Food Begets Meals
Food Begets Meals
Any responsible discussion on food must begin with the fact that many Americans face a wide range of complex barriers in their attempt to purchase ingredients to feed their family. At the same time, the USDA 2021 budget summary earmarks nearly one-hundred billion dollars for nutrition assistance programs. Details are published on the USDA website and that’s only part of the story. It is easy to rattle on about the economics and even the politics of food. Instead of spiraling into that abyss, let me share a few points. Who knows? Maybe some table talk will arise from this posting at the next meal we share. Let’s start with the history of food. It is a relatively new multi-disciplinary field and should never be confused with the history of meals. Embedded within its formal curriculum, food history certainly covers various techniques used for preservation, many of which were uncovered “accidentally” by various cultures. Long before microbes were discovered, controls of their destructive properties were being employed by altering acidity (pH), oxygen requirements and water activity of foods through the use of fermentation, smoke houses and salt racks. It is certain that early civilizations followed the trial and error method of determining what foods are safe. Once those foods got added to the list of prehistoric ingredients generally regarded as safe, observations were shifted to various incidental processing techniques that preserved those valuable foods. Examples utilized to this day, but managed under science-based methods, include: corned beef, pickled vegetables, smoked ham, salted fish, and the list goes on. Before underlying principles of refrigeration were known, root cellars were used as a method of extending the shelf life, if you will. And let’s not forget the role of our fermented beverages. Wine lasts much longer than grapes; grains will rot if not converted to beer and distillates such as moonshine and so forth. The rationale behind ethnic meals is just as obvious as the above remarks. It is safe to conclude that almost every family has a special dish served during a special time of year or at a certain time of the day. There are peer-reviewed publications on the history of how breakfast, lunch and even tea time made their way into various cultures. These cultural traits, in fact, this anthropological science, pieces together important information behind our complex world, the details of which go beyond the scope of this blog. However, isn’t it nice to know that the minutia behind our daily bread is studied at the world’s most prestigious universities? That question is not offered rhetorically. Think of food as simply a raw material of meals. And, meals play the critical role of uncovering our diversity because, man does not live on bread alone. A basic understanding of the complex networks and sciences responsible for putting safe and wholesome food on our table empowers us to become mindful meal planners and accept our personal responsibility to reduce food waste and food loss. You are invited to chew on these tid-bits and stay tuned-in to the MPHfoodprotection.com blog where your comments are always cheerfully welcome.