Article one

I need to share something with you about food, but how can I write about food without talking about soil, or sunlight. Can we talk about food without talking about people, or trucks and tractors, stores or markets, money or dumpsters, food banks or governments, family and culture?
Before any of that, maybe let’s start by admitting that we need food. From this thankful place of needing plants, animals and fungi (depending on what feels good for you to eat) let’s talk with the humility that we need the earth, while the earth doesn’t necessarily need us. We’re the dependent ones here, and this is ok. So let’s talk about food from the beginning, by saying thanks. Though food takes work, all food is a gift.
I’m cooking for housemates and friends as I write this first food article for this winter semester. There is venison on the stove being braised before the wild rice, ramps, carrots and garlic are added, before slowly stewing filling our house with warmth and that peppery smell that builds our anticipation.
Although I am just beginning to prepare the meal now, this meal has been in preparation for much longer. This last fall James harvested this rice just north of Trent, taking until now to process the grains. Last spring I harvested and dried the wild leeks near the niagra escarpment, the fall before I had hunted the deer. The garlic is a gift from a good friend, the carrots a trade from another. These people, places and experiences are all part of this recipe, and in this way I started cooking this meal quite some time ago.
If a meal can be a story about the lives of plants and animals, what is the story that your food tells? It doesn’t need to be fancy or long, romantic, or even remarkable. Listen to your food so that you may learn about your relationship with the earth. If we are honest then we will be better able to make decisions.
Let’s listen to our stories, and share them. We can learn about ourselves and each other by quieting our words and noticing the stuff of our lives. This is certainly not limited to food, but food is a daily ritual for most, and is worthy of celebration and intention. Every day around the earth humans prepare food, which is the living stuff of life that surrounds us, and we take it into our bodies. Food is immediate, often shared with others, and repeated.
The word Culture is often used to describe differences and similarities that humans share. Although there are many ways to be in this world, people are inevitably interacting with the earth in order to share the joys of flavour and sustenance. To share these things is to be affected by this experience of being alive and to enjoy our time.
So I need to share something with you about food, but how can I write anything without first talking about soil, and in an imperfect way, to say thanks to the plants and animals that I need for my life. We’re ready to begin.