Food For Thought

Wilma Dykeman, the noted Appalachian writer, foresaw the attraction to local food in her 1966 novel, The Far Family, set in the southern mountains. In it, young Ivy remembers her father at breakfast:    “And as Papa took that first bite of fresh nut-flavored corn and popped it in his mouth, he always said, ‘No Astor or Vanderbilt has better eating than this. You young’uns  just remember, the richest man living on Park Avenue in New York City can’t eat what we’ve got set before us right here this morning. His corn’s stale, his eggs have been shipped in from someplace, his milk’s all treated some way–I tell you–we’re lucky folks!’ And before he had finished, Ivy and the other children were sorry for millionaires who had only money and could not enjoy the fruits of the earth at the peak of their season.”

Interesting that back in 1966 Wilma Dykeman was already reminding us that locally grown food is better. At that time the factory farms were gearing up to produce more more more and small farms were having trouble staying afloat being in competition.

Running across this quote got me searching for other things people have said that you might enjoy. Some below are thought provoking, and some are just plain funny.

The American poultry industry had made it possible to grow a fine-looking fryer in record time and sell it at a reasonable price, but no one mentioned that the result usually tasted like the stuffing inside of a teddy bear. ~ Julia Child, My Life in France

Every major food company now has an organic division. There’s more capital going into organic agriculture than ever before. ~ Michael Pollan

Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables.  They probably get jet-lagged, just like people. ~ Elizabeth Berry

How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex? ~ Julia Child

If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn’t organic produce just be called “produce” and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective?~Ymber Delecto

Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.~ Garrison Keillor

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We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons. ~ Alfred E. Newman

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It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician. ~ Meryl Streep

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You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.  ― Ronald Reagan

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Whoever thought a tiny candy bar should be called fun size was a moron. ― Glenn Beck

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Watch a French housewife as she makes her way slowly along the loaded stalls… searching for the peak of ripeness and flavor… What you are seeing is a true artist at work, patiently assembling all the materials of her craft, just as the painter squeezes oil colors onto his palette ready to create a masterpiece.―Keith Floyd

While it is true that many people simply can’t afford to pay more for food, either in money or time or both, many more of us can. After all, just in the last decade or two we’ve somehow found the time in the day to spend several hours on the internet and the money in the budget not only to pay for broadband service, but to cover a second phone bill and a new monthly bill for television, formerly free. For the majority of Americans, spending more for better food is less a matter of ability than priority. ” — Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.~ Walt Kelly