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The 100-Mile Diet was a yearlong project in utopian living undertaken by Smith and MacKinnon, two Vancouver-based writers (he a former editor of Adbusters) hereinafter referred to as SMacK. On their Web site, the epiphanic moment is described in appropriately idyllic prose: “Like many great adventures, the 100-mile diet began with a memorable feast. Stranded in their off-the-grid summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon turned to the land around them. They caught a trout, picked mushrooms in the forest, and mulled apples from an abandoned orchard with rose hips in wine. The meal was truly satisfying; every ingredient had a story, a direct line they could trace from the soil to their forks. The experience raised a question: Was it possible to eat this way in their everyday lives?”
The book comes out next month and SMacK are embarking on a six-month-long book tour. No word yet if they’re coming to Chicago; will keep an eye on that.