Comments on: Fuel Fried Chicken Fridays Return

By: Kitsilano.ca - Kits’ Neighbourhood blog. » Twitter Thursday at Fuel

Kitsilano.ca - Kits’ Neighbourhood blog. » Twitter Thursday at Fuel — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:22:43 +0000

[...] ________________ A few weeks ago I got an excited email from one of my foodie friends about ‘Fried Chicken Fridays’ at Fuel on 4th Avenue in Kits. We made a reservation and lunched there on what was undoubtedly the [...]

By: BC Brew

BC Brew — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:14:01 +0000

Thanks for filling us in on your plans, Virginia. You also raise an excellent point. We should be building a gene bank, just in case — yet another reason why we should be supporting our local farmers.

By: Virginia Jacobsen

Virginia Jacobsen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:49:02 +0000

Everything takes time to build.
Farming is very heavy in front-end costs, i.e. quota, barn, equipment, land costs. Our birds are heritage cross birds, as the original genetics are held in Europe, because of their foresight, somewhat like the Norwegians have started a plant gene bank of the world’s plants….a “just in case”.
We have plans to have our own breeding flock in order to reduce operating costs. However, one chicken can lay 175 eggs in her lifetime. You figure our how many chicks a day that is to grow with even 1000 birds……..so “one step at a time”…..but the plans are being formulated. Right now this is the best way to bring BC’ers an alternative taste….glad you are loving it so much!!! This is how a chicken used to taste!!!
But what really gives them the zest is Robert and staff, with their huge talents in food preparation.
Eat lots and eat well!!

By: BC Brew

BC Brew — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:35:33 +0000

Thanks for the additional information, meh & Mike. I have corrected the ‘local’ reference.

Your remarks also raise some issues that I think need wider public discussion. If the Jacobsens don’t trust the North American genetic stock, what will happen when the nexus of climate change and peak oil will make importing prohibitively expensive?

When the intensive use of petroleum products in large-scale agriculture (fertilizers, pesticides, machinery) is also no longer possible, will we be sufficiently prepared to make a broad transition to low-carbon farming or will there be a collapse?

I believe we will be going back to the farming practices of Robert Belcham’s grandfather and of the Jacobsens, only we will be a lot more dependent on our domestic stock. Therefore, we should take better care of it.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:38:10 +0000

Just one point to contend with here. Polderside’s Redbro chickens are born in France and flown to Canada, then raised locally. I think that makes them technically not local.

I wonder what the carbon cost is of animals flown in from another continent?

By: meh

meh — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:26:01 +0000

“The final product tastes like chicken is supposed to taste, like the chickens my grandfather raised on his farm” says Belcham, but I’m guessing his grandfather’s chickens weren’t born in France and shipped by jet to Canada, as the Redbro chickens from Polderside are:
http://www.vanmag.com/Restaurants/ProducerSupplier_of_the_Year_Polderside_Farms