Let the turkeys roam free!
This year’s Nobel Conference focused on a very interesting, very important topic that everyone is aware of: Food! Not just any food, but good food and what exactly makes it good. Obviously it’s not the trans fats, high fructose corn syrup and chemicals that I can’t spell and spell check won’t recognize, it’s all about natural food that’s not only good for those who consume it but also good for the environment and the people who provide it to the public. Recently the Gustavus dining service has been offering specialty dishes everyday for the last week focusing on “good” foods and what it is about them that makes them so darn good, and I’m not just talking about the taste. For example last week I tried free range turkey for the first time (in the form of meat loaf) and it was DELICIOUS! Not only that but the fact that it came from the meat of free range turkeys made me feel a whole lot better knowing that those little buggers got to run around and have fun being turkeys before they’re time came.
As an institution Gustavus has made great strides in recent years in becoming more and more good food friendly, by introducing the Big Hill Farm which grows vegetables that are then used to make foods in the caf as well as offering free trade bananas and supporting other ethical food companies such as Stoneyfield yogurt (the best yogurt you will ever have!) and serving Tiny Foot Coffee and Peace coffee around campus, both very pro ethics and pro sustainability and of course pro caffeine. Even within the small town of St. Peter students have access to amazing food that’s ethical and environmentally friendly like the St. Peter Food Co-Op and of course River Rock Café which makes a point to not only serve great coffee and great food but to make sure it’s all local and fair trade all the time! So really eating responsibly and well is another part of Gustavus life.