Rant first; recipe later.
I guess I’ll start by addressing the recent controversy associated with quinoa farming and the ways rich white people’s demand for copious amounts of quinoa has driven up local costs of quinoa for South Americans:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa
The article was making the rounds on Facebook, and I’m pretty sure if your Facebook news feed is as socially and globally conscious as mine is, you’ve already seen this article. As a proud McGill University International Development Studies alum, I am certainly aware of the plight of third world farmers and their disadvantages in the global market, unfair economic policies and the overall exploitation millions of people experience to harvest and produce the foods us greedy fatties love to stuff in our faces. I’m an extremely strong advocate of Fair Trade practices (although the movement itself has its own downfalls). Indeed, quinoa can be farmed in North America so why not support that as well!
But my problem is with trendiness. Caring about quinoa farmers has become just as trendy as quinoa itself. I have a serious issue with thousands of hipsters tweeting and Facebooking “Sorry vegans! Looks like your love of quinoa is evil for poor Bolivians!” from their laptops and smartphones that were also—surprise surprise—BUILT ON THE EXPLOITATION AND OUTRIGHT TORTURE OF OTHER PEOPLE!
