“We’re here to help the kids be healthy. Simple as that.” Camille, FoodCorps leader at Boulder Elementary School says.

That were the exact words that I heard at work last week as my supervisor was looking into running a catering business. With the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program and now the DC Summer Meals Program, it is great that DC works hard to combat the problem of child hunger. Last week, we visited US Congressman Jim McGovern who is an activist with the “End Hunger Now” campaign. However, combatting hunger and nutrition can have a big gap. Ending hunger is one thing, but actually having access to nutritious food is another. As a result, there is a gap where organizations such as FoodCorps can step in. CentroNía, like Boulder Elementary school, has more than half of the students on free or reduced lunch benefits and almost 90% on the school meal plan. As children have 2 out of 3 meals at school, efforts should be concentrated at creating a wellness environment at school.

Working at CentroNía, I am now even convinced that food education should start as early as possible. Research has found that most food preferences and tastes are developed before the age of 5, so exposing children to new foods and textures are strategically important because “It is much easier to start a habit than to change it.”  This was what my supervisor said when we visited a center that we did food consultation on. The results at Bambini Play & Learn Center after a week of adopting our food menu was encouraging. No more peanut butter jelly sandwiches or frozen pizzas, the children ate all of the chili con carne, spinach salad and pineapple. One child kept on saying “Más! Más! More! More!” even when his plate wasn’t finished. I think that it is never too late to make change and so what Camille is doing with 2^nd graders is very meaningful and would be something I might look out for in the future when I graduate. I especially liked her rules of the two-bite club, to have two bites of something before deciding if one likes it or not and banning “ewww, gross” from the children. Not only does it train children to be more open-minded, it also creates a more positive atmosphere because children are easily influenced. I have been teaching cooking classes to PreK children and will definitely try to adopt her methods.

I have just read an article from The Washington Post quoting that federal data shows a 43% drop in obesity rates among children 2 to 5. I believe that this is the results of many organizations that recognize the importance of providing healthy school foods and shaping children’s palettes since young. As a result, I do see a bright future for our next generation.

“Nature is not out there, we are part of it”. I find myself guilty, as Shiva says, to think that I am not part of nature.

Growing up in a city, we had hard definitions of what is nature and what is not. It seems like there is certain metro station that divides the city into rural nature and bustling city. This division also applies to our knowledge of the land. My friends that lived in the city very rarely had contact with nature. Their weekends would mostly be around the city, attending tutorial lessons and different extra-curricular activities. I was already the one who interacted the most. Our family often goes hiking, but we had no deep connection or understanding of the land. It was as if we are not part of nature at all.

I really thought that Shiva’s advice, to think in circles and cycles, is very important and thought-provoking. With so much scientific research in the environment, we should have learnt that everything in this world operates like a cycle. The water cycle in nature, or the monetary system in economics, everything is interconnected. What we choose to do, or input into the system will definitely be returned back to us. As humans, we often think too highly of ourselves, why do we, out of all things have the right to make a change to everything? As Nabhan points out, problems of diabetes in the O’odham people would not have happened if people did not forcefully alter the land. Although God made us arms and legs so that we can move and control things, we still have to depend on land. If we don’t respect or treat it well, this world of cycles will show that we have to pay a price in the end.

I think what ties to this is the story of Pawnee corn that Winona talked about. First, her husky voice truly captivated me because it was like she was going to tell us an old legend, something with a meaning and moral behind it. The corn seemed to have a life of its own. It remembered the land it came from, and it stopped growing until it was back in Nebraska. If we believe in cycles and still depend on the land, we should stop thinking about ways to alter it to give way to economic issues that we believe is priority. Learning to respect and adjusting in habit to natural conditions is key.

“The Maine potato”, “Vermont Maple Syrup”, “French wine”… As consumers, we are often attracted to these foods and prefer them because we think that they are better. However do we ever ask ourselves why? Why do we always choose “Vermont Maple Syrup”, but not “New York Maple Syrup”? It seems as if the entire term “Place+product” has been planted in our minds since young even though we never try to find out the truth behind its superiority.

More than that, we should see food as having an identity of its own. Like humans where we try to build an identity from our interests, our education and our jobs, food should also be respected and treated the same. As how we are told not to “judge a book by its cover”, we should not judge food simply as a product on a shelf or something from the ground. Often times, these foods represents an entire nation’s history and efforts and cannot be looked down upon.

I really liked Trubek tying his entire research on the French saying “le gout de terroir”. As I study French, I was very fascinated and immediately assumed that “terroir” meant “territory”, which makes sense, as maple syrup would then be the taste of the territory. However, Trubek proves me wrong. True, “terroir” includes the idea of territory, but also the people, the history and the culture. “L’affair Mondavi” showed how local efforts were able to repel decisions of a big business cooperation Robert Mondavi Winery to buy land in Aniane and create their vineyard and winery. His failure was a result of his disrespect to the “terroir”. At first people in Aniane were friendly to him, but soon turned their back after knowing that he was promised land by a politician. These farmers, who had slaved their life over creating the best wine, found out that they don’t have a say in protecting their own land. The politicians, who were not even in the fields, made decisions without consulting the people. The fact that “L’affair Mondavi” is a vital part of wine-making history, highlights that “le gout de terroir” does not simply mean the taste of where food comes from, but also the history, people, bodies and hard work that is put in the process of making the food.

I found it very interesting that Trubek used a very scientific approach for “Vermont Maple Syrup” as opposed to the historical and humanitarian approach that he used for “French wine”. He really highlighted how specific territory, composite, mineral content affected the taste of maple syrup. It’s very interesting to be exposed to such scientific approach to analyzing food after “L’affair Mondavi” and I would really like to dig deeper into the idea that food is more than just a taste of where it’s from, but also the people and history.

Coming from the point of view of a student, a professor, or a doctor, we often propose many different methods to solve health problems in low income, low resource parts of the city. Some may call these proposals creative, but sometimes, they expose how ignorant we are to situations that are actually happening realistically.

We are fortunate to be taught since young that we should have a balanced diet, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, 8 glasses of water etc, so when asked what we can do to help obese or unhealthy populations, we simply say, nutrition education. Nutrition education is important, but it doesn’t mean that it has an effect everywhere. On one of our fifth days, someone asked whether SNAP, WIC programs have compulsory nutrition education classes. The speaker responded saying it would be a good addition, but sometimes it is just not feasible. If parents have to work every day worrying for the next meal, they most likely will not have the time to attend these workshops. Hermelinda Cortes, who works with food nutrition programs at schools now recalls her poor and rural upbringing and says, “At a young age, we had a good understanding of where food came from. We were not fond of eating products they (big corporations) were producing and that was the food we could afford” (Ammons, p8). Working at a poultry farm, she knew first-hand about food processes between farm to table, but in reality money and other factors combined does not allow change.

I believe it is very important for NGOs and think tanks to do more ground work and talk to people that are living there to understand their perspectives. Today, we met with Rick Leach, Director and CEO of World Food Program USA and I thought that he really tries to understand the refugees whom they are trying to help. He recalls going to a refugee camp and finds that they are not accustomed to the bulgar that the US distributes to them because they grew up eating rice. There is also very similar example that is cited in Ammon. WIC vouchers gives participants staples such as milk, bread, eggs and cheese. 20% WIC program participants were African Americans and a lot of them were lactose-intolerant. These parents had no choice but to still feed their children. Although the current WIC program does have a lot of new additions to serve people with more diverse needs, this example once again shows that many policies are often biased towards the larger American population and are not accommodating enough.

I think the main point is that as outsiders we are often unfamiliar with the situation and tend to think that what we think is best for them should be implemented. Yet, the best way to help them is to really put ourselves in their shoes and think about what they want, and not what we want.

After reading the excerpt from Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, it prompted me to reflect on how lifeless the food we are eating now. Going through worker to worker, factory to factory, the road from Farm to Table gets increasingly longer, and the meaning of food is lost along the way. This is a reason why I enjoy exploring neighborhoods with small businesses in my own time. Growing up surrounded by large chain stores, it is very rare to see a nice coffee shop owned by someone who really cares about and have passion for what they do. I often describe these as “businesses with a heart” and the food experience is always great because you can feel the effort put in it.  Yet eating at a fast food restaurant is an entirely different experience. Have you ever been amazed by a fast food restaurant burger? No. We call it “fast food” because we don’t even think it’s worth it to spend time and slowly enjoy it.  It is a lifeless hamburger made of machinery that is devoid of emotions.

Schlosser’s points were quite negative, but after reading McKibben’s “Oil and Honey”, I find that there are always some exceptions. Not all commercial producers are heartless and only economically driven. I admit that I also thought Kirk, the beekeeper, was only a businessman interested in money when he first said: “I just hope global warming hasn’t ruined the possibilities of a run of good honey years”. However, he changed my mind when he said “I so enjoy producing these crops”. As mentioned in Schlosser, with so many corporate companies taking over farms, it is rare to see producers who are actually passionate about what they are doing. This line shows that Kirk really had the passion for bee-keeping. He justifies his work by explaining that he only takes the excess honey produced by the bees and also provides them support when needed. I love listening to these different stories at farmers markets and learn about how much people love their job. They obviously do care for their animals and make sure that there is a fair exchange and as a result, I also make sure to appreciate the food that I buy from them because of the work involved.

My favorite readings from the assigned ones were Berry’s “The Pleasures of the Table” and Pollan’s “In Defense of food”. Both authors had very different writing styles, but go hand in hand to emphasize how the past is a blueprint that we should have in mind when making and eating food.

I am very impressed by Berry’s story telling techniques, especially in the description of how Catlett’s grandmother makes the raspberry pie from scratch. I think that sometimes there is a fine line between mundane details and meaningful details and Berry is able to express the latter. Step-by-step, it seems as if I was there watching her make the pie: measuring, mixing and pressing the dough into the pan. Every step is done so smoothly that it shows her mastery, but also shows how time-consuming it is. Given how limited her kitchen was with no electrical equipment, a lot of effort must have been put in making this pie and is an indication of love. I was really touched by the quote “Knowledge grows with age, and gratitude grows with knowledge”. Now we are capable to not only enjoy the taste, but also appreciate the long process and emotions behind how food is prepared for us. In Catlett’s case, this crisp, sugary pie crust was a symbol of his grandmother’s love.

Pollan adds to this idea proposing “Don’t eat anything your great grandma doesn’t recognize”. What great grandmas recognize are foods that take time to prepare, a contrast to the many new and convenient foods that have been invented nowadays. A recent discovery I have made is microwavable rice that does not need to be refrigerated or frozen and “freshly cooked” rice is ready in 3 minutes. It tastes amazing, but I question the amount of additives and procedures applied to keep it fresh. The fact that more people are choosing instant food is problematic. How is food able to be a symbol of emotions and history if fewer people are willing to put time into making food? Who would make a pie crust from scratch if they are busy and have the option of buying ready-made pie-crusts that are even cheaper?

Food that once preserve a wealth of meaning, now seem to be reduced to simply objects that fill up our stomach because we have made the choice to prioritize efficiency. I think right now what everyone can at least do is to learn how our grandmothers cook and take on the mission to pass these recipes and techniques on.