Haute and elite, whiteness, “knowing where your food comes from.” According to Alkon all of these things have in common the color of someone’s skin and that’s it. It seems to me at least that she’s trying to address the racial disparities she notices in everyday life (in one of the wealthier cities in the U.S.), that’s okay. I think that she may be barking up the wrong tree though, when she says that, the philosophy of small farmers being romanticized and having their products bought by their consumers isn’t acknowledging the past. Making an assumption of what one believes is never a smart idea.
The fact that
Alkon goes on to stretch an interviewees’ word choice was quite shocking in
regards to it being community based. When we speak our words should be taken in
the context of which they are spoken, to say that the town feels community-based
isn’t a bad thing, likewise I couldn’t agree any less that a moral decision
opposed to an economic one yields affluence. If I feel that I need to help at
least one person a month financially in order to commit a good act of charity,
it doesn’t matter about the amount given, it’s strictly about the intention. A
moral decision to shop for healthy food in the area where you live, regardless
on it’s price, shouldn’t be misinterpreted as affluence. I believe that people
genuinely do care about their food. All people care about their food and their
health to some degree. To evaluate a rich city that’s predominantly white and
say it excludes people due to the prices is one thing, and it’s true that leisurely
affluence can be noticed in some areas of life, but it’s another when you say that
embodying community regards affluence and whiteness.
To conclude,
leisurely affluence isn’t something that’s subtle. Unless that is of course,
Alkon can read our minds and judge our intentions. Affluence very well may be related
to our habits. Let’s look at chocolate, for example. In ancient Mexico, it was
the literal currency. Only those that were emperors or the elite would eat or
drink it. Food in our time is not currency; it’s a consumable product that nourishes
us and sustains us. I can agree with Alkon when she says the imagery that we
choose to use will affect our logical reasoning. But I don’t think the disparity
of a diverse ambiance solely exists due to wealth and the color of a person’s
skin. I agree that we need better farm labor
relations and people should understand who is cultivating their food, but I
almost get the feeling that she wants people to integrate into a culture that’s
not their own. When she wrote about not having certain holidays included in the
market, it seems almost unreasonable to suggest that cultural appropriation
should occur. Furthermore, you can’t expect that anyone, regardless of their
background, will automatically have a desire to assimilate into a culture.
1 comment:
I cannot say for certain whether the quotes from market attendees were taken out of context or not, as I was not there I truly do not know the context. However, one thing that did strike me as a bit contradictory was the fact that (I believe it was) Davis is a town where the majority of permanent residents are white people, and most of the diversity comes from college students. A couple things come to mind here. 1, are the majority of the students even in Davis at the time of the farmers markets? Most markets run from May(ish) to September(ish), which perfectly coincides with summer break for college students, assuming they run on a semester calendar. If most of the students, and thus the diversity, are not in town to access the market, there will not be a diverse crowd in attendance. And 2, most college students cannot afford farmers markets produce. As the article stated, the products at these markets are generally more expensive than those sold at other outlets. College students want the cheapest options available, which in many cases do not come from farmers markets. The article did discuss ways in which they were increasing access and affordability to the college students, which is great, but even if the students are in town for the market season, chances are they are going to spend their money elsewhere. Now, I think white-dominance is an issue and more diversity and blending of cultures is a crucial aspect to the United States, however I think these markets were maybe poor representations of that seeing as Davis is a predominately white town. I think it would be beneficial to look at towns that do have more permanent racial diversity and if they have a white-dominance in farmers markets, then those are good examples of the issues the authors are explaining.
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