Snack Attack!
At my recent visit to my neighborhood Farmer’s market, where as a member of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) I get to choose 4 items of organic produce each week, I happened to notice some unfamiliar greens. Speaking to the lady (Joan) who runs the stall I learned that they were sweet potato greens, from the tops of the plants while the sweet potatoes are growing down. Since I am always the food adventurer I knew I had to try them.
Joan revealed to me that she was once told by a man from Africa (she wasn’t certain from which country) that they are eaten all the time. He told her that they are sautéed with oil and garlic along with “spices”. She asked him which “spices” and he just said “spices”! Okay, that sounds like my kind of recipe, so I was really sold. She let me have 2 bunches.
She told me that another farmer who sells at the market in Tacoma Park, Maryland can’t bring enough of them. There is a very diverse population of cultures in that area so the people know what they are and how to cook and eat them.
Joan noted in our conversation that we don’t know because “we have so much”. We have so much food here in the United States that we throw food products away because we don’t know any better and because we don’t have any aversion to waste. And some people are hungry here.
Which brings me to this idea of snacking; we all do it. Some of us do it more than others. The waist line of America is bulging over in all directions as a testimonial to that. The question is why are we snacking?
