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This post is from Tabitha Shannnon, an Eat Well Guide extern studying at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she’s majoring in French and planning to study Public Health and Nutrition in graduate school. Whether it’s the infinite varieties of mangoes in the Amazon basin of Peru, lobster straight from the boat in Maine, glorious unpasteurized cheese in France, or all kinds of California organic produce, Tabitha loves to eat and promote local food!

It’s been almost a year since I boarded a plane for Paris, wide-eyed and ready to experience all that France had to offer, especially in the form of food. My sejour (stay) did not disappoint–the six months were full of culinary delights. I had the good fortune of staying with a French couple who were thrilled to promote their edible heritage, stuffing my roommate and me with bountiful dinners as they recounted histories of the produits de terroir (regional products) on our plates.

Then, in February, the International Agricultural Salon came to Paris. My foodie roommate and I couldn’t have been more excited as we started seeing metro walls covered with posters for the week-long event. When our class trip to the Salon came around, we stayed for hours after our classmates had gone home, tasting as many products from as many regions of France as we could. And almost every product was served by the person who had produced it! Cheeses, wines, meats, fish, and to top it off, my very first taste of escargot. Mmm…

Okay, I’ll try to pull myself back from my daydream of past delicacies. The point is that I was so impressed by the regional food pride that I’m still talking about it! On the more kid-friendly side, every October France puts on a national Semaine du goût (literally, “Taste Week”), when professional chefs give cooking classes for middle-school students, teaching them how to use appreciate local food products. Too bad I had to leave in June!

Though we may not host a national food festival here in the US, we have plenty of events that celebrate local products and producers. Last weekend, for example, Marin Organic hosted a Holiday Farmer Dinner in honor of local organic producers with 50% of proceeds going to Marin Organics to promote local, sustainable food.

Of course, county fairs are still great places to find local products while meeting their producers. As organic farming gains popularity, we’ll see more and more organic products at our fairs–some fairs are even organic-themed (like the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity Maine in late-September). Why not seek out the organic farmers at your next fair? And bring the kids!

Search for county fairs at fairgrounds.net

And if you’re ever in Paris in late February, be sure to check out the Salon de l’Agriculture.

Or in mid-October, La Semaine du goût.

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