For me, one of the most striking parts of the readings for this week were the many pages devoted to supermarkets. For many of us, supermarkets are the most visible part of the food system (besides perhaps restaurants). Supermarkets are where we buy the majority of our food, and all other food sources are peripheral. Although I've read other historical accounts of food markets and the Greek agora, I never gave them much importance in the grand scheme of things. However, Steel points out that throughout history, great movements, unrests, and everyday social interaction actually occurred within the markets.
Perhaps I never thought much about the role of food markets in history because my food "market" (the supermarket) doesn't hold much importance in my everyday life. The only time I go to the supermarket is when I want to cook something or stock up on food items. I get out and in as fast as possible and usually don't even talk with anyone, since the rise of the self check-out. The Publix I go to (which is at least within walking distance of my house so I don't have to take my car) is nearly identical to the one I went to in undergrad in Sarasota, which is identical to the one I went to growing up in Jacksonville. Before reading this week's assignment, this never struck me as something odd or culturally deficient.
However, after reading this week's assignment, I have to agree with the author. It seems a little sad that we have lost the social interaction and community feel of a local grocer. I do have one vague memory that helps me attest to the importance of a local grocery or convenience store. When I was a little kid, five or six, and my brother was eight or so, we lived in a small town in Pennsylvania. There was a locally owned convenience store at the end of our street. My parents knew the owner, and my brother played t-ball with his son. My mom thus had no problem tucking a dollar into my brother's pocket and sending us up the road to pick up some milk or bread, and letting us keep the change to buy penny candy. It didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time (besides the candy of course, which was awesome), but now I see how small social interactions like that, borne out of the necessity of buying food, can help strengthen a community.
Taylor--I'm surprised that you go into the supermarket and don't talk to anyone (hehe). You raise an interesting point about our supermarkets becoming culturally deficient. Now a days I drive to Trader Joes and hope to God that its not hopping so I do not have to wait in any lines. As someone who can talk to a wall, I am surprised that I have never found anything lacking in my shopping expereince
ReplyDeleteSteel does point out the change in cultural habits of people with food in history and it is a little sad knowing that food used to be a huge connecting aspect of communities. Nowadays people do go to supermarkets and shop by themselves and do not communicate with others while shopping, they require little assistance in attaining he food, preparing it and eating it, and grocery stores are set up to allow this cultural isolation. This also removes nature from the element as well, as people do not know who brings their food to them or how their food was grown, where it was grown, and how it got to their stores. And though food production companies like to paint pictures of farms and happy farmers being involved with their food, this picture is not always true, and people deserve to know the real truth about their food.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly relate some my childhood experiences to your response. Growing up in the Northeast region, I lived in areas where the closest grocery store to my house was a corner store that mostly sold junk food. Also, I lived in areas where a “big box” supermarket wasn’t too far from my house.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the community that I resided in would be considered a food desert today. There weren’t any supermarkets nearby where you could buy fresh, healthy, and affordable food, instead there were corner stores on every other block. The closest corner store was right up the street from my house. The corner store mainly sold junk food, instead of healthy foods. For example, some my old-time favorites were 15-cent candies, 25 cent hug juices, 50-cent honey BBQ chips, delicious Philly Cheesesteaks, and etc. I don’t recall seeing any fresh fruits or vegetables, mainly because as a child junk food was on my mined when I went into the corner stores.