Wow, what an interesting reading this week… I had no idea broccoli could illuminate this plethora of social, environmental, and cultural issues.
I actually felt ashamed when reading at first, because I had no idea the level of insecurity and risk that farmers have to endure and mitigate in order to provide a living for themselves and their families, while I can easily go to the grocery store and pay such a small amount for the fruits (!) of their labour (and even sometimes complain about having to go to the supermarket). Before reading, I had actually just finished making a dinner that included broccoli and I noticed that I had no idea where most parts of my dinner had come from.
I was also struck by how morality and “desire” differed between US/Western consumers (like me!), who choose broccoli for its perceived health benefits, and farmers like Pedro who produce broccoli with desires that have far greater implications, like sending his children to school.
I was especially moved by this comparison as someone who, as a result of the moral-driven health industry, has struggled with my relationship with food (please STOP reading here if this topic might trigger you!) that prioritizes knowing about the nutritional value of foods over the production, commodity chains, and people behind the foods. So, this was a really eye-opening piece for me to try and reevaluate my own morals and “desires.”
KhushiMalhotra
October 31, 2020 — 11:23 am
Hi Avery,
Coming from a completely different culture than you (I am originally from India), I could clearly see how we have been raised in such different ways! As a child, I was never encouraged to look at the nutritional value of my food, since what we usually ate at home was a tradition passed down by so many ancestors, already giving my food nutritional value without having to look at labels or specific elements of what my food contained. Ever since I moved to Peru, I noticed how everyone talks about the amount of protein you should consume, how frequently, etc. and it made me think how, even though I may not do that, I still no longer look at my food the same way anymore. I stopped appreciating the hard work my ancestors put in to provide healthy food for my family, and to continue that tradition until today.
Your post made me reflect a lot on the relationship I used to have with food versus the one I have today, so thank you for doing that!
andro garcia
November 1, 2020 — 8:36 pm
Hi Avery!
I enjoyed reading through your blog post. From what I read, I can say that we both had similar experiences when reading this article. Like you mentioned, there are some instances where going to the store is “hard” for us because we simply just find the trip burdensome, but compared to a farmer who relies on the harvest of their fruits and vegetables, this is such a poor reason/attitude to have. I agree with this reading being so eye-opening.