Every day as consumers, we make decisions. What clothes to wear, what things to buy, what services to use and what to eat. It seems so basic, so normal. Yet sometimes in our globalized society it is easy to forget what our food is connected to. We forget where our food really comes from. When you think of the word “chicken” — what crosses your mind? For many, I’m sure it might not be the live animal, but rather a tasty looking delight on a dinner plate, or even a preprocessed plastic-packed pound of meat from your preferred grocery store.
I started thinking a lot about food systems while I lived in Ecuador this summer. I bought my food in an open-air market. Thoughts of the local Moscow Farmers Market came to mind. Well this was a farmer’s market on steroids. Some of the food was familiar, much of it not. Fruits and veggies were identifiable though a tad less “perfect,” and considerably more delicious. Chickens were sold plucked, but still sported heads, feet and all. I walked down the full-on meat section, which was an experience for someone used to the sterile and pristine smell of the average grocery store in the U.S.
During this summer, I did some reading. One of my literary accomplishments was “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. Pollan discusses his experience with four different food systems — mainstream industrial, industrial organic, beyond organic and a hunter-gatherer system. In addition to spurring fantastic conversations with my roommates while we enjoyed our meals prepared from Ecuadorian market produce, the book inspired me to think deeper about where my food comes from.
Food is part of a system. Ultimately, whatever food you choose comes from the sun. But there are myriad connections that happen between the sun and your fork. They involve soil, water, microorganisms, plants, fungi, animals, farmers, food processors, vendors and chefs. Food is connected. And like everything else in our complicated world, it can coalescence into something positive or negative. As consumers we have power. We eat food every day and we can make decisions about it every day.
I came back from Ecuador inspired. I wanted to change the food system I was supporting. I’ve given up meat with unspecified origins and I’ve worked to change my purchase habits to best practice agriculture. I don’t just care about whether the plants are doing well at the farm. I want to know about the quality of the soil, of insects, of the entire ecosystem. That is why I’ve involved myself with the Soil Stewards Student Farm and for that, I benefit from a generous share of locally grown produce each week. I’ve scavenged for apples and tried my hand at preserving. I’ve dined on wild caught fish and game. Let me tell you, my new food system is delicious.
The Sustainability Center is focusing on food this year. And why not? Food is a choice we can all make everyday. Every bite can be for a better world. Every single person doesn’t have to become as fanatically involved as me — but students should take few moments everyday to think about what’s on their fork. Where did it come from? How many steps are there between it and the sun?
Brita Olson can be reached at [email protected]