Perhaps it is a part of the traditional American lifestyle, namely being disconnected with the source of what’s on the dining table. Therefore, if one believes that “you are what you eat,” then we truly don’t completely know ourselves. What we as a culture value is the ease at which something is made available; fast food, microwavable meals, food taken out of the freezer and thrown in oven and then ready to eat. In this instance, we are what we eat, or at least in the sense that Americans have gained the reputation of being a work-focused, unnecessarily scheduled people.
Then, are we really what we eat, or is what we eat simply a representation of the kind of culture and societal values that a people holds dear? As a college student, cost is what matter most to me. While the food at the dining halls can range from decent to disgusting, it still indicates a value choice. Namely, the emphasis on other matters outside of food, as the focus of both one’s time and wealth is as indicative of what we choose to eat as the food itself. Therefore, it is not that we do not necessarily give much though to what we consume on a daily basis, but that it is indicative of larger trends that food either serves as a tangible indicator for, or is part of the intricate and complex human life.
Below is a book from the library addressing a similar issue:
Dolfsma, Wilfred, ed. Consuming Symbolic Goods: Identity and Commitment, Values and Economics. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print
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I agree, I don't think that what we eat defines us as individuals unless you really make it part of who you are (the organic obsessed).
ReplyDeleteBut it *does* become who *we* are, in another sense. It becomes who we are as a country and, even more, as a species on the planet.
Some humans pay for the food, while others go through the process of obtaining and preparing it. Even though the buyer isn't necessarily consciously endorsing the process, their money does and the actions therein define us as a species - as a worldwide community with a massive variety of impacts that we commit to the planet.
Kind of saying more than I should... er
Hi Cirque,your reply sparked something in me. It's hard for me to understand the concept of our food defining us as individuals unless it's at the biological level-what we eat becomes part of our body whether it's chemicals (which I don't think we can seriously get away from as much as we buy organic there is still chemicals in shampoo, etc.) I'm passionate about who we are as a country regarding food. I'm proud of the fact that the farmers ship the overflow of milk produced in this country as dried milk overseas to those who need it. In earlier posts I mentioned growing up on farm life. I know we can't give everyone an acre and a cow and expect the world to feed themselves. Our climate has made for some good growing conditions compared to other countries and I believe it's our responsibiltiy to share what we have whether it's technology or food-whatever is needed and to be good stewards of what we have thorugh the luck of the draw in birth places. It's not likely that anyone in this class ever had to scronge through a garbage dump for food as children in some countries do. hummm...I think it's about responsible use of resources that also defines us.
ReplyDeleteHi Brenden, I like your point that “it’s part of the traditional life style to be disconnected from the source of what’s on our dining table” I started to laugh because as much as I don’t like chicken, I will eat it if I buy white meat that is frozen and I don’t have to really look at it for what it is. As people, we have traditionally been so focused on working and keeping up with the Jones’s that we’re burning out our resources and our quality of life. Quality of life as many definitions as there are people. And since it seems to take awhile to figure out who we are, we chase what looks good for the moment thinking, this will make me happy! And convenience plays a big part of traditional American life. If you live in the city lots of people don’t have access to gardens or have the time to deal with it if they do. So we make the best choices we can with the understanding that we have at the moment is how I see it. At times I eat fast food, at other times I’ll eat a salad. My values say go with the salad, my 30 minutes between events say get the burger and keep moving. I don’t want to be a slave to any one school of thought
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up a lot of interesting points in this blog. I think societal norms do dictate a lot of what I eat, and what my friends and family eat. A lot of Americans are not really "what they we eat," it's they're societal norms that make up a lot of what they eat. It is depressing that our society has chosen a somewhat unhealthy path, and that only a select few can afford "truly healthy" meals.
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