Hefty meals with a conscience.
Somewhat reflecting the principles of the 100 mile diet, this unassuming little shop teeters on the borders of farmer's market friendly and snotty artisan. We made a completely random stop at this strip mall shop in search of something new, something fresh, something 'healthy?' Forage did not disappoint. But keep in mind that I consider their chewy yet with a perfect crunch, fat chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to be 'healthy'. This definition applies only if I can recognize all of the ingredients. I am not shunning butter, creams and oils in my definition of 'healthy'. I am however, excluding other ingredients such as sorbitol, aspartame, MSG, and smoke #7.
Forage seems to have a unique assumption that we, the consumers, are so damn busy and confused that we can't be bothered to select a dinner item from a list. There is no list. Dinner is what they decide a week in advance, available on their website, http://www.foragefoods.com. Perfect for an anxious menu reader like myself. Their options are local ingredients, keeping real with their logo "from farm to fork foods to go". Tonight was chicken burritos with a carrot slaw and curried vegetables. Delicious, but flatulent and fibrous what with the black beans, chick peas and cabbage.
Problematic realization was that Wednesday is vegetarian night. My problem wasn't that meat lovers of Calgary would be heartbroken one night a week. But what the hell is a vegetarian to do Thursday through Tuesday? I suppose some would recommend purchasing a pan, a chunk of tofu and perhaps a package of rice... but what about those who are less than interested in dishes and prep times, and waiting... and dishes? And why the name Forage, when no edible plant material untainted by carcass can be found six days a week?
