Going to the source

I will admit that despite reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma and watching Food, Inc., I still don’t give nearly enough thought to where my food comes from. I don’t often read the labels on my clothes, nor do I think much about who might have made them.

This morning, I joined Mimi and Monami to visit a group of teen girls who embroider silk saris with detailed beading. It takes about one week to produce a sari, and each girl earns about $3.50 per sari, despite the fact that they are sold for nearly 20 times that amount. These girls all attend school, but continue to embroider because it contributes (to a small degree) to the wage earning in their families. Occasionally they miss school if there is a pressing deadline or order.

This afternoon, Mimi and I went out to see some women who work on a small organic gourd farm. We also met with families who pick various seasonal fruit, including mangoes and lychees. For some reason, watching people climb trees, fill baskets with fresh lychees, and then organize them into bunches really struck a chord. I mean, the last time I encountered a lychee I think it was wedged onto a martini glass. I had no concept of how it had arrived there. And then to sample a fresh lychee right from a farmer in India? Incredible!

Baruipur is known for its fruit crop, which includes mangoes, pineapple, star apples, jackfruit and palm fruit. It turns out that I’m here during prime mango season! If I were a true business school student, I would figure out how to export them to the U.S., because they’re fantastic – really fresh and just perfect.