It has been two weeks since I made my way over to the Indiana University Art Museum to grab some local chow at the Big Red Eats Green (and Bikes) Festival. My weekend starts on Thursday so I was looking forward to kicking it off right. As I approached the art museum lawn from the Union, I saw the many tents and booths and my stomach began to growl. The time was 2:15pm and I had not eaten breakfast. After briefly chatting with some fellow SPEONS at the entrance, I managed to stroll through the fair, peeking in the restaurant booths. I couldn’t believe that all participating restaurants used local ingredients. I have my doubts that the entire dishes were composed of Indiana ingredients, but the point is that they incorporated local food into their dishes, supporting local growers, and contributing to food security.
I thought it might be a good idea to first check out a familiar restaurant. It seemed appropriate to check out the Upland Brewery tent since love the food, but rarely eat there. I was willing to spend around $6.00 so that limited me to about 2-3 items. The Caprese Sandwich seemed like an excellent choice since it was only $1 and included roasted tomato focaccia, basil, and mozzarella cheese. It was delicious, though I was a little bummed they didn’t bring any beer growlers to sample!
As I turned to leave the Upland Booth, a gentleman with a piece of yarn in his hand accosted me. He asked, “Have you gotten one of these?” as he gave me a blue bracelet that displayed the words “I Ate Local.” I did indeed eat local, and I was now looking for the next restaurant to taste. I wanted to go to a place that I had never been before, but noticed Feast was selling their signature tamales for only $3.00. I’m a man that refuses to pass up a bargain so I seized the moment with great joy.
After delving into the delightful staples of Bloomington, it was time to try something new. I turned to the booths near the entrance, and to my surprise, Restaurant Tallent had made an appearance. I have never been to Restaurant Tallent given its reputation for its expensive entrees. I chatted with a fellow SPEA student while the gentlemen behind the table prepared a BBQ squash sandwich. The sandwich was superb and I washed it down with some iced cold watermelon limeade. When I finished I place my plastic dish and silverware in the available recycling bins. It will be a great day when recycling and compost bins out number trashcans.
Although I wanted to try samples from all of the other restaurants, I had exhausted my budget. It was time to check out what else the festival had to offer. I talked with the owner of Traderspoint Creamery about its award-winning yogurts. I sampled some low-fat vanilla. Historically, I have never been the biggest yogurt enthusiast, but it was so good I will buy some at one of its participating locations. Both the Sprouts and IU Campus gardens looked like great opportunities to grow my own food in the spring. The festival also introduced me to the Dunn Meadow Café, which I had heard about but did not realize that it too used local ingredients. In fact, I have been there twice in the past two weeks because it is relatively inexpensive and provides lighter alternatives to traditional RPS food. Plus it’s a short walk from SPEA! Overall, I really enjoyed myself Big Red Eats Green (and Bikes) Festival.
Similar to the weekly farmers market , Big Red Eats Green and other outdoor events provide an inclusive environment that bring about a sense of community. The aspects of sustainable communities that emphasize place and a sense of belonging are so important. I would like to contribute more to that feeling of community in the future through volunteering and my career.
For all interested in more local businesses,Local First Indiana is an awesome nonprofit that emphasizes local commerce and activities. Check it out!
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