The geography of food

                                                                                                                                    Ben Massey

                                                                                                                                    4/1/12

                                                                                                                                    WRITT 1133

                                                           

            There was a time when food was just a means to an end, a way to achieve nourishment and keep living. Had we all lived 1000 years ago we would be more worried with providing the next meal than analyzing its significance in our life. As our concept of food has evolved so has the role it plays for each of us. For me food holds a significance relating to its geography, food represents a connection to the earth that has become unique in modern society. This connection is often taken for granted or overlooked and is even being destroyed by the advent of processed food. This significance food holds for me stems from my family, my mother in particular.

Karen Massey, my mother, has always held food in a special place. She was a professor of nutrition and currently works as an extension agent, a sort of free consultant working with farmers and ranchers. Growing up I was never as grateful as I should have been considering I was able to relish in a healthy home-cooked meal every night (college has made this a scarce novelty). Whenever a new meat or vegetable made its appearance on the table Karen would make its origin and journey to our plates well known. By doing this every night I gained a special appreciation for a variety of foods. Palisade peaches are softer and sourer than the rest and Routt County beef is the tenderest (due to its very short travel time from the ranch to our freezer). Each food I consume fosters a connection to the land can’t be found anywhere else. In every bite you can taste the soil and air of a meal’s former home. After sampling enough fruits and veggies from across Colorado I was even able to taste the distinctness in “mountain grown” produce west of the continental divide and “plains grown” towards the east.

The connection is becoming harder and harder to find today. I first noticed it as I moved to Denver last fall with a multi-thousand dollar meal plan in my pocket, which could buy nourishment but not real food. Processed food is taking over American diets. Not only is it unhealthy but it lacks what I love most about food, a story. When you eat a bowl of cereal or a fruit rollup there is no connection to earth, just the sugary rush and ensuing dental harm. No one worked night and day to bring that high fructose corn syrup to your table. Is the convenience of processed food worth the loss in value? For me the answer is a resounding no, however many people could care less.

The distinctness of a food’s geography is most apparent while traveling. It is easy to overlook the minute differences between American crops, but less so when comparing traditional Japanese food to American cuisine for example. Sampling food from other cultures is always an interesting experiment and one begins to associate that taste and smell with a locale. Spain, will always remind me of Tapas, an appetizer dish filled with different combinations of vegetables, seafood, cheeses, olives and many other ingredients. When I sampled a tapa bar while traveling in Spain the taste became inextricably linked with soil, sea and livestock of Europe. The taste of tapas prepared with Spanish food will always taste more authentic than the same dish made elsewhere. The same holds true for American food, a burger made in America tastes like America. I had the opportunity to eat a hamburger in Mexico during spring break. As I scoffed it down like a true American I could immediately taste tartness in the meat that didn’t belong in my concept of a burger. The bun also possessed a floury quality as if the baker accidently dropped it in a barrel of the white stuff. In all it was nothing like a good ole’ American burger I love so much.

Food can taste good, bad or just plain bland (aka Sodexo), more important than the taste however is how the food connects you to a place. Food reminds us of home and of foreign places far away, food fresh out of the ground oozes of local nitrates, soil and even atmospheric particles. These combine to give a unique geographic taste that is impossible to reproduce. Next time you eat, give the food a second thought. Ask yourself, where did this come from and what peculiarities give this meal personality? When you genuinely care about the food you eat it becomes more than food. It is a timeless memory, reminding you of places once visited and long forgotten times. That is the true value of food.