Made In The USA

Our once a month poker group always has a holiday party, and this year was no exception. We don't play poker on this night, but eat, drink, laugh and tell stories. It's a wonderful evening. This year, our poker diva in charge of fun, Fran, decided that the gift exchange would include gifts under $15 that were made in the USA. Everyone thought this would be a daunting task, but in the end, the gifts were thoughtful and made domestically. Food and drink was most popular. Domestic wines, regional jams and jellies, fancy mustard and chutney, and several Trader Joe's products. Trader Joes is a bit misleading, as many of their products say "Packaged in Monrovia, Ca." That only means that their distribution is there, and determining the original point of origin is difficult. I have written about this before, and there are codes that tell what country produced a product, but the codes are not on all items. What are they hiding? Other gifts at our party were candles, lots of candles, bath oils and soaps, homemade jewelry, and some novelty items. Everyone loved the American theme, and went home with something unique. I received a bag of Cranberry beans, an old American heirloom bean, and a recipe for an Alice Waters creation using the beans. Now what could be more American than that? If you really are interested in trying to buy American, you can. Below are just a few of the dozens of websites to show you the many products that are produced domestically. It takes a little more work, and sometimes more money, but if that's important to you, here is some info to help. Americansworking.com Stillmadeinusa.com bassettfurniture.com hardenfurniture.com allusaclothing.com amdericanmadecompanies.com Cars, toys, shoes, socks, underwear, jeans, you can find it all made in the USA. There's a shoe manufacturer right here in Carlsbad, and they make great sporty shoes. New Balance has 5 plants in the USA. Even companies like Apple are starting to shift their workforce back home. It's not as hard as you think, so keep your eyes open, check some of these websites, and buy American.