local food

The courtroom reminds me of my high school cafeteria. Peach and cream tiles gleam on the walls, dated wood paneling adds a homey touch and the ceiling looms low and slightly gray from wear.  Similar to lunchtime in my high school cafeteria, I sit in a plastic chair to talk about food.  But unlike the high school gossip interspersed with comments on the boys we hope to Instant Message later, I join those in the courtroom to discuss the legality of backyard Brussels sprouts in Canton, NY.  

My sorority has a secret song about how college saved us from a life on the farm, and I used to think the farm-or-education choice has always been black and white.  Everyone had to make this choice; everyone from classic writers to the CEO's whose smartphones my worldwide classmates now consider holding hostage in exchange for jobs. Right?

College, I can say, involves much more farming than I ever would have thought.  And farming, more education.