Food

I like to think about FOOD. I like to think about eating it, cooking it, growing it, buying it. Where it comes from, how it tastes, how fresh it is.

Michael Pollan has an open letter to the Pres-elect explaining why he will need to think more about food. To sum up, the food we eat and how we eat it in this country has become a fuel suck, unhealthy for us (leading to increased health care cost) and a threat to our national security.

Pollan does a great job of tracing the history of how we got to where we are today. He also provides some concrete ideas about how we can get on a new path. Or back on an old path with a new pair of sneakers. We need more of this:

Sunlight nourishes the grasses and grains, the plants nourish the animals, the animals then nourish the soil, which in turn nourishes the next season’s grasses and grains. Animals on pasture can also harvest their own feed and dispose of their own waste — all without our help or fossil fuel. -Wendell Berry

I often dismiss the cries of higher food prices (as well as higher gas prices) because I tend to believe we, as Americans, think we are entitled to cheap gas and cheap food. What we don't realize is that the cost of our current food system is much, much higher than the price at the grocery store.

So buy organic, buy local. Buy grass-fed, heck, buy some hens and eat fresh eggs every day. Grow some plants you can eat. Shop only on the outside aisles of the store. Join a co-op. Kill your microwave. Shop at your local Farmer's Market. Ride your bike or walk more. Eat up all the food you have in your cupboards before you buy more. Can or Freeze your own food. Buy in bulk. Recycle. Chew slowly and sit down every night for a meal with your family. Compost. Start a worm bin. Smile more.