 |
| Penn Square at night |
Several years ago, I was
traveling with a friend in Europe. During the trip we spent each weekend away
from the program. When we reconvene on Monday I have asked my friend, “How was
your weekend?” His response was, “Ah! The charms of (the named town) are somewhat
limited.” For years this somewhat pretentious phrase reverberated in my mind as
a place where there is little to do or see. I suppose, in many ways, it is how
I (mistakenly) viewed Lancaster, Pennsylvania as well.
To my surprise Lancaster is much
more than simply kitschy tourist destination that capitalizes on it Amish
heritage. Beyond the notable and interesting events that took place in the
city, today there are number of destinations that belie my initial impressions. Our
twenty-four hours in Lancaster was a good reminder of the relationship between
food and culture. Chief among our destinations was the Lancaster Central Market, a
farmers market in downtown. Dating from 1780, and housed in the same building
for 125 years, the farmers market in Lancaster is a great destination for
locally-grown and organic food.
 |
| Lancaster Central Market |
In addition to the farmers
market we were able to sample few of Lancaster's fantastic restaurant and café.
Chief among our discoveries was La Dolce Vita Courthouse Bakery, a fine Italian
bakery and coffee shop. After having a cinnamon almond twist and a coffee, I
decided that it was the bakery and coffee shop of our desires; beautiful,
yet low-key.
 |
| La Dolce Vita |
Despite our gastronomic
adventures, a demonstration at Penn Square reminded us of the importance of
food not only to those enjoy it in abundance, but to those who are less
fortunate. On display was an entire blanket of perfectly good food rescued
from dumpsters. It reminded me of a powerful book from a few years ago, Waste:
Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, and the amount of food that fails
to make it from plough to plate.
No comments:
Post a Comment