Cake.I'm in love with food. I could spend hours scrutinizing over the details of a menu. There is nothing I would rather spend my money on. There is nothing that I find so satisfying as feeding my friends and family.
I've felt more interested and involved in my food than ever. But as I'm buying raspberries out of season and spending $30 on a bottle of balsamic vinegar, there is a food crisis going on. While I'm baking a yellow cake, frosting it with vanilla buttercream, and feeding those untimely berries to my friends at a birthday party, others are eating cakes made from dirt and oil in hopes of evading the pangs of starvation while the price of rice skyrockets around the world. At my job, I talk to people who need to know which food banks are open, how to apply for food stamps, or where to go for a hot meal. And even when they can manage to receive public assistance, they can't stretch those food stamps far enough.
Access is everything. And because I have it, I want to help others to get it. I want to bake cakes; I want to plant a garden; I want to buy the freshest vegetables I can get my hands on. I want to stomp on the rules that keep everyone from having this access. Changing public policy around food security issues; changing the face of agriculture to re-harness power for small farmers; providing nutrition outreach to low-income communities where convenience stores are more prevalent than supermarkets with fresh foods.
There is much to be done.
All of this is to say that my relationship to food is evolving. I can't sit still in my own kitchen, my own garden, my own co-op. There is an incredible imbalance going on in the world and I won't feel right if I'm not trying to change that.
I've felt more interested and involved in my food than ever. But as I'm buying raspberries out of season and spending $30 on a bottle of balsamic vinegar, there is a food crisis going on. While I'm baking a yellow cake, frosting it with vanilla buttercream, and feeding those untimely berries to my friends at a birthday party, others are eating cakes made from dirt and oil in hopes of evading the pangs of starvation while the price of rice skyrockets around the world. At my job, I talk to people who need to know which food banks are open, how to apply for food stamps, or where to go for a hot meal. And even when they can manage to receive public assistance, they can't stretch those food stamps far enough.
Access is everything. And because I have it, I want to help others to get it. I want to bake cakes; I want to plant a garden; I want to buy the freshest vegetables I can get my hands on. I want to stomp on the rules that keep everyone from having this access. Changing public policy around food security issues; changing the face of agriculture to re-harness power for small farmers; providing nutrition outreach to low-income communities where convenience stores are more prevalent than supermarkets with fresh foods.
There is much to be done.
All of this is to say that my relationship to food is evolving. I can't sit still in my own kitchen, my own garden, my own co-op. There is an incredible imbalance going on in the world and I won't feel right if I'm not trying to change that.
5 comments:
are you all still doing the csa thing? we just joined full circle, prepaid for 5 months. we pick up our first box tonight. so excited!
yes!!! we are still on with full circle farm. i'm so excited for you--it's like opening a treasure trove in every box.
we ought to hang out soon. this is getting ridiculous.
our first box was great! made a pizza using the tomatoes, green peppers, purple garlic (super-duper strong), and spinach. topped it off with a salad. next up: sushi (veganomicon), chickpea and spinach curry (vegan w/a vengeance),broccoli latkes (full circle recipe guide). the fruit is super good, too.
we've been doing the early sunday evening drink thing lately. nice, relaxed, cheap, and we get to check out the bars that are usually packed on fridays & saturdays. went to the 22 doors a few weeks ago - pretty nice. hit us up some sunday if yer down.
Miss Maggie:
My wish is the world could experience food like we do; with great joy and respect.
We cannot eat computers; my hope is our farmers, and us as a people, grow food for our use and to export to the world. I do not want to be dependent on other countries to feed me or us. I want us, as a free country with the means to grow and ship food to do so. Monica Lee
Hi, Monica Lee. I agree and I would also add that I want other countries, especially developing countries, to become sustainable on their own terms and not have to depend on *us* for their sustenance. Sort of the adage of 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' I would of course extend that to women and children and trade fishing for growing vegetables!
And although we can't eat computers (though someone is probably trying to figure that out as we speak) they are incredible tools for connecting on these important ideas. Thanks so much for stepping into the conversation!
--Maggie
Post a Comment