My passion for food and well-being has not come without its struggles. I have been told many things about what, when and how I should eat over the years (causing me to waste significant amounts of time in grocery stores staring at labels on cereal boxes). And, as I educate myself about the world of food; a world that is so visible, yet hidden at the same time, I have only begun to realize how much I still don't know.
The way in which food is cultivated, produced, marketed, shared and enjoyed, tells an incredibly story about our society, cultures and ourselves. I would like to believe that the process of gathering food, preparing meals, and enjoying nature's bounty would be as simple and pleasurable as it once was; however, with the advent of industrialization, globalization, propaganda, marketing and technology, food can often be the source of much anxiety, debate and confusion. My goal for this blog is to open up the dialogue; to analyze how we make choices about food, why we make the choices we do, and to discuss how our media and society plays an important part in influencing our thoughts and decisions.
After moving from the suburbs to the country three years ago and witnessing firsthand how animals and crops get cared for and cultivated, my fascination has only grown stronger. Why is it cheaper to get a pound of ground beef from Walmart than from the farmer down the street? What is hydrolyzed soy and corn protein and why is it in my onion soup mix? And, why is it that we still think a majority of what we eat still comes from ideal environments like the one shown below:
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| A close neighbour, sheep herder and Llama keeper in rural Ontario Nicholls, Danielle. 28 July 2010. |
Through a light-hearted and curious approach, I hope to explore why this scene is not the typical 'farm,' and how media, images, text and visual rhetoric affect how we buy, perceive and eat our food.
- Danielle
