Giving you some organic food for thought
After living in the 'Jing for so long, I have become, as most of us have, increasingly aware of issues pertaining to clean air (or the lack of it), healthy food and non-toxic household products. However, “organic” remains a fairly new concept to us Beijingers. I often think back to the tree huggers back home in the remote southwest corner of New Mexico, (that haven of alternative thought and patchouli) who have been living organic lives for as long as I’ve been around (don’t ask), eschewing petrochemicals, building with tires and “growing their own”—fruits and veggies, that is. Even my sister, a hippie at heart, has spent years cramming organics and alternative healing down my throat, going so far as to threaten to smother me in my sleep if I vaccinate Henry.
It wasn't until November 2006, when I was first pregnant with my son, that I started to consider “going green.” I began Googling questions and researching natural products, toxins in lotions, hormones in milk and meat, even fluoridated toothpaste. My mother often jokes that a veritable “Library of Congress,”compliments of Amazon, is stacked up in the garage for me to lug back to Beijing. However, there was precious little on the availability of organic produce in Beijing.
Luckily, in the past 15 months, much has changed. I have joined a fantastic group called the Beijing Organic Consumers Association on Yahoo, which is open to the public and great for finding out where to get organic products in Beijing, in addition to timely articles about vaccinations, vitamins and the like. Each day, I am greeted by an email newsletter in my inbox, providing me with good bites of frequently controversial topics that I take to my pengyous in the teacher’s lounge during break. (My lecturing is often ignored, but now and then I manage to utter something fairly succinct and relevant to their everyday lives.)
Among the many venues that provide organic goods, Lohao City is one of my favorites, and I make a point of stocking up there once a week. I could go on and on, but, as space is limited, be sure to check out my blog for a list of other favorites and reader suggestions.
Kristen Billings
Other Posts by This Writer
Violence Continues to Plague Sanlitun
By cityweekend
Because Beijing is a relatively safe place to live when compared to many foreign cities, ...By cityweekend
Green Cow Organic Farm, located in Shunyi, is home to 10 cows, 300 geese, over ...Photo Gallery: 2012 City Weekend Readers' Choice Awards
By cityweekend
The 2012 City Weekend Readers' Choice Awards, held on May 23 at Migas, celebrated the ...Xiao Qi Jia Will Rev Your Engine
By cityweekend
One of Nanluoguxiang’s most recent additions, Xiao Qi Jia impressed us with a more spacious ...By cityweekend
The authorities are at it again - first MIDI got kicked out of Haidian Park, ...Hotel G Launch Party at Bar Rouge
By cityweekend
Hotel G, one of the sexiest hotels around, threw a big party over at Bar ...Readers' Choice Awards 2012: Winners List
By cityweekend
Last night at Migas, the who's who of Beijing gathered to celebrate the amazing dining ...A Lady's Swing: Helen Barry Talks About the Greens in Beijing
By cityweekend
Helen Barry, Chairperson of Beijing Ladies Golf talks with City Weekend about Beijing's golfing sisterhood ...By cityweekend
Bubba's threw its second annual Barbecue Cook-off last weekend, and though the weather wasn't great, ...YCIS Stone-Laying Ceremony in Yizhuang
By cityweekend
On May 9, Yew Chung International School (YCIS) students, families and faculty celebrated the inaugural ...Raving Beijing: INTRO 2012 Artist Preview
By cityweekend
As Josh Wink closed out last year’s INTRO, rumor went round that the festival wouldn’t ...Mao Mao Chong Hosts Guest Bartenders This Week
By cityweekend
Popular Gulou cocktail bar Mao Mao Chong has just opened their doors - and the ...INTRO-spective: Get Pumped for INTRO 2012
By cityweekend
With only a few days left to go before this year's INTRO Festival at 751 ...Just a Gui in Beijing: INTRO Headliner Gui Boratto
By cityweekend
To get you in the mood for the INTRO Festival coming up on May 26, ...Suit Up Your Little Dancing Queen at J-Ballet
By cityweekend
Beijing is full of people who work hard for their dreams, like Ms. Junko Takeda, ...[CLOSED] WIN Entrance to the City Weekend Reader's Choice Awards
By cityweekend
The votes have all been counted, and it's time for our favorite part of the ...Beijing Playhouse Performs Oklahoma!
By cityweekend
Originally produced in 1943, Oklahoma! is based on Lynn Riggs’s novel Green Grow the Lilacs. ...Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of the Kempinski Hotel
By cityweekend
City Weekend sat down with Steffen Optiz, the recently appointed Director of Food and Beverage ...By cityweekend
The high-end Italian restaurant BOCCA celebrated their grand opening in style by throwing a big ...Malaysian Cuisine Comes to Scene a Café
By cityweekend
Scene a Café’s Chef Kenneth Chee talks with City Weekend about teaching and tasty Malaysian ...