“Hey! Lucas, right?” I heard a voice as I walked around the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market, a compact but lively farmers’ market that was a quick walk from the room I was renting on Cass Street in Omaha.

The voice belonged to Alex O’Hanlon, whom I’d met just a couple of days earlier at a donation-based fermentation workshop she had led at City Sprouts, a local organization with a large community garden that promotes health and seeks to improve food quality in the community. Alex and I chatted, and I shared some tamales I’d bought from a market vendor. Remembering my name and saying hello was maybe a small gesture for Alex, but as an out-of-towner, I was impressed.

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