Lettuce stand firm

It’s the middle of February, and all you want is a salad. Some romaine or mixed greens, celery for crunch, a few broccoli florets. But all of it bears the label Product of USA, as do the grapes, cauliflower, oranges and more. It’s enough to dishearten even the most patriotic grocery shopper.

Winter meal planning can be tough when you’re trying to avoid buying American. It should also prompt some reflection on how we came to expect strawberries and arugula in the dead of winter anyway.

Everyday purchasing decisions are still a powerful way to take a stand against the words and actions of the current U.S. administration. If its talk of weakening our economy in order to annex our beloved country bothers you, those decisions become very easy to make.

Several local retailers are doing their best to bring in items from other countries, but they have no choice if the U.S. is the only source of a popular crop. Nobody wants to see Kawartha Lakes grocers left with piles of spoiling produce, either.

We still have a choice. We can buy lemons from Mexico or grapes from Peru where they’re available. We can pay more for salad greens and cucumbers from Ontario greenhouses. (Yes, there are environmental implications.) When local produce comes back in season, we can preserve and freeze for next winter.

Outside of the produce aisle, we can scrutinize labels and reject American products. Outside of the grocery store, we can substitute other sun destinations for U.S. ones, or better yet, explore mild Vancouver Island or embrace winter in Ottawa or Quebec City.

This isn’t about stigmatizing people who must travel to the U.S. for work, or who choose to visit those they love who live there. It’s also not about wanting to hurt ordinary Americans, regardless of whether they voted for the current regime. It’s not even about salad-shaming.

It’s about recognizing that we ordinary people here in Kawartha Lakes still have agency in a time when we feel powerless to confront the bully to the south. All kinds of decisions about how we use our Canadian dollars are within our control, even if they mean a degree of frustration and inconvenience. Taken together, they matter. They make it clear that we stand for Canada and reject those who threaten our sovereignty, belittle our shared history and put our neighbours’ jobs at risk.

The U.S. economy is noticing the sharp drop in tourism from Canada. American alcohol companies are feeling the pain of the LCBO’s snub. American farmers are suffering the impact of ill-advised tariffs.

Keep those elbows up. We can do this if we stay together and stay the course.