Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Consuming for the community

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the concept of community. Is a community of people who move to a certain place because they like it, any less strong than one made up of folks who’ve lived there for generations? Perhaps, but I hope not. I moved to South Park a few months ago and am excited about the sense of community here, the number of unique small businesses, and the progressive and friendly atmosphere. When I was still apartment hunting I dropped into Rebecca’s while I was waiting for an appointment to see a place. I bought my coffee and sat at a small table. It was a Wednesday night and three guys were on stage- a string bass and two guitars. I sat there, foot bouncing, typing on my computer and thinking “these guys are really good!”. At a couch across from my table two other guys were discussing Israeli politics. Here was a neighborhood with an independent coffee shop with good music and patrons who discussed worldly topics. This was where I wanted to live.

So now that I’ve parked my suitcases and cardboard boxes here, what’s the best way to show my support for my chosen community? Show up. Get to know people. Get involved. Go shopping. Wait, shopping? For better or worse, we currently live in a capitalistic society and while I dutifully show up to cast my vote whenever I get the chance, I think my (modest) discretionary income packs a stronger punch. I don’t know as much as I’d like about economics, but I do have considerable experience as a consumer. For instance, I have purchased many inspirational and educational books on economics*. Unfortunately they tend to sit, only partially read, on my bookshelf, casting judgment on my tendency to philosophize rather than act.

So, guilted/inspired by my books, and grateful for my neighborhood, I’d like to try an experiment. I’d like to harness my talent as a consumer and direct it towards my new neighborhood. I’m already a fan of Rebecca’s, The Grove, Hamilton’s, Grant’s, that taco shop on the corner of Ivy and Fern (Sombrero’s), and I try to buy my gas at the local 7-11 (does this even help the local economy since it’s a chain?), but I’m going to try to buy everything, for the next month (at least), from very local sources. Stay tuned.

Ideally I’ll find most of my needs/wants met by the businesses in South Park, but am willing to extend those boundaries a bit- maybe into North Park? Should I go by zip code? I’m a Trader Joe’s addict but will have to set them aside for a bit. I went to Gala Foods today as my first step on this journey. I can meet my basic needs, but finding bulk bulgur wheat might be a challenge. And does the produce at my local grocery store originate from further away than the produce at the farmer’s market in Hillcrest? My proposed solution (and I welcome any input here) is to join a local CSA for the bulk of my produce, augment with the local farmer’s market, and get the rest from my neighborhood grocers. The array of chilies and spices used in Mexican cooking was astounding at Gala (at least, astounding to my northern roots) and, isn’t that really the point? I’m a little too used to being able to get exactly what I want, when I want it, regardless of the impact. So for now, maybe I’ll work on diversifying my cooking skills.

*Some of the books on economics that I own, appreciate, recommend, and haven’t finished reading yet: Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. and Hunter Lovins

White Man’s Burden, by William Easterly

Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the concept of community. Is a community of people who move to a certain place because they like it, any less strong than one made up of folks who’ve lived there for generations? Perhaps, but I hope not. I moved to South Park a few months ago and am excited about the sense of community here, the number of unique small businesses, and the progressive and friendly atmosphere. When I was still apartment hunting I dropped into Rebecca’s while I was waiting for an appointment to see a place. I bought my coffee and sat at a small table. It was a Wednesday night and three guys were on stage- a string bass and two guitars. I sat there, foot bouncing, typing on my computer and thinking “these guys are really good!”. At a couch across from my table two other guys were discussing Israeli politics. Here was a neighborhood with an independent coffee shop with good music and patrons who discussed worldly topics. This was where I wanted to live.

So now that I’ve parked my suitcases and cardboard boxes here, what’s the best way to show my support for my chosen community? Show up. Get to know people. Get involved. Go shopping. Wait, shopping? For better or worse, we currently live in a capitalistic society and while I dutifully show up to cast my vote whenever I get the chance, I think my (modest) discretionary income packs a stronger punch. I don’t know as much as I’d like about economics, but I do have considerable experience as a consumer. For instance, I have purchased many inspirational and educational books on economics*. Unfortunately they tend to sit, only partially read, on my bookshelf, casting judgment on my tendency to philosophize rather than act.

So, guilted/inspired by my books, and grateful for my neighborhood, I’d like to try an experiment. I’d like to harness my talent as a consumer and direct it towards my new neighborhood. I’m already a fan of Rebecca’s, The Grove, Hamilton’s, Grant’s, that taco shop on the corner of Ivy and Fern (Sombrero’s), and I try to buy my gas at the local 7-11 (does this even help the local economy since it’s a chain?), but I’m going to try to buy everything, for the next month (at least), from very local sources. Stay tuned.

Ideally I’ll find most of my needs/wants met by the businesses in South Park, but am willing to extend those boundaries a bit- maybe into North Park? Should I go by zip code? I’m a Trader Joe’s addict but will have to set them aside for a bit. I went to Gala Foods today as my first step on this journey. I can meet my basic needs, but finding bulk bulgur wheat might be a challenge. And does the produce at my local grocery store originate from further away than the produce at the farmer’s market in Hillcrest? My proposed solution (and I welcome any input here) is to join a local CSA for the bulk of my produce, augment with the local farmer’s market, and get the rest from my neighborhood grocers. The array of chilies and spices used in Mexican cooking was astounding at Gala (at least, astounding to my northern roots) and, isn’t that really the point? I’m a little too used to being able to get exactly what I want, when I want it, regardless of the impact. So for now, maybe I’ll work on diversifying my cooking skills.

*Some of the books on economics that I own, appreciate, recommend, and haven’t finished reading yet: Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. and Hunter Lovins

White Man’s Burden, by William Easterly

Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.