When Isla, 7, makes waffles for a family breakfast, she does not think of trade but it is an important ingredient in making her waffles a success. The strawberries she used last Saturday came from a local grower but the berries she will soon be using will come from the Imperial Valley in California. The waffle mix comes from a company founded in Seattle in Washington state in the early '30s. The egg is local but not the olive oil. It is imported from Tunisia.
The all important waffle maker itself is made in China. It wasn't all that long ago that it would have been made in either Canada or the USA but for the moment that day has passed. The bowl holding the water came from Portugal, the bentwood bar stool on which she is sitting was made in Czechoslovakia.
She gives it not the slightest thought but trade between nations quietly colours her days.
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