Local Eating and Buying
Posted on August 6, 2009 by LJ
My family was sitting at a locally owned restaurant a few weeks ago, noting the decreased customers. This restaurant is a bit of a drive for us, and on the way we had seen and remarked on the many businesses that had closed. It struck me that I could do a little bit to help.
At dinner I brought up that for the rest of the year, when we dine out (about once every two weeks), I wanted to make sure we ate at a locally-owned restaurant.
Yep, no chains.
My husband was intrigued by the idea. My daughter, who lives for Happy Meal toys, was not.
In the end, we all agreed. Dinners out would be local. Lunches could be wherever the two of them wanted.
What we are trying to do is support our local small businesses and keep them afloat, as much as is in our power.
What it will mean is that instead of ordering online from Dominos, our pizza will come from a local shop. We’ll be eating at the local Mexican place rather than Moe’s. Our dinners will be less fast food and more real food.
It’s a step to simplify my life in a good way: giving myself better quality food while supporting my community.
Next will probably come the hardware stores, where we buy as much as possible from the local store rather than the big-box. This can’t be done in one swoop, as the local store does not have all the things we need. But a little is better than none.
What do you think? Is this a good thing?
Photo by warpdesign
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Comments (2)
Years ago, while traveling for work, I decided to avoid chains and see what happened. The second day of this “experiment,” I was at a diner in Montana watching the owner point out the images of his grandchildren in the wall mural.
Sure, we hit a chain once in a while–I’ve been in towns where there really is no other option, particularly if you’re on foot–but for the most part, we stick with the little guy, the hole in the wall, the place where all the employees are related. We’ve never been disappointed.
[...] addition to my resolution that we eat in locally-owned businesses when we eat out, I am also trying to incorporate one meatless day in every [...]