Most people look at food through the lens of calorie counts, environmental footprints, and how healthy the food is considered. In the video, Alison Alkon argues that the most important part of the food system is actually radical empathy. Purchasing food in the grocery store keeps us trapped within a privileged system. Typically, we only think about what we are making with the food or how much it costs. We don't worry about where the food came from, and whether or not it was a white or black person who grew it. This means that we remain ignorant of the human stories behind the food.
Food is a unique tool when dealing with the inequalities in the world, as it is something that links all of us together. At one point in the video, Alkon brought up that African American communities do not have access to the same healthy foods that other communities do. This led me to wonder where this is occurring. Was this an example from the United States or from other areas in the world? How can we change this if it is in an entirely different country? We can lobby for change in the United States, but lobbying for change in a different country is much more difficult.
Alkon also brings up the popularity of farmers markets and how they are considered to be "white spaces". I have never thought of this. There is a popular farmers market near my house, and now that I think about it, I have never seen a person of color in that market. This has made me start thinking to other places that I have been. For example, I have shopped for food in many different places, but the area that I most commonly see African Americans is Walmart. Is this related to the cost of the food at Walmart compared to other places?
2 comments:
This Ted Talk really made me realize how much we overlook within food systems. We only see it as food and don't always recognize that humans were behind every step of the way, and we especially don't think about who they are as people and if they are being treated properly. I agree that we do not have much control over other countries policies, however we can always recognize the issues at hand and educate others.
I have never been to a farmer's market (I'm a POC), and the only people I have heard going to them are my white friends. I also see way more POC at stores like Walmart, or a grocery store in my town called "C-town" which also sells more popular hispanic brands such as "Goya".
I also never thought of farmer's market's as white spaces either and I too have a farmer's market right down the road from my house and another 2 about 15 to 30 minutes away. From my perspective though These markets are some of the most racially diverse areas where I live and are full of foods, or anything really that what I believe are culturally diverse. Now granted, that is just through my perspective in the small region around where I live so maybe many other parts of the country are very different.
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