Member-only story
How What You Eat Influences Your World View
Part One of a Series
Note: This series is not intended as a judgement of anyone’s food choices.
The foods that we eat tell our story. Fresh veggies from the local farmers’ market or chemical-laden snack cakes from the convenience store? Being curious about what we choose to eat, without casting judgment, can help us to understand ourselves and others.
I grew up in a lower-middle class family in Rhode Island. We had a small backyard garden, Grandma had fruit trees, and we were taught to can and preserve. We went fishing and clamming; we filleted, shucked, and froze. Desserts were homemade, soups were homemade, fast food was forbidden, soda pop was for birthday parties. We drank water from the tap. My parents told us that food was the fuel for our bodies (just like the gasoline for the car), and that it was important to nourish ourselves with what our bodies needed.
My husband grew up in a situation of chronic homelessness. A roof over his head was either in a motel room or in the projects of the Bronx. His Mom was actually a good cook, but most often had to cook on a hot plate, and serve on paper plates. The kids, always hungry, bought junk food at the corner store with the little money they had. Good food, to my husband, was anything that filled his belly. No one talked about…
