Here goes food blog #1! Personal reflection...
In class we've discussed how much momentum the food movement has gained in recent years. While much of this can probably be attributed to documentaries, the news, and a growing base of information around environmental and health impacts of modern food production, I think it also points to a deeper truth: food is both a fundamental necessity and a very personal experience. Everyone has a food story, though sometimes it takes a little digging to discover it.
I remember attending a community food event last year in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and listening to the myriad stories of people's intimate experiences with food. One woman hated cooking growing up, because her mother would always make her boil the beans, which she always forgot to watch and ended up burning. Another reflected on growing up in a more rural household, with chickens and a giant vegetable patch. Others compared soul food recipes and debated whose grandmother kept the best kitchen. I know parts of my food story up until now, but I feel that there are a lot of unwritten chapters. I hope that this blog will help explore and define some sections of my own story.
As we continue reading about and discussing GM crops, I keep thinking about my time on the monkey farm. This chapter is strange now to think about, because it feels like reading a bizarre fiction novel. My partner, Alberto, had found a gig "maintaining the property" (mowing the grass) and acting as a "security guard" (waving a machete at trespassers) on a 500-acre property in his hometown of Guayama, Puerto Rico. The land, purchased 8 years prior by a company intending to breed monkeys for medical experimentation, was entirely unused during that time since the company was unable to get the proper permits. The project never opened (thankfully), and they eventually moved the operation to Florida. But during the time it was in limbo, I had free reign to plant and grow whatever I wanted.
A few months into the (monkey-less) monkey farm life, I discovered that there was a Dow GM project just over the mountain, in the neighboring town of Salinas and another in Juana Diaz. Aside from the testimonies of farmers interviewed in Food, Inc., I didn't have an inkling about cross-contamination of crops or what it was like to neighbor a GMO company. Channeling Leslie Knope, I wrote an impassioned letter to the Mayor of Guayama, full of bolded statements and a long litany of facts. I highly doubt he ever received, let alone read this letter (probably for the best). However, it was the first time I had done any meaningful research into the issue, and the first time it felt relevant. Though my situation was nothing like generational farmers depending on GMO-free crops as a livelihood (my ramshackle pseudo-CSAs were short-lived and did not generate much, if any, profit), it prompted me to think about how others' agricultural practices might affect my own further down the line. In a Rachel Carsonian way, it’s scary to be reminded that no matter how isolated we think we are, we all share the air, water, and soil. The world’s giant food web is constantly cross contaminated, now at record speed.
Hopefully our collective food story won't end there. It feels like the winds are already shifting -- what do you think?
More questions for readers: What are your "food stories"? What do you remember about eating/cooking/gardening/grocery shopping growing up? Are there certain traditions or special meals you rememember?
What an interesting story, thank you for sharing! I have wanted to venture into gardening, but I do not have a yard currently (hooray for student life). I think it is great that you had the opportunity to utilize so much land for your own experimentation (even if your crops may have been GMO contaminated). It is pretty sad that such an issue is even something one has to be concerned about.
ReplyDeleteI guess my real food story has just started in the past five years or so, since I started cooking more for myself instead of eating out. I have started getting excited to try cooking new things, and this has made my food choices so much healthier. I used to be intimidated to try to cook new things, so I always stuck with the same (not so healthy) basics (ie: macaroni and cheese, ramen, mashed potatoes). However, in the past five years, I have become very brave, and I consider cooking a fun challenge now. I really enjoy cooking for myself!
I totally agree about the link between cooking and food choices. There was a year that I only ate pancakes before I branched out into more exciting (and healthier) dishes :)
DeleteI've also run into the garden space challenge here. I think I'm going to be able to plant a few things at the iGrow garden on Dunn St. if you ever want to join! Melanie (in our class) is also the point of contact for the Seminole Garden on campus, and it seemed like there was a little space there, too, so I'm sure she can hook you up!
That is really interesting and so out of the ordinary to be on a monkey (monkey-less) farm! I'm glad that it didn't work out for the testing company. I have never been that physically close to GMO issues and of all of the food related controversies that I feel knowledgeable about, I'm the least well versed about GMOs and hope to learn a lot more about the subject. As for my food story, I laid a good portion of its beginnings out in my blog post. I will add that I absolutely love food and cooking. I hope to one day have my own garden and grow a plethora of vegetables as my mother had once done and share them with neighbors. I believe strongly that food can lead to some great conversation and it can aid in connecting people in a way that nothing else can.
ReplyDelete100% agree! Back in Louisville, I was part of a neighborhood "Fresh Stop", which is kind of like a family-style CSA/buying group/farmer's market. Neighbors pool their money and SNAP benefits to get local, mostly organic food every other week. It was a great social event and brought a lot of different people together.
DeleteSarah, thanks for sharing your story! It was so interesting and I think it's awesome how you really researched an issue that was affecting you and decided to speak out about it (even if you're unsure if the letter got read...)
ReplyDeleteI have lots of food stories but my favorite is probably just learning how to cook from my mom, who learned how to cook from her German grandmother and her Polish friend (who had an Italian husband!) Even though my mom doesn't always use traditionally "healthy" ingredients, she always "cooks with love" (in her words) and so the meals she makes are always fulfilling. I'm definitely grateful that I inherited my love of cooking, and some talent, from her!
What an awesome combination of food cultures! It's funny that you mention the "love" ingredient...I was just watching a short Michael Pollan video about home cooked vs. factory made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Ty8HoIEEg
DeleteSometimes love is the healthiest ingredient of all!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow, what an interesting post! That sounds like an awesome opportunity to be on 500 acres in Puerto Rico. I'd like to hear more about your farming experiences there, and I agree that it's getting pretty scary in terms of the quality of our natural resources.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first began to learn about big agribusiness, GMOs, and chemical companies like Monsanto (through books and documentaries I was exposed to throughout high school), and one of the things that initially bothered me was knowing that my grandfather bought into the whole system by purchasing seeds from Monsanto. I confronted him about it once with all my teenage-righteousness, and he basically said "I didn't have a choice if I wanted to keep farming", and I realized it was unfair of me to blame him. He could have kept farming with traditional seed, but we know where that gets you (especially since every neighboring property is planted with GM corn and/or soybeans). Either way (GMO or traditional seeds), there are still ecological/sustainability issues with large mono-culture crops and chemical-intensive farming methods, and those problems seem impossible to address.
As far as food stories go, when I was young I had some wonderful neighbors who had a big organic garden. They home-schooled their kids and had free-ranging chickens (they lived on less than an acre) and I used to go to their house after school and we would make veggie wraps out of big collard leaves and whatever was ready to harvest (even edible flowers!). These days I don't have access to a yard for a real garden, but there's a little space by my front door where I constructed a 3x3ft raised bed to grow some greens and other veggies. Right now there is a corner full of pineapple tops that my partner insists will grow into whole new pineapples. I guess I don't doubt him, I've just never attempted to grow a pineapple before.
Reading your post has reminded me of the little bits and pieces of my life that I don't exactly "take for granted," but sometimes slip by me in terms of their importance and relevance. I think that's because I've been surrounded by these (3) things I'm about to share so immensely that it is second nature, and something I don't give any more thought to.
ReplyDeleteFirst, (briefly) I LOVE cooking! I also love cooking for big groups, and my boyfriend and I host our friends for dinner nights all the time. My mother is a phenomenal cook, but she forced me to learn on my own, and its just kinda snowballed from there. I really love to challenge myself in the kitchen too--my next endeavor is quail (nervous and excited).
Second, my dad owns a pizza and Italian restaurant in my hometown. This year marks our 40th anniversary. My grandfather started the business in 1976 and my dad bought it when he was 18. I therefore love pizza more than anything else on this Earth. I grew up working at the restaurant, from peeling cucumbers for salads when I was very little (like 6) to working the "bar" (serving nonalcoholic drinks, of course) to hostessing, to cashiering, to waiting tables, to managing. I've done it all! The restaurant experience and commitment is something that is incredibly difficult to understand, and I truly believe that you won't empathize to the same extent unless you're in a position of ownership. I wouldn't trade it for the world though! I love being around food, spending time with my whole family through the restaurant, and connecting with our community because of our long history in town. My sister and I used to play there when we were little, and we would hide on the stock shelves and fall asleep on bags of flour. Not as comfortable or romantic as it seems.
Finally, my father and grandparents are immigrants from Greece. When I think about "food systems" in America, this is where my experiences slip by me. I was fortunate enough to spend my summers growing up in Greece. We're from a small semi-rural town, and my relatives still live on my great-great-grandparents farm. Greece is so polar to America, and has changed even since I was growing up. My mother let us walk to differently places alone because security was never an issue. In the afternoons, my sister and I would play on the family farm with all of our cousins. There was a treehouse, a horse, and full-size soccer goals on one of the planted fields; neighborhood kids would come to play with us too; and there were always little kittens and baby chicks to look after.
But there was also the outdoor "kitchen." Aka, where we kept the slaughtered animals. Goats, chickens, you name it. (Imagine being 10 years old and opening the freezer and finding a dead rabbit). In Greece, beef is not a big part of the cuisine (or livestock). You drink fresh goat's milk (delicious, by the way) and eat fresh goat meat (sometimes theres still fur in your bowl of orzo…), freshly plucked and roasted chickens; collards just pulled from the field next to the house. Obviously not everyone lives on a working farm. So you buy your meat from the butcher, your bread from the baker, and fresh veggies directly from the farmer at a farmers market. Cheese at the supermarket are locally sourced and sit in the big tubs they were made in; the people chop off a chunk that looks about like the size you asked for, and hand it over. Living in these two different worlds with totally opposite experiences is at times mesmerizing, but for the most part I can't help but be disappointed in America's food culture. It is, for the most part, not tied to anything--culturally, historically, or environmentally. It's full of chemicals and artificial junk that Europeans have completely banned. How can we look at an entire developed continent, with better health outputs than us, be okay with the things we eat and drink?
I LOVE these stories! What cool experiences. I'm especially envious of the pizza restaurant (pizza has and always will always be my favorite food) and fresh goat milk. It's neat that you're able to draw comparisons of food culture in the U.S. vs. Greece. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteHi Sarah, I love the stories you told! I think you're completely right about the value of food in our lives, beyond necessity. I love that you took this plot of land and cultivated it to grow food. It really shows that more people should be aware of their capacity to grow their own food.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about my own "food stories," I mostly think of how much my mom has influenced my eating habits. She has always made the most creative, delicious, and healthy food for my sister and I and always encouraged to try all sorts of new foods. Her love of cooking has definitely rubbed off on me; however, I absolutely take the credit for convincing her and my sister to become vegetarians a couple of years ago.
We constantly maintained little herb planters throughout the years, and for awhile we even had some tiny strawberries growing on our patio. This past summer I flew out to California to work a farm for a couple of weeks, and around that time my mom started managing our city's community garden and buying produce from the local farmer's market.
Just writing this totally made me realize how much my "alternative" food habits run in the family- thanks for such a great post!