LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
SPRING INTO WELLNESS
I write you as I stare out the window awaiting what will hopefully be the last snowfall of 2019. You know how March typically brings a final flurry or two just as you most urgently want to feel the sun on your face as you sip iced tea in the spring breeze.
For many, this is a season of renewal and rebirth. Certain cultures celebrate the New Year right around now instead of in the dead of winter, and it’s easy to see the appeal. As the air warms and the darkness retreats, we’re motivated to clean house, get outside, and see friends we may have missed during hibernation.
For that reason, we’ve given this issue a wellness theme. Spring is a great time to focus on all the ways that local food can make you feel vibrant and renewed.
On page 16, you’ll find “Cuban Sin Carne,” a wonderful essay from writer Jessica Lopez that describes how going vegan threatened to distance her from her family’s food culture and how she reclaimed Cuban food on her own, plant-based terms.
Since we’re all forever striving to eat more vegetables, we’ve got a deep dive into how those new ugly produce box delivery services are fitting into Philly’s local food scene, from writer Erin Negley, on page 28.
And on page 22, Alexandra Jones writes persuasively in her piece “The Power of Plant Medicine” about why we should consider growing our own beneficial herbs as a way to take our health into our own hands. She profiles several local herbalists whose story helps make the case.
In our view, wellness isn’t restricted to vegetables and green juice. You’ll also find croissants, coffee and pasta in this issue. As far as I’m concerned, there is no healthy without happy and how could we be happy without dessert?
However you define wellness for yourself, I hope you’ll find something that inspires you to pursue it in these pages. If there’s a good-for-you treat that you enjoy in springtime, I hope you’ll find me on Instagram @joymanning and tell me what it is and where to find it.
Joy Manning
Editor
[email protected]
