Cooking and Culture

Learning more about our food system and the best ways to support local, sustainable food I have not heard much about preparing food. What do you do with all the good stuff you get from the CSA, farmers market or co-op? It seems like there is more of an emphasis on getting out and purchasing good food than there is on preparing meals for your family.

When you walk into the supermarket you will run into a cooler, not too far from the front door, that has everything your family needs for dinner. This would be something you can throw in the oven or quickly prepare: convenient food. Our culture is drawn to convenience. We want things to be easy, fast and cheap.

When you get food that has basic ingredients it will take longer make a meal. Food from the farmers market or CSA is basic ingredients. Instead of buying a jar of pickles you would be buying the cucumbers, dill and garlic to make the pickles. When you support local food, you are encouraging self-reliance and local food encourages cultural diversity. The pickles that would be made in Minnesota would taste different than the pickles made in other parts of the country. The pickles would not made by multi-billion dollar companies but by residents.

Do most people honestly cook? You can assemble food and heat food up, but do people take what is available to them and prepare a delicious and nutritious meal for their family? Cooking takes time, with our culture can we afford to spend several hours a day preparing meals? Not only once a week but several times a week?

Like I said in my last post I am far from perfect; I am just asking honest questions. People go to the farmers market, to the co-op and participate in CSA’s. That means people have to cook food. You may luck out and be able to go clip some lettuce from you yard and add a few veggies for a meal but on average feeding your family will consume a big part of your day. You need to plan, buy, cook, eat and clean. By coupling cooking and local food you are helping creating a unique culture. To support sustainable food means you need to get your hands dirty and help make meals.