The common threads I found running through the concepts of hunger, food and energy, and climate change were feelings of both deep foreboding and indomitable hope. It’s really easy as a young person to focus on the main problems we are going to have to tackle with respect to these issues—how will we feed not only the starving people around… Read more »
The rise of sugar as a regular staple in households worldwide is a fascinating example of how the world’s food has changed significantly. Sugar, once a highly coveted luxury item, is now the opposite – available in high volumes in every packaged good sold on the shelves of corner markets globally. The history of sugar demonstrates the “social, political, and… Read more »
Week nine’s information about meat and seeds caused me to reflect upon my own beliefs, practices, and ideas. I became very interested in food and its effect on my health in December 2016, when my sister-in-law’s father-in-law was diagnosed with stage III cancer. Before that, both of my grandfathers had been diagnosed with cancer and one had passed away while… Read more »
The access to food greatly differs between families in Great Britain and Guatemala. Affluent countries like Great Britain have access to a variety of food that is not native to the area. For instance, in the photo of the Bainton family, there was processed food, chocolate, avocado, and bananas. Since these foods aren’t produced in Great Britain, I was informed… Read more »
The Ayme family of Tingo, Ecuador and the Melanson family of Iqualit, Canada appear to be polar opposites. The Aymes spend $3.50 per person per week for their food, while the Melansons spend $69 – a staggering 1,970% increase in cost. The Aymes are subsistence farmers and eat produce and grain nearly exclusively, while the Melansons consume far more meat,… Read more »
Americans have a bad reputation for their eating habits, for good reason. The Revis’ of North Carolina spend $341.98 a week on food – but very little of it is actually “food”. It is particularly challenging to find even one piece of fresh produce among the packaged goods. In contrast, the Egyptian family from Cairo, the Ahmeds, spend the equivalent… Read more »
Hunger is a biological state that practically all humans experience in their lifetime, to varying degrees. In contemplating the experience of hunger, I was struck by the universality of the sensation. It is an issue that has persisted, unsolved and unchanged, throughout human history. On a global scale, an overwhelming range of complex forces and feedback loops are at work in… Read more »
As someone who enjoys cooking, it is easy to get inspired to try new dishes, come up with new combinations, and try exotic food (i.e. tropical fruits, “strange” vegetables, new meats, etc.). Eating seasonally and locally can be a challenge when one is inspired to cook. Whether I am following a recipe or making one up as I go, cooking… Read more »
My toddler son loves raisins. They’re in the local, organic, gluten-free granola he eats every morning. He often picks out every one with his index finger and thumb, savoring (inhaling) them with a huge smile on his face before begrudgingly eating the reminder of his oats once he’s exhausted the daily raisin supply. I keep a jar of organic California… Read more »
What is the real cost of cheap food? In Michael Carolan’s book, The Real Cost of Cheap Food, he tries to answer this question by explaining chapter by chapter what we lose when we consume “cheap” food (anything mass produced and sold as affordable to the working class.) Whether a country that produces cheap food or a human who consumes… Read more »