Why does there seem to be so much about Food?

I just returned from a road trip with a group of friends. I have an eclectic group - and we do get into pretty interesting conversations.

Michelangelo & Carlos always seem to be talking about politics and economics and world affairs. And while i can follow, and sometimes actually participate - I usually just sit back and listen because if I can't personally participate or have a hand in any part of the discussion, why talk? Mike & Carlos are perpetual students... don't really seem interested in holding any jobs... like me, they are over-educated and under-employed. Mike even considers himself to be a part of the "idle class" and while it's said partially in jest, there is more truth to it than one would really believe.

But I mentioned my new blog - about my political idealism and this little movement i'm trying to create awareness in. Mike seemed interested and promised to check it out. He did. He came up to me the next morning and told me how he read it - but asked me why so much of it had to do with food? Where's the politics in it all?

I considered it for a while and when i realized why - I returned to him...

So many of our political discussions are regarding such lofty ideas - like where is the United States heading? What is the biggest crisis we as a nation are facing? What about the war?

While these are big issues and the sharing of ideas is a good thing - what of it all? He's great at philosophizing but when it comes to putting ideas into action, what are any of us doing? I get it - I see the big picture and how so many things affect other things and snowball... and when i start thinking so big, i get paralyzed! Where am I to start? I'm just me - a 30-something woman living in Los Angeles - not born into any great wealth or power... certainly not a self-made millionaire... single... what voice do I have? What can I do?

Well, I am a consumer. I eat. daily. multiple times even. and, well - so do most people. So i'm putting my money where my mouth is. literally. and my discoveries have opened my eyes to some interesting information. well, i thought they were interesting.

i discovered that shopping at various farmer's markets can be quite enjoyable. prices are competitive, if not better than those in supermarkets. and the quality is vastly superior... though they don't have the pre-washed bagged produce that i've grown accustomed to using... It really gets me to focus on my purchases when i bring them home, wash them and store them. and then i get excited about experimenting with new recipes using this new produce.

in speaking with some vendors, i've learned a lot about the farming techniques, and about the availability of different crops during different seasons. though i'm no Huell Howser, i do ask questions here and there.

what i'm doing is shifting my support from Big Industry Supermarkets using Traditional Farming Techniques (pesticides) to small, local, organic farms. And in sharing my experiences with others, perhaps an additional shift will follow suit.

I've heard from some friends who said they're interested in hearing more - but please, if you have any input or things to share, please add comments to my posts... i'd like to hear what moves you - have you been prompted into action? do you have any recommendations? talk to me - i'd like to open this up to discussion and this is at least a forum in which everyone can participate in both verbally & financially.

As for Mike... he shared an article written by Jared Diamond (author of Guns,Germs & Steel) regarding how agrarian cultures leads to the general population being worse off than those in hunter/gatherer cultures... he's following a "cave-man" diet... He likes to stir the pot with radical ideas pulled from way out in left field... but seriously... how "cave-man-like" is going to Ralph's and purchasing steak & eating it rare?