Where America Needs to Go

There is a mentality I wish every person in our country could and would adopt. I've noticed more and more people - either on the streets, at events, or through articles - sharing the same compassion, but I just hope and pray that the rest of our society catches on.

This mindset, of course, is that of excitement, knowledge, interest, curiosity, openness and passion of what goes into our mouths and the mouths around us (family, friends, foes, etc). The disposition that sitting down to a meal, surrounded by friends and family with engaging conversation, is to me the healthiest actions we can do each day.

In the Summer Issue of Gastronomica, there is an article by Maggie Jackson which calls the reader to observe and abandon the movement of food-on-the-go. She shadows several individuals as they describe the ideal meal as something that is hand held (optimally one hand), prepackaged, small, nutrient loaded, and hopefully tastes like real food. However, "real" food describes none of the above, the key word here is something.

The reason for the on-the-go success is that our society has never been as mobile as we are today. Constantly moving from home to work to practice to travel to work, etc, etc, our lives have become all about the destination making the journey something that just happens during the interim. In fact, one woman even goes so far as to say that "I'd rather be eating and moving and doing something productive".

This idea just boggled my insides. I remember feeling this way and at times I even get sucked into eating mindlessly at my desk. But I distinctively recall the moment when I said "no more" and stopped myself from throwing away self awareness. It was then that I began taking control back into my life.

So, I gather this is where I am going with where America needs to go. We need to stop. We need to stop rushing and start listening, tasting, observing, feeling and contemplating. Jackson ends her essay with:

"Can we stop now? Can we pull to the side of the road and look hard at the encroachment of placeless places, or are we too enamored of our untrammeled solo journeys, the possibility of yet another choice around the corner?... What is needed is a way to recover the arts of pausing, sensing, tasting of sharing a meal. Full stop."

Can we? Can we really try to do this? Can we stop teaching our kids that the only taste worth remembering from childhood is a chicken McNugget and start having them taste roasted chicken or duck? Can we stop demonstrating that its OK to not care about what your putting in your body and start making conscious decisions about what is for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Can we break the notion that food is only fuel? Can we stop popping pills in place of meals and start popping grapes?

I don't think any of this is asking for too much. You never know, people might actually begin enjoying the delights of sitting down and using a fork or spoon!

Happy cooking and conversations!