Think about what you ate for dinner last night… How much of it do you know where it came from? No, I don’t mean where it was purchased. I mean the source, where was it grown? Chances are, like me, you don’t know much about the origins of your meal besides the name of the supermarket or restaurant.
My classmates and I just completed our first unit with a theme of agriculture. We spent five days in the province of Yasothon. Each of us paired up with another classmate and a farming family that is active in providing edibles for the Greenmarket; a chemical free source of food for people living in the city. It was during this unit I got the experience of knowing where everything on the dinner table (well mat here) came from; I mean the real source, not just the market.
Everything, except the salt, sugar and soy sauce that went into the som tam (papaya salad) was pointed out by my host mom on the tour she gave me of her farm earlier that afternoon. In fact she picked the peppers and gourds we ate for dinner along the way.
When we sat down to eat the freshly prepared som tam, gourd and egg with brown sticky rice I had such a sense of pride. That was probably one of the most low impact meals I have ever had the pleasure to eat. It was all organic and had come from within a 100 yard radius of where I was sitting, in fact the source of the eggs tried to sneak into the house during the meal.
I had a realization that the changes in my eating habits in the last two years, changes that turned my world upside down, were not enough. I was a meathead one day and a strict vegetarian the next day, but that apple that I eat in the dead of winter, how far did it travel? How many chemical inputs did it take? How many workers’ rights were violated? I realized it’s not necessarily about if the food you eat comes from an animal or not, it is if that food is local, organic, in season, and fair trade.
I am feeling overwhelmed with the question of “What can we eat?” It seems so much easier to turn off my brain before I eat and consume without regard to the environment, people and animals, because eating ethically seems like a discouraging and impossible task that makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. I know for myself and many of my classmates, Michael Pollan’s article Why Bother? (Published in The New York Times Magazine on April 20, 2008), is providing some insight to the daunting task eating has become. In this article Pollan describes a disconnect between what we think and what we do. He stated, “Sometimes you have to act as if acting will make a difference,” this statement puts the world in perspective for me. I do not have to change the world as an individual; I need to work the best I can to align my beliefs and actions in order to leave something the next generation can build upon. It may be a gamble, but as Pollan argues, “going personally green is a bet, nothing more or less, though it’s one we probably all should make, even if the odds of it paying off aren’t great.”
Sam Ryals
Pacific University
4 comments:
You bring up a lot of fine issues, Miss Ryals. Some that we have discussed quite extensively over these past few months. But I must, once again, reiterate the age-old question of the ciee students: shop local or organic?
For a while, I was a diehard proponent of organic over local. To me, shopping locally, accomplishes nothing. You as the lone consumer won’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things. However, the idea of what you put in your own body (chemical free food) will make a difference. And to me, that seems more important.
However, I heard a good argument, that if you begin to shop locally, it will encourage competition within the local farmers. Thus, farmers will then try to become organic in attempts to have their produce sold over the others. And then you will accomplish both: local and organic.
But in the end, that first argument still persuades me. Me alone, my purchases by themselves, will not make a difference. And therefore I continue to support organic. If I can’t be healthy because of the nonorganic food I am eating, then how I could support the local movement when it happens later?
I like the fact that you point out, it’s not necessarily about if the food you eat comes from an animal or not, it is if that food is local, organic, in season, and fair trade. I think we often forget to consider these things. People go shopping at Whole Foods and think they are being responsible shoppers, but is it really responsible or green to buy strawberries when they are out of season? What you said is definitely something people need to think about.
In terms of “what can we eat?” I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to save the world by yourself. While it’s ideal to consider everything that will be impacted by your food choices, unless you plan on starting a farm, that just isn’t plausible. Instead I think you should not only do what you can, but do what makes you comfortable. For instance, someone who eats meat could go vegetarian or maybe they could simply eat less meat and go vegan or vegetarian once a week. Or maybe instead of eating only organic, a person could eat things grown locally but that are in season. I’m sure compromise isn’t something you want to hear especially when we’re being told that if we don’t change our habits, the world will end a lot sooner than we’d like but it’s all about what matters to you. Decide what matters to you and find a way to let your eating habits match it. No one said it would be easy, but you can hopefully find comfort in knowing that there are others in the same boat. Best of luck!
Sam Suay,
I loved how your post related to our personal choices in America. The politics and ethics of food is something that I struggle with and going through this unit confronted those struggles. The more I learn and discuss this issue the more I also question “so…what can I eat?”
In your post you referenced the sense of pride you felt when you knew where everything on your plate came from and how it got there. I had the same feeling of pride this summer when I was growing local organic produce for a community.
Whenever I talk with somebody about what I eat, why I eat it, etc. about fifty ethical questions come up and it usually ends in a debate. Typically, these debates leave me feeling hopeless and that my eating choices really will not change anything. However, the unit and your blog post made me realize that the important thing is feeling proud about where my food comes from. The important thing is healthy food that has the capability to create bonds.
Sam, as my Father always tells me, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Well, I guess Ghandi isn’t my father, but he does make a good point. It’s really hard to see how your personal changes make any kind of difference. I feel like just a small drop in a huge bucket. Sometimes I feel hopeless, that no matter what I do nothing is going to change. Just like you, I am a vegetarian, maybe not as strict, but still one. I am a vegetarian, even though its hard to live without cheese burgers and a juicy steak every once in a while. But despite this, I am a vegetarian because deep down I believe that by me not eating meat I will make a difference. I believe that I have power as a consumer, and as an individual. We as consumers are powerful. We make decisions, and that makes us powerful. We can choose to buy something because its made with sustainable products, or because its fair trade. Additionally, we can choose not to buy something. When consumers aren’t buying a certain product the marketplace listens. And when the marketplace listens, corporations are forced to listen or else they’ll die. So overall I agree with both Pollan and Ghandi. Keep rocking your vegetarianism, because I promise you, it matters.
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