Bodega Down Bronx

Who knew that the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, located in the Bronx, 'feeds' almost 10% of the country's population (over thirty million people)?

That it is the largest produce and meat market in the world?

That it is the largest sea food market in the world outside of Japan?

That from the Bronx we ship food all the way to Canada, Europe and the Caribbean?

Those are facts.

And it reminds me of when I turned vegan some years ago. When things related to food needed to be more under control, was precisely when I felt the more chaos.

Among the main difficulties back then: where do I get wholesome, healthy, fresh produce and fruits in the South Bronx?

It was a huge eye opener to the politics of food, of offer and demand, of neighborly living.

My informal observations led me to determine a few facts that seem to hold true to the ten blocks around my house:

1) there is an average of two traditional delis/bodegas/groceries (what's the difference?) per square block in my area.

2) there is not much choice in terms of quality pre-packaged food (organic and/or unprocessed products) in the area.

3) I suddenly realized that even in terms of 'unhealthy' stuff, like beer and cigarettes, my old neighborhood of Fort Greene (Brooklyn), had a lot more choices to offer.

4) There is a scary amount of fast foods (both multi-nationals and local) in the area, offering -again- no choice to the residents of the area.

5) I especially noticed that the 'native' population of the neighborhood, the old-timers, usually buy in the regular bodegas/delis/groceries or at the fast-food and/or Chinese joints, while the newest people in the neighborhood (immigrants from African and Central and South America) buy in their own local stores where fresher food, produce, and fruits are more readily available that in the traditional delis.

I buy my food mostly from a Korean owned fruit and produce store, or at the Mexican shop half a block away. Why? Because they have fresh produce and fruits (that's what we vegans eat!), and are generally cheaper than the regular supermarkets (there are four in the area). They are also more conveniently located.

The Korean owners of the fruit and produce store even began to store tofu and soy milk because of me...I am one of two customers that buy it; I have never met the other tofu eater! At times I have to buy even more than I need, because I want them to keep on bringing it.

I have never been an 'elitist vegan', and by that I mean one who shops and eats only at health stores, exclusively vegan joints or hip places. I buy locally, in my neighborhood. Or I buy in the markets where groups that are traditionally more 'vegetable friendly' buy. So, I buy a lot in Indian markets, Chinatown, etc. I find cheap vegan food, and I keep it real.

Yet, for more higher-end stuff, for pre-package ingredients, spices, or exotic stuff, there is only one place to go: Manhattan.

What is truly positive in all this is that my observations and concerns are shared by a very vocal and proactive minority. People that organize green markets in the summer, activists that give residents access to city land (in empty lots) to cultivate their own produce, folks who organized a food coop (of which I am a founding member) to give residents a bit more choice as to what they get into their bodies.

Libertad, my partner, sent me this link of a 30m documentary called Bodega Down Bronx. It is very very interesting, and it is done the guerrilla way. Check it out.

What struck me the most? -"kids are the ones who purchase most of the snacks in the bodegas".

It is a big 'duh!'...but it is also VERY scary.