It’s hard to believe that the semester is drawing to a swift yet chaotic end and that ESF Spring 2009 has taken our last field trip. For our last hurrah we ventured to Cole Valley and Haight Street eating at establishments one could say i representative of each vastly different neighborhood. First on the agenda was to meet promptly at 6pm at Zazie, a charming, warm, and inviting French bistro, where one of our ESFers, Nick, currently works and hooked us up. Zazie is well known for its delicious food, use of free-range meats, and friendly atmosphere, so needless to say everyone looked forward to devouring this delicious meal.

photo by david silver http://tinyurl.com/qgqzj7

Seated at a long rectangular table the group began scouring the menu trying to decide what would they would share, or perhaps decadently have all to themselves! Jessie and I decided that we would share the Chicken and a side of Macaroni and Cheese as well as share a half bottle of Cabernet. When our food arrived we were by no means disappointed. Our chicken was tender, flavorful and moist accompanied with spinach and heavenly creamy mash potatoes. The Mac and Cheese was outstanding with a backed cheese top that gave way to the warm and gooey world of cheesy goodness.

photo by http://tinyurl.com/q2kqdp

As I ate my chicken I couldn’t help but think of the Omnivores Dilema by Michael Pollan. While I knew that Zazie used free-ranged chicken I still couldn’t help but think of the wonder that is Polyface farm. At Polyface owner Joel Salatin, not only allows for his animals to roam outside and eat grass and bugs, but he gives his animals and their lives purpose. Salatin takes the approach of not merely raising chickens but, pigs, cattle, turkeys, and rabbits, and focuses on how to take advantage of their symbiotic relationships. By allowing and helping to facilitate these natural relationships Salatin’s livestock helps to take care of each other while restoring nourishment to the land. For example three days after the Cattle graze an area the chickens are brought in to fertilize the soil with their manure which is high in nitrogen. The chickens also act a cleaning crew that eats the fly larva that reside in the cow patties and thus help to control the fly populations that pester the cows. So the cows feed the chickens with their waste and in turn the chickens use their waste to grow the food for the cows. In this “Circle of Life” the animals are not just a commodity to be consumed by humans, they are instrumental in helping one and other survive, and thus they are allowed to live lives as nature had intended, lives with purpose. Here a a link where Daniel (son of owner) explains how they do it check it out! http://tinyurl.com/r63v2b

photo by Ali Winston http://tinyurl.com/r6czq7

After finishing our meal at Zazie we headed on over to the McDonalds on Haight and decided to indulge ourselves in some desert be it sweet or savory. After reading about the horrors of industrial corn in the Omnivores Dilemma I thought for sure some people would be apprehensive about ordering a tasty treat. Much to my surprise everyone jumped right in and enjoyed not only ice cream and McFluries but also the infamous French fries. As we watched the colorful characters that frequent this McDonalds and enjoyed the last few moments of our trip I couldn’t help but wish I was not in this dirty, crowded, and commercialized space, and instead was roaming the pastoral hills of Polyface farm.