This week's readings from Steel, illustrate the relationship of food and food systems to practically every aspect of urban life. While we have seen and continue to develop our understanding of the impacts of agribusiness on the foods we eat, the way they are marketed to us, the distribution chain, the big business takeover is not necessarily something that is overlooked, but something whose more nuanced effects we may not always see.
In Steel's chapter titled, "Market and Supermarket," he juxtaposes the dynamics of traditional marketplaces to the supermarkets of today. As supermarkets ascended to the top of the proverbial food chain, they're undue presence did not only affect the mom-and-pop stores they were putting out of business. Retail takeovers affected the marketplace and the social interactions housed within them. Like Steel describes in his visit to the Borough (London), the opportunity to meet the creator of such foods or interact with other shoppers diminished as food was exclusively moved to suburbia's faceless shelves illuminated by fluorescent lighting. Since the rapid urbanization of developed countries began, observant sociologists and the like have scrutinized the growing disenfranchisement of human interaction. It seems, through Steel's eyes, that the supermarket takeover was the final nail in the coffin.
Supermarkets' very nature of convenience eliminates the ability for people to gossip and swap news, as Steel puts it, further enamoring the phenomenon of diminishing urban social interaction. "Supermarkets today are impersonal filling stations: pit stops designed to service the flow of life," summarizes Steel on supermarkets changing the utility of consumerism from the traditional market place. Where before the market place was characterized by bartering and verbal interaction, now it is a streamlined, individual experience that operates on convenience, thereby completely eliminating the social experience that it once was. Likening this new experience to the prophetic discourse of Jane Jacobs, it would appear that supermarkets have promoted the disappearance of the neighborhood-oriented, eyes-on-the-street social interplay.
Now, not only have we altered almost every step in the way that humans have eaten since the advent of the bazaar, the social interaction surrounding food culture has diminished as well. So, in consideration of "food systems," Steel articulates that the changing dynamic of who makes our food and how we receive and prepare it, is only part of the story in the weakening food culture. When we think of negative externalities on our social networks and food systems, it is more likely for us to consider the disparaging effects on social classes, as opposed to social interactions. Steel's disposition on the "market and supermarket" proves that fleeting social interactions are equally threatened by today's food systems.
I think there is at least still some hope within farmers market settings and in events such as food festivals. Although neither allow for the continual meaningful interaction with the entire community as it once had been, food festivals at least act to bring a large portion of the community out for an exciting cultural and social event surrounding food. The Greek Food Festival comes to mind since it's one of my favorites and in the annual occasion that is arises, it provides a large social outlet where people can come and and be merry and celebrate food from a particular culture. One thing that I also thought of when reading your post is that with the loss of the eyes-on-the-street, I wonder if this has cannon-balled into a loss of eyes on the market. It seems that there was a lot of incorporation of the community within the marketplace and therefore a higher sense of pride of the products that were being handed out. Now that there isn't that interaction between the customer and the farmer, there is less gratification going directly to the farmer and less of an eye on what products are being brought in. I might be spit-balling but I definitely agree that this social connection between farmers and the community has highly contributed to the third party takeover.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I completely agree! I've put a lot of thought into this scenario, and I've determined that the recent trend in farmer's markets and the like are a response to this very paradigm. In attempting to bring convenience and ease to consumers, big business has put their black thumb on the entire process of buying foods and social interaction--two, perhaps, unlikely relatives. I do think that farmer's markets and the festivals, like you mentioned, are a great way of reaching out to people and encouraging those types of diminishing interactions. Festivals, in particular, as you mentioned attract a massive quantity of people to socially indulge in food and culture. Similarly, more and more people spend their Saturday mornings frequenting the farmer's market for inexpensive, healthy produce. I don't think that farmer's markets have quite hit their mass audience yet, but I think the day is coming, especially as more people with lower incomes find healthy alternatives at local markets. It's likely that my post came off as very pessimistic, and I'm glad that you were able to contribute a great point that is relevant to the course and this particular phenomenon.
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