Eat it

http://www.citypaper.com//news/story.asp?id=19079

The problem with our food system is such a conundrum, sometimes I just feel so stuck! Can we talk about this??

Lots of sustainable and ethical foods are expensive, inaccessible, and unappealing to most people in our country. I'm glad this writer took on the task of measuring the affortablilty of these products, but she didn't really examine the whole problem with changing our food system. The writer didn't address the fact that most underpriviledged people are working all the damn time so they can support their families and don't have time to prepare slow-cooking foods or garden vegetables at home.

And she's right, it takes a LONG time and a LOT of consciousness to choose sustainable, ethical foods. My brother thinks that we'll have to force this way of eating on the public by making "SOLE" foods more affordable and bad foods less affordable. Unfortunately, our industrial and capitalist system is so deeply embedded in the culture at this point, I feel like the changes will be so difficult to make.
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I tried to bring up the topic of food in one of my groups at school. Given that I work with young, urban kids who eat mostly fast food or sugary, processed snack food, I figured it would be worth it to try to talk to them about the problems in our food system--maybe open their eyes a little bit. They are the ideal people to educate on this issue!

But the conversation fell flat. It came down to comments such as: "I like the way fast food tastes and I don't give a shit about anything else" and "healthy food tastes bad." Even the kids that knew more about processed food and the health problems that come from eating it in the end didn't care enough to consider changing their habits. Frustrating.

But still, the group was loud and boisterous that day. They're not used to talking about something as basic as food in their psychoeducational groups. And sometimes they are oppositional on purpose for the sake of impressing their peers. Oftentimes things that we talk about in group seem to sink into their consciousness a while after group has ended. I even noticed that one student started to bring her homemade lunch to school this week--coincidence? Maybe.

Either way, I'm hoping that food--and more importantly the connections between food, our bodies and our environment--can be something we work into the curriculum at my school. I'm just not sure how to get the kids interested or invested in this subject. Post comments if you have ideas for me! And let's keep thinking about how SOLE food can be part of social justice. Thoughts?
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On a (not entirely) different note:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/opinion/07friedman.html?emc=eta1

This is why I'm an anxious mess. Anyone else?