"food" for thought

I am passionate about food. I love preparing and enjoying delicious food. 2 years ago, I made the choice to stope eating meat and become a vegetarian. This was a long time coming for me, I think, and the journey I was on that led to this point was enlightening and horrific and inspiring all at the same time. My senior year of college, I took a class aimed at assisting students who had previously been abroad to integrate global thinking into local living. It was the best class I ever took and definitely the most impactful (I mean, I'm now a vegetarian thanks to this class). We talked alot about our food system here in the U.S. and how far it is from being natural and sustainable. Instead, it is about efficiency, assembly lines, and profit. How sad that something as beautiful and life-giving as food has become so tainted. As a result of incredible articles and documentaries (particularly Food Inc.) and a passionate, knowledgeable teacher, I felt convicted about eating meat. And since I could no longer feign ignorance, I took the leap and stopped eating meat altogether. And I have never once regretted this decision.

Being a vegetarian is my small contribution to the world. It is my way of standing up to our unethical food system. It is my way of saying I don't agree with raising animals like products to be manipulated, like they aren't living, breathing creatures. It is my way of saying I am not ok with how much land and water are used to raise cattle that could be used in much more sustainable and useful ways. It is my way of saying I believe animals should be allowed to roam free and eat grass, not corn. It is my way of saying I don't want all the antibiotics and chemicals that are pumped into animals to ever enter my body.

What brought all this to the forefront of my mind today was an article in the Seattle Times about the local food movement in the US and how it could be and already is a solution to global hunger. After reading the article, I stumbled onto the author's blog. He is a pastor in Spokane who is passionate about growing local food, feeding people, and teaching people about good food. I'm inspired and will now be following his blog.