Reflections on the Significance of Food

First official post with legitimate content! Exciting!

OK, tonight was a "store-bought" night, meaning that I didn't really make anything from scratch, unless you count frying the chicken. I did fried chicken (breaded with seasoned cornmeal), Kraft home style macaroni (the kind in the bag with bread crumbs), and fried okra out of a bag. I didn't take pictures of the meal or the messy kitchen because it was really nothing special. OK, moving on!

This will be a Food For Thought post, meaning that I will post some kind of reflection on cooking or food. Tonight's thought: The Significance of Food.

Most of us take food for granted, unless we are craving something or worrying about our weight. But food is a lot more than something we put in our mouths to satisfy our cravings and our hunger. Something as small as a bowl of rice can be the difference between life and death for someone; now, this is slightly exaggerated, but the point remains. I find it sad that in the United States, we have people dying to be thin and starving themselves, while in some countries mothers feed their children dirt in hopes that some nutrients will help them survive. Our parents used to say "there are starving kids in Africa who would love to have your dinner, so clean your plate." And as kids, we'd roll our eyes and wonder who would want whatever vegetable we didn't like, be it peas or carrots or something other food. But its true. There are starving people all over the world who would love to have your food, including this country. We take for granted the fact that we are a wealthy nation; we assume that because we are a wealthy nation all our citizens are able to feed themselves. But that isn't the case. We have people who can barely afford a loaf of bread. There are families going hungry, and a lot of the time that doesn't even register. I rarely waste food, mainly because I was raised not to, and knowing that there are people who are starving to death makes me think about what I am eating, how much I am eating, and how much I throw away. It also gives me pause when I go to a restaurant and my meal is expensive or I get lousy fast food on the way to a meeting or class. I think that it should make everyone think. Food is a basic necessity that many of us take for granted.