What Yoplait made me say
Jenny said, "i used to be a yoplait addict. but i've switched to the light dannon stuff or weight watchers yogurt.
the "dora the explorer" strawberry/strawberry vanilla yoplait is one of rory's favorites though," and what she said brought me here:
You know, I could probably have an hours-long conversation with [Jenny] about my awareness of the style-level inherent in certain brands/varieties of food since leaving Jax.
Coming from the suburban south, I quickly gained a very acute awareness of the way "suburban" foods are rejected as uncouth or tacky (and actually, "suburban" is not the word I want, but a better choice than "mass-marketed" or "factory-processed" isn't coming to me right now).
In both Boston and New York, and well, in Gainesville, too, I felt a subcultural effort to elevate a certain process of shopping for food to, like, conscientious objection. I haven't stopped feeling conflicted about that yet. If anything, I don't think the guilt people suffer from our evolution from agrarian to industrial culture is properly soothed by (a) paying more for food which is marked organic by a team of, like, eight people who work for the U.S. government; or (b) by staring down my nose at people who appreciate the convenience and affordability of the Dollar Menu at any of the major fast food chains.
The greenmarket and locally-grown scene in Brooklyn is very big. And yes, it is a scene. People who do not grow their own food (and can not subsist without buying food from people who do) have turned buying food into a statement. I participate, yes. And I love greenmarkets. I'm not a bumper sticker supporter by any means, I really just like going to greenmarkets in New York. They are outside and they bustle. It feels fancy to shop at an al fresco greenmarket. It feels European. And because I feel like it is all about being fancy, I am pretty suspicious of the Whole Foods-fucking movement.
But the side of this whole movement which concerns me the most is the antagonistic, condescending face it often wears. To me, eating, "pure, healthy, clean, green, specialized," blah blah blah, smacks more of class than environmentalist leanings. And the insincerity of that pisses me off.
I really could deliberate about this forever. But instead, I'll mention two key pieces of information which are relevant to the feelings informing my stance here.
1. I know a family in Vermont who are the full-blown, real-deal version of green living. Because of my upbringing, their way of life would not come easily to me. To live like them would be making a statement, and an insincere one at that, so I would never do it. I'd be too conflicted. One of the things I respect most about them is that they eat roadkill, because the animal is dead and its existence should not be wasted. I don't know if they would eat a human being run down by a car, but it wouldn't surprise me and I would not be appalled.
2. My father has had Multiple Sclerosis for fifteen years, and he has not taken medication for it for about twelve years. When it became clear the prescribed medication prevented further nerve damage but left my father with constant flu-like symptoms, my mom did lots of research and changed his diet significantly. He is still relatively (very) healthy years later. His twin brother used the prescribed medication and died in a state of paralysis two years ago, even though he wasn't diagnosed with MS until several years after my father. It's important to note that my dad has an iron will and unveering sense of self-discipline (didn't inherit that!), he can swallow eighteen dietary supplement capsules dry, and he can drink eight glasses of carrot juice a day. He proves to me that what one eats can dramatically change the way ones body functions. It is not all talk.
And between those two poles I sit.
the "dora the explorer" strawberry/strawberry vanilla yoplait is one of rory's favorites though," and what she said brought me here:
You know, I could probably have an hours-long conversation with [Jenny] about my awareness of the style-level inherent in certain brands/varieties of food since leaving Jax.
Coming from the suburban south, I quickly gained a very acute awareness of the way "suburban" foods are rejected as uncouth or tacky (and actually, "suburban" is not the word I want, but a better choice than "mass-marketed" or "factory-processed" isn't coming to me right now).
In both Boston and New York, and well, in Gainesville, too, I felt a subcultural effort to elevate a certain process of shopping for food to, like, conscientious objection. I haven't stopped feeling conflicted about that yet. If anything, I don't think the guilt people suffer from our evolution from agrarian to industrial culture is properly soothed by (a) paying more for food which is marked organic by a team of, like, eight people who work for the U.S. government; or (b) by staring down my nose at people who appreciate the convenience and affordability of the Dollar Menu at any of the major fast food chains.
The greenmarket and locally-grown scene in Brooklyn is very big. And yes, it is a scene. People who do not grow their own food (and can not subsist without buying food from people who do) have turned buying food into a statement. I participate, yes. And I love greenmarkets. I'm not a bumper sticker supporter by any means, I really just like going to greenmarkets in New York. They are outside and they bustle. It feels fancy to shop at an al fresco greenmarket. It feels European. And because I feel like it is all about being fancy, I am pretty suspicious of the Whole Foods-fucking movement.
But the side of this whole movement which concerns me the most is the antagonistic, condescending face it often wears. To me, eating, "pure, healthy, clean, green, specialized," blah blah blah, smacks more of class than environmentalist leanings. And the insincerity of that pisses me off.
I really could deliberate about this forever. But instead, I'll mention two key pieces of information which are relevant to the feelings informing my stance here.
1. I know a family in Vermont who are the full-blown, real-deal version of green living. Because of my upbringing, their way of life would not come easily to me. To live like them would be making a statement, and an insincere one at that, so I would never do it. I'd be too conflicted. One of the things I respect most about them is that they eat roadkill, because the animal is dead and its existence should not be wasted. I don't know if they would eat a human being run down by a car, but it wouldn't surprise me and I would not be appalled.
2. My father has had Multiple Sclerosis for fifteen years, and he has not taken medication for it for about twelve years. When it became clear the prescribed medication prevented further nerve damage but left my father with constant flu-like symptoms, my mom did lots of research and changed his diet significantly. He is still relatively (very) healthy years later. His twin brother used the prescribed medication and died in a state of paralysis two years ago, even though he wasn't diagnosed with MS until several years after my father. It's important to note that my dad has an iron will and unveering sense of self-discipline (didn't inherit that!), he can swallow eighteen dietary supplement capsules dry, and he can drink eight glasses of carrot juice a day. He proves to me that what one eats can dramatically change the way ones body functions. It is not all talk.
And between those two poles I sit.