The importance of who comes in between

You and your food. It is truly that simple.

There is a certain nutritional relationship that comes about inherently through harvesting your own food. We feel a slight bit of this when we go to market, whatever type it may be. It is laden in the old adage "bringing home the bacon"

My question is, how did the bacon ever end up leaving home.

Once we moved beyond the original agrarian model of each family having it's own farm, we began to trust others with what most cultures consider to be the most revered and sacred portion of the human experience. The gathering, harvesting, or slaughtering of the food that they will in turn consume. When we pass this trust along, we are doing so with the highest regard and respect possible, right?

In this society, we place more trust and regard on the labels on products than we do in actual relationships. It is simply a matter of economy. Most cannot afford the time to accomplish this in part to their commitment to the gaining of income in non-agrarian ways. That is to say, in lieu of raising livestock, one ventures to work in order to be able to live and afford to pay someone else to do this for you, if you consume meat or dairy products. In addition to this, you are paying for someone who comes in between who comes along and distributes and receives payment as well.

So within your purchase, you are paying for the label, the money the farmer has payed to get that label, the packaging, the gas to ship it, the distributors cut, the cut the market receives, and finally, the tax involved in certain situations.

Wow. That's alot of people within you and your food.

Who are they? Do you know them?

There is good news. Even if you took the time to visit a farm with you or your family, and tried to understand the process deeper, you are doing the right thing. There are many steps in the journey back to the garden. It begins with one. One step towards a phone, find a farm, call them up, introduce yourself. Tell the farm you really likes the wares you received. Ask if there is a way to participate. Go visit, take a tour. Every bit as important if not prioritized over the trip to Disneyland. And far more important. Let the world see a little closer what goes into food, and I believe we will start to see more clearly whats coming out of it.

There are many that are doing so much for the movement within food in our culture. But we must not grow complacent that things are changing without participating in that change in any way we can. Even if it means expanding our minds, opening our hearts, and changing our perspectives on the tried and true sources of our food.

It is hard to admit error, or to see the actual unhealthiness within our diets, yet alone our lifestyles. Therein lies the actual struggle within the movement itself. It is on the part of each individual to conquer the self and what we have accepted as being healthy and true. Why would we want to consume anything else? why would be happy if all of our human brothers and sisters weren't as well?

A world that surrounds you in pain and starvation, both physically and spiritually will never beget peace within you. You will always be lying to yourself, and always turing away.

To see the truth, one simply has to begin to see it, really. It exists all around us, and is more than readily accessible. But as long as we see it, even though we may be totally immersed in the lie that has propagated all around us, we are free. We have chosen the truth. It doesn't require a sudden and drastic change in product selection or money expenditures. For many, this isn't even an option.

It requires faith. Hope for a better table, for everyone. But as true nature would have it, the truth is addicting. It tastes better. It lends itself readily to sharing without remorse, and even better, begets happiness and satisfaction, which we all seek our entire lives. And it leaves seeds to grow for the future.

Truth is sustainable living. Community supported agriculture is a redundant statement.

This is just another way to describe the way it should be, and the way that it was.

But when you ask "Where did this come from?" or "How did this get here?", it enough. The truth looks up from it's surroundings, and smiles back at you.

It knows you care. And that's more than enough. That's the beginning.

And the final destination.

Caring.