The New Domisticity Movement

A few years back, I read a book by Barbara Kingsolver titled Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.  In it, Kingsolver chronicles a whole year of eating locally: buying at farmer's markets, raising her own turkeys, and making her own food items. I remember being entranced by the idea of making and eating wholesome foods and knowing where your food came from. At the time, I could find no fault with Kingsolver's disposition on eating locally and engaging in new domesticity.

Not so much, now.

As the new domesticity movement gains momemtum, I'm more aware of the problems within.  It is, by and large, a very classist movement. It is no longer an economical advantage to can your own food, sew your own clothes, make your own items. The idea behind new domesticity is that it provides alternatives to corporate materialism and encourages environmentalism and overall improves the life of it's participants. But who can participate?  Not everyone can buy fresh fruits and vegetables at their local farmer's market. Not everyone can afford a decent sewing machine or even the materials. And that's just currency. Only a few can afford the time it takes to make artisan bread in a Dutch oven or cut out a pattern. The New Domesticity seems to be made for folks who can afford it so that they can feel better about the lives they live. It doesn't really do much for anyone else.

So my purpose in creating this blog is to show just how much time and money it costs to do it the "old fashioned way."

Rules I've set out for myself:

1. I will do one project/update one project once a week.
2. I will buy locally when I can. That means if it's available and affordable locally, I'll buy it and use it.
3. If I cannot fulfill rule #2, I will buy it where I can find it. 
4. I will monitor the cost of time and money for each project.

My first project will be cooking. Once a week, I will cook a meal made from scratch and blog the entire process from buying materials to the finished project. Each project will tabulate the cost for both time and money and will also weigh this against the alternatives for those who cannot afford it.

First up: Cream cheese and chive risotto.