End of the Semester Evaluation

"All of our ingredients have lived rich, full lives."

... This should always be the case!

Wow. This semester has opened my eyes to the world. Ever since coming to school, I have been realizing that the world is not as rose colored as many people make it seem. I have come to understand how corrupt the food industry is and I cannot comprehend why people would go this far all for the sake of money. However, I do have a better understanding of how I can change it. By spreading awareness, I can make a difference in the world around me. I am aware that I cannot change the world in a day, but I can make small changes in my life and the lives of others around me.
One of the most interesting things that I have discovered about the slow food movement is that those involved with it are very likely to be involved with other philanthropic causes. For example, not only does the food co-op support local food, it supports the non-GMO project, BPA free products, sustainability and taking care of the environment and fair trade, humane practices. This all makes sense in my eyes, but somehow it does not make sense in the eyes of others. For example, have you ever seen stop and shop or walmart promoting sustainability and fair trade? If you have, did it last more than a week? Do they promote it with more than just a couple products? Of course not. Those involved with the slow food movement have made a lifetime commitment to food justice.
Learning about the food justice has also taught me some life lessons, some of which i have already talked about in previous posts. I have learned that simplicity should be a staple in everyone's life. A couple days ago I looked around my room and just thought about how much STUFF I have. Clothing, decorations, jewelry and other STUFFs that i don't even have uses for. I felt cluttered and I want to remove everything that does not have meaning in my life. I want to live a simpler life. Day by day I understand what is important in life and it is not all of the junk that I keep stored in my room. I am fascinated by the idea of living to hunt and gather food and then convene to enjoy it. Just picture this in your mind. My mind has painted a picture of a campfire with food over it in the woods, nature surrounding us. Imagine living this life, bonding over food with the people you love. Nothing unnecessary about that life.

Blackboard Posting- Carl from End Hunger CT

Eng Hunger CT

Carl spoke about End Hunger CT and how they are attempting to end hunger in our country. He mentioned that many people are not getting the help they need in terms of food. One of the biggest obstacles is that certain groups of people are especially hard to reach. For example, the SNAP program only reaches 1/3 of seniors and disabled persons and immigrants are also hard to get a hold of. Carl's job at End Hunger CT is to find out if people are eligible for food aid programs. One downfall of the food aid system is that there are 1700 applications per social worker at the state level.
When I think about this program in comparison to other programs we have talked about in class, it is easy for me to criticize it. First of all, SNAP and WIC are two programs which end Hunger CT uses, and both are funded by the government. Isn't this ironic, considering the government is the institution that is supporting the fast food industry. They are the very ones that are poisoning us. Furthermore, the food that they fund for the people in need of AID is very low quality and unhealthy. These federally funded programs are not going to progress, they are only going to continue the oppression. The government and End Hunger CT should put more effort into food programs that will allow people to produce their own food.

In Class Reading- Bread Body Spirit

There is Nothing More Profound

Karyn D. Kedar

There is nothing more profound than the breaking of bread.

God we ask Your blessing

For all who are hungry

And cannot come to eat

Who do not know the feeling of a second helping,

Who know that the bread of affliction is real…

Affliction: distress, misery, pain, disease

1.       In my opinion, it is unusual to see a prayer/blessing for those who are hungry and suffering.

2.      Passover- Bread of affliction: “Bread of suffering” “Bread of Poverty” Matzah bread. We are instructed to feed those who are in need with the bread of affliction. Feed those who are wanting with this bread.

3.      Two meanings: symbolizes redemption and freedom, but also represents “poor man’s bread,” so it is a lesson on humility and not to forget what life was like in servitude.

Blackboard Posting- Guest Speakers

I agree with the idea that people have to first live the fast life in order to live the simple life. I think this is one of the most interesting paradoxes about our world today. In order for both of the farmers to successfully own a farm, they had to be social workers and engineers. It is unfortunate that people have to conform to society before they can live the life they have always wanted. For example, Paul has always wanted to own goats, but could not afford them until much later in life. Why does society constrict us so much that we cannot live the lives that we are passionate about? I think that the definition of a "life" has been so misconstrued over time that we have lost what it is really all about. For example, when mankind first existed they hunted and gathered; their lives revolved around finding food and then enjoying it. People coexisted with nature and with other beings. This is the simple life. This is what we used to want and what I think we should one day get back to.

Faith

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." -Martin Luther King Jr.

In one of my first journal entries I mentioned that I wanted a garden but I was so nervous to do it because I have killed every plant I ever owned. Since writing that first journal entry, I have planted three plants of my own (in organic soil, of course) in pots and they sit on my window sill soaking up the sun at this very moment. I have not yet planted food, but rather flowers. Towards the end of April I was given the opportunity to plant my own plants and I was excited to give it a try! Instead of planting one, I planted two. I had the same reservations about planting that I always had, and I felt like my plants weren't going to grow, but I tried it anyway! This is one of the biggest tests of life... Thinking that you can't do something, but trying it anyways. If you never take that leap of faith, you will never live to your fullest potential. This is one of the hardest parts of being a Sociologist... there are so many problems that we want to solve, but how do we know that we will make any kind of positive influence? We have explored a number of different societal problems over the past couple of months. Take King Corn for example... The two boys that planted an acre of corn had no idea if they were going to be able to better understand the corn industry and make a difference about it. However, after taking that leap of faith there was reward. They are now able to make the King Corn documentary available to the public. They are advocating the brokenness of the corn industry and better informing people like myself. Taking a slight risk also ended up paying off for me. After my first two plants sprouted up after only a few days of water and sun, I planted another and it has also begun to grow. Everyone always says it's the little things in life that matter the most, and I would have to agree. I only planted three flowers, but this has already given me the confidence and inspiration to grow my own garden in the future. This little step I made about trying to grow my own plants is going to help me contribute to the slow food system by allowing me to produce my own food one day.

Food Justice- Chapter 6

One thing that stuck out to me in this chapter is the disconnect between immigrant farmers and Americans. Ithought it was interesting hwo many different immigrants, including Somalis, Hmong, Central Americans, and many more nationalities of farmers convened to talk about barriers and different experiences they have had. The group also played music and tried to better understand other cultures. One farmer mentioned “we produce the food to make it peaceful in the world.” Why is the attitude of immigrant farmers so much more positive and democratic than the attitude of those in the fast food industry? Or in the majority of the country for that matter? The immigrant farmers not only look to learn from each other, but to help each other.

I find the attitude towards immigrants to be very negative in the eyes of the American population. We view immigrants as outcasts who have very little to contribute to society. However, the opposite is true. This article showed that these farmers have much more concern about humankind and the food industry than does the rest of the population. This was depicted in the reading: “Instead of viewing immigrants as ‘transplants,’ similar to plants that have been removed and replanted, Klindienst suggests we understand the immigrant ‘as a gardener—a person who shapes the world rather than simply being shaped by it.” We should all strive to be gardeners, as this quote defines them. There is no way we can make a difference if we sit back and let the world take control of us.

Global market

http://vimeo.com/8812686

The first feeling I got while I was watching this video was fear. I was the most scared when I heard that in 2050, the world's food production will have to be doubled. I will be alive during this time, with a family! What will we do? The food we will be eating will definitely not be healthy if we don't start supporting local farms and organic products immediately. I am a little bit discouraged because I don't foresee people changing their ways very dramatically in the near future. I frequently ask myself if we will ever start realizing the consequences of our actions.

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Give a man a fishing rod and he will eat for a lifetime." I feel that this is part of the solution to the unbalanced global food market. We are so focused on helping people, yet we don't even understand that we are actually hurting them when we provide them with goods. We need to come up with a solution that will help people in the long term, rather than on  a one time basis. Furthermore, food drop offs help in the short term by providing a meal, but hurt in the long term by lowering the value of local food.

"By choosing a dish of lentils instead of steak, he consumes 1/6 of the farming land and 1/12 of the water and this leaves more for others." This quote speaks directly to me because I have chosen not to eat meat. This is one of the biggest reasons why I do not eat meat. I find that the quantity of meat and the frequency it is eaten at is not sustainable.