Local Turnips or a Quality Meal?

While farm to table cuisine is gaining popularity among some, it doesn't fit all.  Earlier this month Julia Moskin of the NY Times wrote an article about two acclaimed chefs, Thomas Keller and Andoni Luis Adurizhave who have opted to focus on cooking with quality ingredients to produce a gastronomical experience for their patrons.  Sometimes the best oysters for a dish come from Maine, not Long Island.  That is what customers are paying for- the best.  Chefs aren't going to save the earth and we shouldn't expect them to.  Some of our favorite things come not from our backyard but from far away places- Italian wine, French cheeses, Belgian chocolates, Irish beer, Canadian whiskey, Greek yogurt, Russian dressing.  OK, the last two are pretty much made in America but you get the idea.  Why limit creative minds and palates?  Go local if you want but it's OK to order the salmon or Chilean sea bass- as long as it's wild caught. Ha!