Samson Girma- Our Food

In my Food and Culture class, we read and discuss what people all around the world eat. When connecting the two classes, I realized that people here have a lot more of a connection between themselves and their food than they do with their environment. It occurred to me that people would rather exploit their environment to be able to get the food they want to eat in large amounts. We more frequently turn to food for certain experiences in a similar way to how some would turn to nature. When people want a thrill they try a new food, put more hotsauce on their dish, or go for the 72 oz steak challenge. When they are sad, they get a tub of ice cream, and when bored a bag of chips. The answer to all of these used to more frequently mean going out for a walk or doing something outdoors, so I wonder when this started to change. One article that we read was about an Australian couple. The father explained how when he was young living in the Outback, when they wanted meat he would go out and catch meat. And although it was a celebration, it drew in neighbors and friends so you wouldn’t get very much food. He says his kids don’t have the same appreciation for the food because they think everything is endless and can easily come from the store. So by having to hunt his own food, he and his community not only had a better relationship with eachother, but also with their food and the land the food came from, unlike his children.