Out to Eat

I forgot to make my lunch yesterday morning, so I ended up buying one at the Spoelhof Coffee Shop. $3.31 wasn't bad for two pork chops, a big pile of potatoes, and a helping of corn. Quite enjoyable in fact.

That evening our timeing was tight, so we stopped at a new Mexican eatery on Fulton: Taqueria Vallarta. Our bill was not very big, but the sandwich and burrito were. I'm excited to go again!

Today, I finally had the tires rotated on our car. It cost $10 at ACDelco Torres Tires on Lafayette. I have no idea whether that was a great deal or a rip off...or just right. But at least we'll have some traction on the icy Michigan roads now.

Wolfgang's & the bus

Yesterday morning I started my day with the early bird special at Wolfgangs. $2.11 gets you two pancakes & 3 bacon or 3 eggs & two toast. The wait-staff is great so $3 total (including a generous tip) is definitely worth it. Breakfast with the brother and his (current & former) roommates was nice, though at 7:30 in the am no one was real chatty. We did decide that any college student who voluntarily attends the January Series is probably smart enough to one day get a doctorate degree.

Yesterday was also the only morning this week that I did not take the bus. At 50 cents with a college-issued discount card, you can't beat it. It also gives me time to get some reading done that might otherwise not happen in a crazy day.

The Resolution Broken

On Sunday evening I officially broke my resolution (fitting since the children's moment I gave at church that morning was about how we can't keep commitments). We wanted large rubbermaid bins to contain our Christmas decorations so they'd be safe in our dank basement until next November (or when we move out of our apartment).

I didn't think these could be found at any place more local than Meijer...and earlier in the week Maggie learned that Meijer is a part of Local First (http://www.localfirst.com/) which made me break down. We got our plastic bins, cat litter, and a few grocery items that couldn't be found at Kingma's.

I'm still opposed to the massive parking lot and massive development around Knapp Corner that is clearly built for cars and not for people. We typically try to park nearest the entrance/exit of the parking lot when visiting such places in order to a) save on gas and b) get some exercise.

All Local

6.January.2007

On Saturday evening after our excursion to the Ford Museum, we did some grocery shopping. Now, this is where the rubber hits the proverbial road when it comes to buying locally and sustainably.

Our first stop was Heffron Farms Market (http://www.heffronfarms.com/). The market, located a few miles up Plainfield supplies meat, dairy, eggs, as well as some other interesting supplies, primarily from a third generation family farm in Belding. Thus the meat and ice cream we purchased traveled 23.5 miles from farm to storefront, and 2.7 miles from there to our freezer! We decided to get meat at Heffron Farms because it supports local agriculture, and a way of life that is being destroyed by consumerism.

When we eat the stew of beef from Heffron Farms, we know that the cows who supplied it lived naturally, did not take hormones, were treated with dignity, and that the meat did not spend a lot of time in a refridgerated truck that emitted lots of carbon dioxide into our already polluted atmosphere.

Ironically, Heffron Farms Market is located in a strip-mall where it shares a wall with a Blockbuster Video. Yikes.

Our next stop was Kingma's Market, another local grocery source where we picked up produce, lunchmeat, and bulk raisins/sunflower seeds to make granola. We ran into some parents from Aberdeen Elementary whom Megan had worked with previously and were able to discuss together some of the issues they were facing in the local schools.

Later that evening we walked to Graydon's Crossing for a dinner to celebrate Epiphany, after which we did our traditional family gift exchange. I ran into a former co-worker/classmate there too.

The Late Great President Ford

$14.00 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Grand Rapids laid to rest one of our own last week and were in the national spotlight for it. Megan and I paid our tribute today by viewing the Presidential Museum, where his body was interred.

I'd been before as a kid and later as a student in a course titled "Museums: A Place to Work." This was the first time that I really appreciated the displays at the museum fully. If you've not been I highly recommend a visit.

One of the most interesting parts of the museum was the section chronicling Ford's youth in Grand Rapids. One placard reads that he attended South High School, a very diverse school at the time, rather than other more exclusive schools. It is interesting, as a person of Dutch heritage, to know that the Grand Rapids Christian School system (founded with the philosophy of "our schools for our children") was likely the elite schools referenced.

The legacy of South High School in Grand Rapids is one that I have heard many bits and pieces of, but have not learned fully. I'd like to learn more about that chapter of Grand Rapids history.

We're looking forward to returning later this spring to view the special exhibit titled "Slavery on Trial." We were too hungry to stick around for the whole museum!

Ah, Marie's

$8.91 at Marie Catrib's, located in East Hills Center (of the Universe). Always good food, and Marie tries to get most of her produce from local farms, which is a big plus.

I had lunch with my friend Katie and we talked about starting a community coffee shop and living in community. She misses that living in suburban Chicago.

$21.75 at Global Infusion, across the street from Marie Catrib's, my wife and I picked out an aluminum star tree topper made in Mexico. Global Infusion offers fair trade merchandise from around the world, and is part of Ten-Thousand Villages.

New Year's Resolution

I've made a New Year's resolution not to shop at Meijer stores. (Meijer is a chain of retail and grocery supercenters in the MidWest, based in West Michigan.) The basic idea behind my resolution is a desire to "Shop Outside the Box," to quote the slogan of Grand Rapids' Neighborhood Business Association. My bumper sticker says "Buy Local" and I intend to do as much of that as possible in the coming year.

However, as I talked this resolution over with my spouse and friends, the daunting nature of it set in. Where does one find staplers, Rubbermaid bins, and curling irons if not at a Box? Perhaps the lesson, is that one can get through life without these things...or maybe that I just need to look a little harder for them. But, if such a necessity should arise, would it not be better to support Meijer (a local business that invests in our community through Sculpture Gardens and Heart Hospitals) than to buy from Wal*Mart or Target?

I've decided that the answer is to pay close attention to how my money is spent this year, and where that money goes...so, without further ado, here begins my consumer's confessional for 2007:

On New Year's Day-
$12 for breakfast at the Red Geranium, a local diner. Well worth it.
$40.05 at Family Fare where we bought some groceries and a lot of other random items including: toilet paper, stain stick, paper clips, and a purple stapler.

I don't really know a whole lot about Family Fare, except that it is less widespread that Meijer and has more limited retail options (we couldn't find a calculator and the only stapler was purple). But is it any better to do our shopping there than at the next place? Perhaps I'll do some research on the place and report back. It is much closer to our home than Meijer is though.

Today-
$5.28 at Panera for a greek salad that was mostly lettuce and was not all too filling (at least it wasn't iceberg!)

It was an office outing, so I didn't have a whole lot of say in the matter...when I do, I will choose a local restaurant over a chain.