Food for Thought...

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/06/132683668/china-battles-rising-prices-consumer-discontent

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/06/132684170/food-price-surge-puts-strain-on-indias-poor

I don't know how many of my posts will start with links to news stories, or other websites, but I'll try it on for size at least this once and we'll see how it goes.

You can't open a paper, flip to a news channel, or search your aggregated headlines lately (read: the last 2 years) without hearing/watching/seeing a story about food.  It seems a global crisis is looming, and in many ways is already happening, for our food supply.  As populations increase, along with labor and fuel costs, it seems that we are getting further from the goal of eliminating global hunger.  Add a global economic recession to the mix and you have what less sophisticated writers might refer to as "a perfect storm".  But I avoid cliches like the plague, so the luck o' the Irish is with you today, readers.

The above 2 stories caught my ear this morning on the way to work.  It seems China and India are having serious troubles feeding their peoples.  My first thought was: "how is this news?  When have these two countries ever NOT had problems with food distribution and access?"  But then a Chinese citizen was quoted as saying "...regular people can't afford green vegetables anymore..."  My first thought after that: 'welcome to America...'

That's right.  My pasty white American ass was jealous, if only for a brief second, of a commie.  That's the only thing that could cause a thought that pessimistic and irrational.  Or perhaps I was too harsh on myself in that moment following that petty thought...

See, we've been facing this crisis for years in the good ole' US of A.  It rolled over our country slowly, and we took it like we were getting paid for it.  And in a way, we were.  The dollar menu provides cheap, fast, and filling food for a single adult, leaving enough money in the wallet for cover at the club.  A family trying to survive on one minimum wage income has no other option.  This begs the question:  Which came first?  The overpriced chicken or the overpriced egg?

Those who know me well know I love food.  L-O-V-E love.  In a way that would make a person with a less fortunate hand of cards from the genetic pool obese and diabetic.  So this is hard to say, but I have to be honest.  It's not McDonald's fault.  Walmart isn't to blame.  ConAgra, Monsanto, they aren't either.  I am.  Me and all the other foodies that love our out-of-season blueberries from Chile, and blood red, ripe strawberries in December shipped in direct from Ecuador.  All manner of fancy groceries from countries we can't afford to visit because we spend so much damn money on food.  For the same reason Walmart deserves their fair share of blame for driving down wages, we deserve our fair share of blame for lowering food quality, and driving up prices.

See, the answer to that question above, it's obvious.  Neither came first.  The free range chicken from the barnyard came first.  The affordable eggs from the local farmer came first.  Expensive food, we made that.  Nature didn't.

By selling organic milk for $6 a gallon, Horizon Dairy Farms gave tacit approval for rich humans to overlook the wrongs being done to not-rich humans.  "As long as my kid drinks good, hormone-free milk, they'll be fine and I won't feel guilty."  But what about the other kids?  Instead of forcing the existing manufacturers, farmers, and suppliers to give us better food at fair prices, we chose to delegate that responsibility to Whole Foods Markup, and we paid them for it.  Dearly.  The thought shared by seller and buyer:  Let those who can have what they what, and damn the rest.

We could have stopped rBgh.  We could have avoided the reality that 80% of all antibiotics sold in the US go into our meat supply.  We could have stopped pesticides, genetically altered seeds that only sprout plants that don't have seeds, and factory cattle farms.  Ethanol is driving up the price of corn - not because there's not enough corn, but because it's all already been delegated to go into our food supply.  Nutrient and flavor-free corn, the perfect medium for laboratory flavors.

But us white and wealthy Americans took the easy way out.  We started companies to grow real food, instead of stopping companies from growing fake food.  We took it, like we were getting paid to take it (read: like hookers).

Tomatoes used to be good.  Now they all look the same and taste the same.  It's not that great of a taste, but it's consistent, which is good for McWendy King.  But it's not good for the people, it's not good for the grocer, it's not good for the farmer, and it's not good for the soil.  When Monsanto gets picked apart by a congressional food bill in 10 years, we'll have crops that don't grow anymore.  We'll have tasteless fruits and vegetables that no one can afford.  And we'll have only ourselves to blame.  Blaming the poor for eating off the dollar menu is like blaming slaves for slavery.  The people that could have stopped it...us...we...we could have done something about it.  We could have said no.  No to rBgh and no to $6 milk, all at the same time.  No to factory farming and no to $5 bell peppers.  No to trade deficits and no to produce that is out of season.

Is it too late to say no?  Maybe.  Without collective action, definitely.  No child will die from a week without milk.  And if 300 million people went one week without buying milk, shit would change.  Fast.  See, corporations, no matter how evil or disembodied, must listen to their customers.  So be like Lennon, and start a revolution from your bed.  A revolution of inaction.  Buy seasonal, buy local, and make a demand every now and then.
 
Thanks for reading.  Agree or disagree, I hope you like it.