Not so many years ago, all that was required of a great cook was that he or she know how to choose ingredients for a meal and prepare them in a way that was attractive and palate pleasing.
We're all here in The Kitchen because we love food, but thats not enough anymore. The food we purchase and prepare in our kitchens carries both political and moral baggage.
From depleted seafood species, to despicable beef feeding lots, to overcrowded egg factories kept brightly lit around the clock, to the amount of fossil fuels used to ship food around the globe, to the welfare of farm workers, even on organic farms, theres a lot to consider when we decide what to eat. Theres too much media attention to ignore it. Whether we like it or not, the food we put on our plates today is about much more than taste.
In the last few years, almost everyone I know has changed the way they think about and shop for food. Some are avid locavores, some became vegans, others stopped eating factory farmed meat, others joined a CSA, and still others carry a Seafood Watch card around in their wallets. What about you? How have your thoughts around food evolved? Are you a more conscientious cook than you were 5 years ago? 10 years ago? Tell us about it.
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I haven't made any drastic changes, but I'm definitely more attentive to the origins of my food. It's allowed me to learn about the agricultural bounty of the province (quite an eye-opener, since I didn't grow up here). But living in the cold north and on limited funds, it's more of a summertime exercise.
i eat way less meat than i used to--and what i do buy is organic, in the hopes that the animals were treated more humanely. i suspect that's not always or even usually the case, so i just use meat very sparingly. fortunately locally caught seafood is fresh and plentiful.
I haven't made drastic changes, but I have certainly changed the things I look for when I shop. I used to try to balance price and quality, now I try to balance price, quality with whether something is organic, local, packaged minimally, etc. So when I'm feeling flush I get the organic local milk and the organic, free range, etc eggs. When I'm feeling poor I get at least the non-hormone milk, or the cage-free eggs. I always look for local foods, though it's hard in the winter.
One thing that I really have come to believe, though, is that composing is a big part of eating in a more sustainable, ethical way. It's not just about what you choose to purchase, it's also about what you choose to throw away into landfills. When we talk about the energy it takes to get the food to our houses or groceries we should also consider the energy it takes to transport all our trash.
I have decided to only eat meat that is local, organic and humane. It's been a very difficult process, I love meat, but I have realized that I can no longer contribute to the beef industry.
There is a local farm in upstate New York that I can special order meat from for dinner parties or treats. Plus I have researched neighborhood restaurants who are conscious about their meat choices.
Frankly, when I do eat meat now, it tastes so much better. Not only is it a treat but I am only eating the best stuff.
We have not drastically changed our food purchases, but like liz and v in boston, we are definitely looking for organic meat, milk, eggs...with produce, I try my best to go to the farmer's markets in the summer (though I wish they could be open past 6pm on weekdays, alas). We just tried community gardening this past summer, and will do it again this year. That's been a great way to truly appreciate how hard farmers work. And composting rules!
A friend just emailed me this link, which helps you find local sources for sustainably produced food. Most interesting to me are the farms results...
http://www.eatwellguide.org/
5 years ago I didn't cook at all. I hadn't met my now-fiance who taught me how to cook. It was the Adbusters "EAT" issue and our Angelic Organics CSA that changed everything for me. Now I make every single meal at home and try to eat only local or organic. It's personal, political--I am in general a very different person than I was 5 years ago. Domesticated, settled, I love food, cooking, and how it relates to nature.
Yes - I've been increasingly alarmed by the food industry; even prior to the local e. coli outbreaks. I'm not a fanatic, but am really making an effort to buy clean meat and organic stuff.
A great documentary about the food industry, esp. the rise of of GM foods, is "The Future of Food". It really drove home a lot of points, beyond what I knew already.
I wish the labeling were more pervasive - and instead of organic being the alternative to 'normal' foods, have it read "not-poisened" vs. "poisened".