I never had a class that taught by means of contemplative practice. I did not think they would help put anything into perspective. Sitting in a classroom with 100 other students for a brief period of time never seemed like it would be effective in building a relationship with the food I eat on a daily basis.
However, I have found that these practices do allow me to think more critically about the food I eat and where it comes from. In particular, the raisin contemplative practice allowed me to consider the whole process in which this food was able to reach my mouth. Watching the video about the production of grapes in California also gave the food a humanizing effect- I was able to eat that raisin because someone spent their work days growing grapes and drying them out in the sun.
The mechanization aspect was strange. Looking at large machinery aid the farmers in work that seems so raw was unsettling. I have grown a few crops before, but I never imagined what it would actually look like on a large scale. This “fresh” food we get on our tables is a product of blood, sweat, tears and machines. Farm workers are underpaid from producers to distributors. There is seemingly no humane way to get the cheap food I do without it costing the entire working life of somebody else. That aspect is what I think about during the contemplative practices. I think this has greatly enhanced how I think about the food I consume on a daily basis. The quinoa bowls I order at Veggie Grill, the cut of salmon I may purchase at the grocery store. The pesticides the workers have to be exposed to in order to bring the food to my table. It makes me much more weary and want to become more responsible in the production of my own food.