We’re all about local food—you know that, people—but when the governor’s personal chef invites Virginians to send him videos of themselves playing locavore, we start to hear a distinct beeping sound from our silly-detectors.
According to WCAV-19, Governor Tim Kaine’s personal chef Jason Babson has issued an official challenge to all us citizens of the Commonwealth: Choose a day during Farmers Market Week, August 3-9, and eat only foods grown or produced in Virginia for the whole day. So far, so fabulous. It’s the "fun and participatory" add-on that makes us giggle: as CAV’s website puts it, "you can make a video of what you ate, where you bought it and how much you enjoyed it."
Well, actually, you can do that any day of the year, but Babson is actually inviting all y’all to send the videos in to VDACS (the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) so they can somehow choose a winner, based on something unspecified (shiniest bacon? fullest mouth?) and set that lucky person up with a big old prize pack and the thrill of seeing their video on the VDACS website!
We’re guessing that including scenes of "how you eliminated it" in videos sent to the good folks in Richmond are not likely to be winners.
Anyway, says we, go buy a local tomato and enjoy—with or without the cameras rolling. After all, both virtue and freshness are their own rewards.
Open wide: People in high places want to see what you’re eating.