I would like to see people be more aware of where their food comes from. I would like to see small farmers empowered.
-Anthony Bourdain
A Nomads Opinion:
Sustainable. Organic. Both words constructed by our society over the recent years to highlight a larger, underlying issue: We are killing our world, and we’re bringing ourselves down with it. Dramatic as it may sound, I’ll admit I’ve got a flare for that, it’s true. When did the world become so crooked that we had to start putting labels on our foods marking the ones that hadn’t been sprayed with toxic sludge. Since when did vibrant blue and neon orange become normal shades in our lunch boxes? How did the human perspective on food and industry, and that combination for that matter, change so drastically that we are now left with industrialized coconut water and an actual industry, not to mention market, for kale chips covered in vegan cheese. I’M NOT KIDDING!! Last week I went to the store and literally found four separate brands selling this specific alien product. Not to say I don’t like kale chips, but it must be argued that at this point the actual legitimacy of the kale content is questionable. And that’s the problem! Our food has become worse then Persephone’s Pomegranate (Greek mythology anyone?) Our veggies have been whittled down and sucked dry of any nutritional value. Iceberg lettuce with ranch is not actually healthy my friends! Our chicken has been pumped with hormones to make it larger, our naturally sweet foods have been saturated with extra, pointless sugar. Have you ever actually harvested a carrot from your own garden? I’ll tell ya now, you’ll probably be disappointed at first. There not huge and bugs bunny-esque they are fat and small… and there also the sweetest things you’ll ever taste. Sure, it’s partly the satisfaction of raising it and working for it. But it’s just perfect, fresh, untainted dare I say. It’s organic. That’s what the word should mean. Simply grown with two hands in the natural soil that makes up our beautiful planet. Currently, however, organic means that whatever “organic” goods you mean to buy have simply been registered and certified by a group of large organizations with the same industrial goal: To pad their own pockets and create yet another market in which they can take control and manipulate independent producers, in this case small scale farmers, to further the financial stability and success of a global corporate industry. Over the course of this year I hope to speak with these farmers and get their opinion on the global food industry and how it has impacted their personal lively hoods.
The Sustainable Nomad 