, I buy pineapples, passion fruit, watermelon, mangoes, papayas and avocadoes from people who cultivate the land by hand and bring the goods to market on a bicycle. This should offset the fact that I buy imported cereal, mayonnaise, apples and fruit juice and have to drive 2 hours each way in order to purchase these luxury goods. Don’t you agree? Likewise, the milk powder that I put in my coffee comes from Holland, but since the sugar I add is grown and produced here, as is the coffee itself, I’ve basically achieved carbon neutrality, right?

So, here is the dilemma I’m facing: On the one hand there is the problem of climate change due to the emissions required to send these goods around the world. On the other hand, however, I have a really strong personal desire for comfort food while I’m a long way from home...

Given the fact that I’m anticipating enjoying cranberry sauce very soon, I think it’s fairly evident where I’ve landed on that one! My apologies to the polar bears.