Playing with Your Food

It’s true… many of our parents grew up in the depression. Food was scarce. I think some of that seriousness is still stuck in our DNA. We’ve heard comments like, “Don’t play with your food.” “You don’t get paid for having fun.”

I feel like I enter a new world when I go to Your Local Market in Bellevue. Where else can you go bowling with pomelos? Michael gave us a demonstration of bowling down his grocery store ‘lanes’ with the goal of knocking down a pyramid of boxes.

I love a store that will venture way out of the cereal box to bring community together, get a little wacky and allow us to lighten up right in their store. Call me crazy, but I somehow feel there’s hope for the world when I’ve got a pomelo in my hand and strangers are cheering me on. So, I only knocked down 7 of the 10 boxes. It still felt like a win!

I block off my calender for Single Fest, which they’ve held once a month for the past 2 months. They have these funny little stickers that say “On the Market.” They supply beer, wine and lots of incredible appetizers in a space where locals can just hang out on a Friday night and get to know each other. Not only that, they give some serious gift cards for winners. Pleasant surprise when I got a $30 gift card for winning the kissing contest. There’s a huge sheet of paper on the wall, lipstick available and even the guys put on lipstick and kissed the wall!

So it is possible to have fun in a business. Your Local Market opened on 11-11-11 at 11:11 a.m. so that tells you right from the start that they’re a creative group! They have charity nights once a month where 10% of all grocery sales goes to a local charity. Last time I attended one of these events, it felt like I was entering a whole new enlightened world. Great music, vendors sharing local, organic products and a feeling of giving and receiving wafting through the air.

Yes, organic is more expensive. Yes, you are worth it.

It’s better for the environment to support local, organic farmers as much as is possible.

Some people I know have told me it’s just too expensive. They’re sticking with the old familiar stores and eating cheap food. I heard recently that food is a mirror of your consciousness. Being aware of what you’re eating means you can be aware of a lot more in your everyday life. Unhealthy relationships and jobs might drop away once you bring an overall greater awareness and responsibility into your life. For the past 6 months, I’ve been eating more organic, fruits, vegetables and herbs than I have in my entire life it seems. The mental clarity that comes with it is amazing.

So, if you ever hear an old belief swirling around your consciousness that says, “Don’t play with your food” come on down to Your Local Market. Come for a charity event and see how good it feels to give to a local charity while doing your grocery shopping.

I still facilitate communication training and am morphing into giving raw food talks and demonstrations. It feels good to help people switch to a healthier diet and have fun doing it. I’d love to hear your comments, please post below. You can reach me at z@pamelaziemann.com or 425.223.0123.