You know why I love St. Lucia?

Because as I hiked through the forest down (yay!) to the beach (even more yay!) in Belvedere with my dear friend and fellow camp counselor, Menalick, I saw (and half the time, ate) fresh coconuts, cacao seeds, Jamaican plums, limes, golden apples, nutmeg, tamarinds, almonds, cashews, breadfruit, and dasheen. That’s just what I was able to identify! Plus there are tons of other local foods here that are SO tasty and really plentiful! It’s always interesting for me, no matter where I am, to go into grocery stores and see what everyone is eating, and I don’t know why but it surprises me when I see foods from other countries here. Why? Why import this trash food from thousands of miles away when there’s SOOOO much wonderful food here?
But then I realize that as an American, I am guilty of doing that for probably 99% of the meals that I eat. Sure, I may shop at whatever branch of Whole Foods is in my area, or try to eat at local restaurants, but let’s face it – it’s expensive! And how backwards is it that I have to pay more for something that HASN’T traveled over 100 miles from my stomach!?! Eating local foods is one of the most effective ways to live an ecofriendly lifestyle because it not only reduces gas use and carbon emissions, but if it is a native plant (or at least one suited for the environment), it requires less maintenance in terms of water or fertilizer resources!
Though I am excited about many many things about my time here in St. Lucia, being able to afford to eat locally (and actually not to much otherwise since imported food tends to be pricey) is one of my favorites!