There has always been a portion of the population that has vigorously cared for the environment.
In the past though, these people were considered ‘hippies’ and ‘dags’ or just weird for being ‘alternative’
Now it seems, caring for the world we live in, has become cool, especially when it comes to 20-somethings.
I remember an incident where I arrived at a friends wedding, dressed in a dress I had bought for $5 at my local op-shop.
The bride thought it was a Chanel dress and flipped over it.
“Oh my God, I lovvvve it!” She said.
When I told her where it actually came from, all of a sudden, her opinion changed.
“So you’re a vegetarian AND you’re buying clothes at Saint Vinnies??” she laughed.
I thought to myself, “This can’t be right, I’ve done a good thing here, by recycling and becoming a vegetarian, and she’s punishing me for it!”
After that incident, I decided to keep my ethical and environmental choices to myself.
Now it seems, young people openly brag about what they are doing to help their planet and fellow man.
I’ve even overheard conversations where there is one-upmanship going on.
“Well I recycle AND I’m donating to Medicins Sans Frontieres”
Well, I sponsored a World Vision kid and I’m not eating beef anymore” the friend quipped.
“Interesting” I thought.
It would seem I was 5 years too soon with my plan of openly talking about how I was helping the planet.
Last year, my partners’ family gave Oxfam gifts for Christmas.
This is where you hand over your money to Oxfam, and in exchange, you receive a card to hand to the gift recipient. This explains that something has been purchased on the recipients behalf for someone who really needs it, in another country. Brilliant idea.
I received some chickens and my partner received a goat. I returned the favour and gave his parent’s clean drinking water, and some chickens.
My partner’s grandparents were not at all happy with this idea, preferring to hand over cheap wine and polyester socks.
It would seem the ‘older set’ haven’t caught onto the ‘coolness’ of being environmentally conscious, yet.
Op shopping is another trend that has become increasingly popular. Not only because 20-somethings can find something unique in a thrift shop, but because they appreciate that recycling cuts down on waste.
Becoming vegetarian is considered rather cool these days too.
I wonder if the trend started with girls wanting to lose weight and then they realised it was actually better for the environment…either way, they’re doing good…and bragging about it.
“I lost 5 kilos when I stopped eating meat, and it’s so much cheaper eating out now!” I overheard a girl say to her friend at the pub the other night.
“Cool” was the response.
January 25, 2009
January 24, 2009
Enviromnental Eating
All cities have a breakfast culture, none more than Melbourne one could argue, but Adelaide is coming into its own with more and more cafes focusing on organic, ethical and free-range produce.
This basically means that those of us with an environmental conscious don’t have to miss out on delicious food, and we don’t have to be surrounded by incense, Enya playing in the background, and vague staff.
Adelaide has its fair share of interesting suburbs, and luckily, most of these cafés have made their homes on excellent streets where you’ll want to hang out.
Although Adelaide is a small city, it has the advantage of accessibility. That means that breakfast down at the beach, and then lunch in the Adelaide Hills is not at all out of the question. Excellent huh?
Starting in the city, you’ll find Bliss Organic Garden Café [7 Compton St. Adelaide]. It’s just off Gouger Street, about a minute’s walk from the bustling Central Market.
Here they offer homemade vegan food made from organic ingredients plus a variety of organic, fair trade teas and coffees.
They try to support local producers as much as possible, and stock only seasonal organic fruit and vegetables.
The East End of the city offers two fantastic vegetarian, organic cafes.
At Joy Discovery Café [13 Bent St Adelaide] the food is made with love. Yes, you’ll spot the odd hippy here, but local business people and cool art student-types also frequent it.
The menu is totally vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free, organic and macrobiotic options, and of course the coffee is made from organic fair-trade beans.
Vego and Love’n It [upstairs 240 Rundle St Adelaide] is an Adelaide vegetarian institution. They specialise in enormous vegetarian burgers and other Western style dishes.
The upstairs space is casual, completely quirky and totally unique. Here you’ll get enormous meals at cheap prices, making it good value. I suggest sharing a burger with a friend [yes, they are that big].
Sarah’s Café is on delightful Leigh Street [number 12], which runs off eclectic Hindley Street.
This street is similar to the cobble-stoned Centre Way in Melbourne. Walk down here and you’ll almost forget you’re in Adelaide.
The ethos at Sarah’s is that vegetarian does not have to equal dull. The food on offer is far from bland and they also have gluten-free and vegan meals.
With a bar, live music and tango classes some nights of the week, this place has so much to offer apart from the food.
Cosmopolitan Melbourne Street now offers a great alternative to its Mexican restaurants and basic cafes, with Wild Thyme [101-103 Melbourne St North Adelaide] It’s a simple philosophy here: “to offer the widest range of organic foods and products, produced in an ethical manner, with minimal impact on the environment”.
This is similar to Macro Foods on Bridge Road in Melbourne with its retail and market section. Here they stock fresh produce from local growers and wholesalers, and have only certified organic fruit and vegetables. Seasonal eating is also strongly encouraged.
Real Organics [46 The Parade Norwood], which is a long standing organic food store, has recently opened a café with outdoor seating.
They serve an assortment of organic, gluten-free and vegetarian breakfasts, such as free-range, organic eggs on pumpkin toast.
Situated where it is, it’s a nice change from the upper end of The Parade, with sunny but covered, footpath seating.
On Offer in the stunning, picturesque Adelaide Hills, is The Locavore [49 Mount Barker Rd Stirling].
In keeping with the principles of the 100-Mile Diet, The Locavore is dedicated to sourcing food and wines from places within 160kms. They balance this with the following approach: if not local; eat family-farmed; if not family-farmed, eat organic; if not organic, eat fair trade. The idea is to run their business as sustainably as they can, and look after the earth.
With breakfasts like sunrise poached eggs, San Jose bacon with slow roasted young mushrooms, tomato and toasted bread. Millie’s Butter Croissant with local jam and Paris Creek butter, or with Udder Delights goats curd, ham and tomato, non-vegetarians will also be really happy here.
Down at Semaphore with its tattoo parlours, op shops and surf shops, you’ll find Sarah’s Sister’s [117 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore] Sarah’s Sisters, located in a character heritage building, is unique and relaxed, and the meals are created with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.
With all these fabulous ethical and environmental choices, breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day.
This basically means that those of us with an environmental conscious don’t have to miss out on delicious food, and we don’t have to be surrounded by incense, Enya playing in the background, and vague staff.
Adelaide has its fair share of interesting suburbs, and luckily, most of these cafés have made their homes on excellent streets where you’ll want to hang out.
Although Adelaide is a small city, it has the advantage of accessibility. That means that breakfast down at the beach, and then lunch in the Adelaide Hills is not at all out of the question. Excellent huh?
Starting in the city, you’ll find Bliss Organic Garden Café [7 Compton St. Adelaide]. It’s just off Gouger Street, about a minute’s walk from the bustling Central Market.
Here they offer homemade vegan food made from organic ingredients plus a variety of organic, fair trade teas and coffees.
They try to support local producers as much as possible, and stock only seasonal organic fruit and vegetables.
The East End of the city offers two fantastic vegetarian, organic cafes.
At Joy Discovery Café [13 Bent St Adelaide] the food is made with love. Yes, you’ll spot the odd hippy here, but local business people and cool art student-types also frequent it.
The menu is totally vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free, organic and macrobiotic options, and of course the coffee is made from organic fair-trade beans.
Vego and Love’n It [upstairs 240 Rundle St Adelaide] is an Adelaide vegetarian institution. They specialise in enormous vegetarian burgers and other Western style dishes.
The upstairs space is casual, completely quirky and totally unique. Here you’ll get enormous meals at cheap prices, making it good value. I suggest sharing a burger with a friend [yes, they are that big].
Sarah’s Café is on delightful Leigh Street [number 12], which runs off eclectic Hindley Street.
This street is similar to the cobble-stoned Centre Way in Melbourne. Walk down here and you’ll almost forget you’re in Adelaide.
The ethos at Sarah’s is that vegetarian does not have to equal dull. The food on offer is far from bland and they also have gluten-free and vegan meals.
With a bar, live music and tango classes some nights of the week, this place has so much to offer apart from the food.
Cosmopolitan Melbourne Street now offers a great alternative to its Mexican restaurants and basic cafes, with Wild Thyme [101-103 Melbourne St North Adelaide] It’s a simple philosophy here: “to offer the widest range of organic foods and products, produced in an ethical manner, with minimal impact on the environment”.
This is similar to Macro Foods on Bridge Road in Melbourne with its retail and market section. Here they stock fresh produce from local growers and wholesalers, and have only certified organic fruit and vegetables. Seasonal eating is also strongly encouraged.
Real Organics [46 The Parade Norwood], which is a long standing organic food store, has recently opened a café with outdoor seating.
They serve an assortment of organic, gluten-free and vegetarian breakfasts, such as free-range, organic eggs on pumpkin toast.
Situated where it is, it’s a nice change from the upper end of The Parade, with sunny but covered, footpath seating.
On Offer in the stunning, picturesque Adelaide Hills, is The Locavore [49 Mount Barker Rd Stirling].
In keeping with the principles of the 100-Mile Diet, The Locavore is dedicated to sourcing food and wines from places within 160kms. They balance this with the following approach: if not local; eat family-farmed; if not family-farmed, eat organic; if not organic, eat fair trade. The idea is to run their business as sustainably as they can, and look after the earth.
With breakfasts like sunrise poached eggs, San Jose bacon with slow roasted young mushrooms, tomato and toasted bread. Millie’s Butter Croissant with local jam and Paris Creek butter, or with Udder Delights goats curd, ham and tomato, non-vegetarians will also be really happy here.
Down at Semaphore with its tattoo parlours, op shops and surf shops, you’ll find Sarah’s Sister’s [117 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore] Sarah’s Sisters, located in a character heritage building, is unique and relaxed, and the meals are created with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.
With all these fabulous ethical and environmental choices, breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day.
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