Global vs. Local Influences- My Attempt To Cook With Local Ingredients

My variety of food choices come from both global and local influences. Growing up with Italian and Irish grandparents, I consumed a mix of different cuisines and found aspects of each that fit my needs. As I mentioned before, much of what I eat is considered “healthy” in my nation. Grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, and potatoes, rice or quinoa. I have no preferences as to which brand name product I buy because I usually look for the cheapest option. I have also never considered GMO products as a factor in my decision making, but after watching the documentary, Seed, I have begun to make food choices based on whether or not it was genetically modified. This can be tough to do when on a college budget, but I try to buy as much organically and locally grown as possible. With my newfound interest in eliminating GMO products, I decided to try to cook a dish with mostly local ingredients.

The dish was chicken based with sliced tomatoes, peaches, garlic, onions, olive oil, butter, basil, and balsamic vinegar all mixed together in a skillet. The chicken thighs and peaches were bought at the grocery store, as I do not own live chickens to kill fresh for the meal. I tried to buy organic peaches, but the amount of chemical pesticides in the peaches is unknown. Even though it may be labeled as “organic,” there is no way to know for sure if any chemical were mixed in during the process of getting them to my local grocery store. The tomatoes and basil were all grown by my family friend. I borrowed these ingredients from her garden to add some local ingredients to the meal.

The result tasted delicious. I succeeded in cooking a homemade meal with local ingredients. While it is not a “local” dish that is the cuisine of America, it encompasses a mixture of different nation’s cuisine flavors. Peaches from Asian culture, tomatoes from South America, and chicken, which is a globally recognized food that is large part of many different cuisines. I enjoy the mixture of ingredients that my daily meals consist of. I will always love my local cuisine foods such as seafood, lobster, clam chowder, coffee milk and ice cream, and beans, but the global aspects I have incorporated into my meals has opened my eyes to other nation’s cuisines and broadened my taste buds! I have attached the recipe if anyone wants to attempt to cook this delicious dish!