What do you really know about food?

To my delight, the latest edition of Carleton's Alumni magazine came to me in the mail, and it was all about FOOD! The lead headline on the front cover read, "What's for dinner... is it safe?". The magazine touched on a number of issues, from the global food crisis, to fast food, to how children's food is marketed. All around, it was a great read, cover to cover. 

There was one quote in particular that really struck me. From the headlining article "What's for dinner... is it safe?", Professor Louise Heslop of the Sprott School of Business said, "We stopped cooking and now we know nothing about food preparation. We don't understand food anymore because life changed." Heslop goes on to discuss the reasons why we've lost touch with our food - households with multiple careers, and mainly the fact that our lifestyle is one that demands convenience. Furthermore, Professor Heslop reiterates that we often have no clue where our food comes from or what processes it went through to get to our dinner tables. Think about it - how many preservatives do you think is in that microwavable meatloaf that you see advertised on TV? Where did the meat come from? What sort of processes has it gone through to ensure that it stays preserved? In the past, we used to grow our own food in the garden, so we were well-aware of where the food came from. Can you tell me where the apple you ate at lunch was grown? What about the hamburger you ordered from that restaurant on the weekend? 

My goal with this blog is to help educate myself about food and its preparation. It is so important to be aware of what you eat and how it's prepared. That's not to say that I don't indulge in some KD every now and then (talk about processed food!), but my goal isn't to cut that stuff out immediately. My goal is to take a ride on the learning curve, and slowly ease myself into understanding food and appreciating it for its natural, unprocessed goodness. 

So next time you're thinking about dinner, think about making something yourself using local, organic produce, and minimizing the amount of pre-made ingredients. Whether it's a psychological phenomenon or what, food that you've made yourself tastes so much better. Give it a try and let me know how it works out!