By Betty Ann Boeving, BAATC.org Executive Director & Founder
I set the table and prepared for a festive dinner party last weekend. It was a night to bring out “the good dishes.” Especially during the holidays, whether at such a dinner party or when I am at a fundraising banquet for a respected non-profit, I find myself divided between my intention to help combat trafficking and poverty, and my decision to eat the remarkable steak or fish that is served. My choice has been to avoid the self-reprimand, and instead commit to including at least one dish that is made with fair trade ingredients at any dinner party I host or attend. I serve something that tells a story. This night I decided to mix up a simple smoky tomato dip mix made by the Women's Bean Project (an economic empowerment program providing jobs for women in gourmet food & handmade jewelry manufacturing). I was introduced to this delicious mix when it arrived at my door in my Trade As One quarterly fair trade shipment. It took less than 5 minutes to prepare, and when served with chips and fresh veggies, it became a conversation starter both because of its great taste and because it was easy to speak of the women who made it.
Action Steps:
• Stock your pantry with fair trade ingredients for holiday baking: spices, chocolate, sugar, coffee and tea
• Revisit your favorite go-to dinner party recipes to see where you could exchange an ingredient for one that is fair trade
• Get introduced to delicious fair trade mixes and ingredients by signing up for Trade As One's quarterly home delivery- just $99
I set the table and prepared for a festive dinner party last weekend. It was a night to bring out “the good dishes.” Especially during the holidays, whether at such a dinner party or when I am at a fundraising banquet for a respected non-profit, I find myself divided between my intention to help combat trafficking and poverty, and my decision to eat the remarkable steak or fish that is served. My choice has been to avoid the self-reprimand, and instead commit to including at least one dish that is made with fair trade ingredients at any dinner party I host or attend. I serve something that tells a story. This night I decided to mix up a simple smoky tomato dip mix made by the Women's Bean Project (an economic empowerment program providing jobs for women in gourmet food & handmade jewelry manufacturing). I was introduced to this delicious mix when it arrived at my door in my Trade As One quarterly fair trade shipment. It took less than 5 minutes to prepare, and when served with chips and fresh veggies, it became a conversation starter both because of its great taste and because it was easy to speak of the women who made it.
Action Steps:
• Stock your pantry with fair trade ingredients for holiday baking: spices, chocolate, sugar, coffee and tea
• Revisit your favorite go-to dinner party recipes to see where you could exchange an ingredient for one that is fair trade
• Get introduced to delicious fair trade mixes and ingredients by signing up for Trade As One's quarterly home delivery- just $99
RSS Feed
