Long overdue: A trip to the west coast

So I haven't posted for a while! I was in Seattle for a week and then school started right away so I have had to play catch up.

The reason I went to Seattle and Vancouver for a week is that I was going with my boyfriend to the American Cheese Society conference in Seattle (he is a cheesemaker). We went to Vancouver first for a day and took a bus tour down to Seattle see a few really cool farms!

One of the creameries we visited along the way

The ACS is a really great because they are pretty grassroots and are focused on promoting American artisinal foods. However the BEST thing about the ACS conference is allllll the great cheese everywhere for the entire conference.

My boyfriend Dan making cheese at Beecher's cheese at the Pike Place Market

The other thing that really struck me was the west coast attitude about food in general. Even the people behind the counter where I would get coffee or a sandwich would be so stoked on the great food that they were serving. Although being a "localvore" is now labeled as a somewhat shallow food trend, these people were so excited to be serving products they could be proud of.

Great turkey sandwich from the Seatown Snack Bar that the guy literally talked to me about for like 5 min.

Even when I went to a coffee bar, the girl who took my order talked to me about the cool espresso beans they had, and then I had the same exact conversation with the guy who actually made my drink. And they were both SO EXCITED about the coffee they were serving that day.

And it looks pretty great right?

Not that New Yorkers aren't more interested in food than they used to be (including myself), it was really cool to see this attitude that people have about food where it isn't just something you grab and go with as a matter of sustinance, but something that you can really enjoy and be proud of.

I hope that we see more of that here on the East coast, along with a focus on healthy and environmentally responsible foods that people are excited about, not just eating because they want to lose weight.