This guy, a veteran and park ranger named Steve, opened this place called TreeRock in Asheville, NC as a sort of passion project, to celebrate Mead and Cider, and showcase an incredible selection of the world's first alcoholic beverage.
I just had an hour and a half long conversation with the guy. He's so personable and knowledgeable, and I had an absolute blast- I tried like 10 different drinks, and they were all awesome, and he told me about the history and making of each and every one. After a while, I decided this is my new favorite place to go.
But they're closing, in March.
These past few years have been devastating for small businesses, and they are no exception. They are going to close in March, unless something drastic happens that changes things.
So if you're in Asheville, or you know somebody in Asheville, or you have been meaning to go to Asheville to bury that body in the trunk of your car somewhere along the Appalachian trail but you just haven't gotten around to it yet, please stop by TreeRock for a flight of meads, ciders, and beers from all around the world, for less than the cost of a Chipotle burrito.
(also they love dogs!!! my dog had a great time, and I'm sure yours will too!)
Photos of the show reception! Gift of Survival will be available to view in person at Push/Pull Seattle until February 21st. You can purchase originals and prints from this show, as well as some of my other goods, in store and online.
Thank you to the folks who made it there despite the cold rain, and sharing their stories of videos of coyote encounters and predator conservation. Thank you to folks who come to see it and support a local artist and local store.
‘Another mistaken belief is that the best way to cut greenhouse gases is to eat food that is locally grown. There might be good social and cultural reasons to buy local food. Local markets might help to enhance the food system market modularity and resilience. But there are seldom good climate reasons. This is because the greenhouse gases emitted by moving food are tiny by comparison to those emitted by growing it.
For example, if you buy pasture-fed beef or lamb, the contribution of transport to its total climate costs, depending on where it comes from, is likely to be between 0.5 and 2 per cent. Raising the meat accounts for roughly 95 per cent of its emissions (the rest are caused by processing, packing, storing and displaying it). You would have to ship a kilo of dried peas roughly one hundred times around the world before it’s greenhouse gases matched those of a kilo of local beef.’
George Monbiot, Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet
“Cultural pluralism and multilingualism are the planetary norm. We seek the balance between cosmopolitan pluralism and deep local consciousness. We are asking how the whole human race can regain self-determination in place after centuries of having been disenfranchised by hierarchy and/or centralized power. Do not confuse this exercise with "nationalism", which is exactly the opposite, the impostor, the puppet of the State, the grinning ghost of the lost community.”