By Sharon Hoyer
There probably isn’t a single issue of sustainability and health that consistently strikes as passionate a chord as the production, distribution and preparation of food. It makes sense—what we take into our bodies is a very tangible part of our constitution; if we truly are what we eat, than what we choose to eat sends a powerful message about our relationship with the world.
Perhaps this is why the food movement so successfully unites people from all hues of the political spectrum. Case in point: the cover of last month’s American Conservative was a treatise on how food movements like Locavorism and Slow Food exemplify conservative values.
In "Food for Thought," John Schwenkler makes the case that good food—food unmitigated by government subsidies and regulations, food distributed by small, independent farms—fits tidily into the conservative ethos. “Conservatives, after all," he writes, "style themselves as the great defenders of the family, of local community, and of traditional cultural mores.” The portrait of a family sitting down to a wholesome, home-cooked meal supplied by their local farmer is indeed a distinctively republican vision in the most traditional, Rockwellian sense. Schwenkler even considers the grassroots-level activism of Slow Food as a basis for broader conservative reform:
Neighborhood gardens, cooking classes in schools and church basements, and the promotion of local and co-operative markets are the kinds of projects that will build community; revitalize regional economies; encourage stable, healthy families; and instill the kinds of civic attitudes that make expansive and centralized government appear burdensome.
Schwenkler’s statement that the renewal of culinary culture should not “be left to activists, environmentalists, and government bureaucrats” is right on; a bright green future includes everyone. We need to share ideas and spark meaningful discussion between folks who don’t always see eye-to-eye—or who assume they don’t. So how do we get people talking over the fence on other issues of sustainability? Since food is our strongest bond to the earth and each other, leaving our yards entirely to work in a community garden is a potent way to start.
Sharon Hoyer is a freelance writer covering sustainability, culture and arts in Chicago. You can find more of her writings on the environment at the Examiner and Centerstage Chicago. You can find her in the garden or on her bike.
