We are told all the time to eat locally, shop locally, but these phrases can be misunderstood in many ways. Yes, the 99 is right down the street and CVS around the corner, but those are not local businesses. If you were to look at the package of cookies you bought from Walmart or Target, I'd say 7 out of 10 times it is from another country. Or maybe another state. When were these cookies made? How did they get here? What did they have to put into them to last this long?
Shopping and eating locally are extremely important due to the support you can provide a small business, keeping the economy in your city or town thriving. These businesses also buy their products locally, keeping their carbon foot print or environmental impact lower. If these local businesses can also buy local- in theory their products wouldn't need to have any extra additives because they aren't traveling as far. Therefore the cookies you bought at Walmart may cost $1.00 less, but cost everyone else much more. I'm not telling you to do all your shopping at farmers markets, (although that's a dream) it is unrealistic. If you can start shopping at your neighborhood market and ordering takeout from a small shop you'd be making a huge difference.
I am not a sustainable perfectionist and I don't think we should be, but today I've decided to eat every meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) from a local shop near me and i'd like to take you along! Since the Coronavirus is still thriving all around the world, I decided to get takeout at all of these places and bring them home. Below I will show you some of the amazing small businesses near me and hopefully it will push you to do the same.
Breakfast: Sugar Mama's
I drive up and down Main street in Saco, Maine at least 3 times a week and pass by at least 7 small businesses that sell food. Today I decided to go to Sugar Mama's cafe and juice bar. They have an abundant menu with pastries, juices, smoothies, and smoothie bowls. The shop is in a shared building in downtown Saco and has an adorable aesthetic. I asked the woman working there what her favorite smoothie was and ended up getting the Flamingo! The Flamingo consists of Dragon fruit, banana, mango, plant based vanilla protein powder, orange juice, coconut water, and almond milk. They had other flavors such as peach cobbler, blueberry muffin, and carrot cake! I will definitely go back and try more. My only negative is the price. It is $8.99 for a 12oz smoothie and $10.00 after tip (because always tip). To me $10.00 for a 12oz smoothie is expensive.
Lunch: Papous Pita
For lunch, we went to Papous pita, a newer Mediterranean restaurant located on Main street in Biddeford, Maine. One of the best 21st century features about Papous is that you can order and pay online. This will be the second time we have eaten at Papous pita. The first time we went, we got a greek salad with chicken and Dolmades rice bowl. Dolmades are grape leaves filled with rice, lemon and vegetables. Today we got a chicken sandwich with olives, lemon, tomatoes, feta cheese, and pita sauce and a Dolmades sandwich! Both sandwiches are in a folded grilled pita and are mouth watering! The only thing I wished were different is the menu size. It is definitely a newer place and I am excited to see their menu grow and expand.
It is dangerous how close Papous Pita is to our home! If you are in the Portland area and like greek food, you have to try this place!
Dinner: Jin Sushi and Ramen
Dinner was the most exciting for me! I love Ramen and Dominic loves sushi so we knew this was going to be great! Jin Sushi and Ramen is in Downtown Saco in an area called Pepperell square. This area is home to many of our favorite restaurants! For dinner I ordered Jin Ramen, which is chicken broth with soy chicken, bean sprouts, sweet onion, and garlic over ramen noodles. Since we ordered takeout the delicious broth came on the side, which I thought very helpful. Dominic got the sushi dinner deluxe, which had a tuna or California roll, tuna, salmon, and chef's choice. He ordered the tuna roll for the main roll and we believe the chef's choice was eel and shrimp. The deluxe order came with 14 pieces for sushi! The employees here are very friendly and seem to have a great system for safety during this time. Similarly to Papous, I wish they had more options for ramen and poke. I will be getting the poke next time!
Although I did not eat at these places today, I wanted to provide a list of local restaurants i've tried and loved!
Biscuits & Company- Biddeford, ME
Cowbell- Biddeford, ME
Happy Dragon- Biddeford, ME
Part & Parcel- Biddeford, ME
Portland Pie Company- Biddeford, ME
New Moon- Saco, ME
Golden Rooster- Saco, ME
Loxsmith Bagel- Saco, ME
Sea Salt Lobster- Saco, ME
Run of The Mill- Saco, ME
Quiero Cafe- Saco, ME
Saco house of pizza- Saco, ME
The Saco Scoop- Saco, ME
Christians Cafe & Eatery- Kennebunk,ME
Allison's Restaurant- Kennebunkport, ME
The Porthole Restaurant and pub- Portland, ME
Five O - Ogunquit, ME
Breakfast⎟Lunch/Dinner ⎟ Dessert
There are so many more options in this area, but I did not list them above because I have not had the opportunity to try them yet. If you are a business and would like us to try your local food, please reach out!
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