Food Communities: Know Your Grocer

In my last post I mentioned that one way to eat better is to get to know some of the people who bring us our food.  Let's think about this some more.

When we go to the grocery store, how do we know if something is fresh or nutritious? True, we can look for the “local” and “organic” signs and scrutinize nutritional labels on boxes, keeping in mind whatever the latest news story tells us we should or shouldn't be eating. But I'd like like to suggest something different: what if instead of depending on a label to guide our choices, we actually get to know some of the people who sell us our food? Better yet, why don't we get to know the people who grow our food? One of the greatest things we've lost as our modern food system has become globalized is our food community, that network of relationships between those who grow and make food and all of us who eat it. Our industrial food system is one in which what was once personal has become anonymous. With anonymity comes a loss of personal responsibility, a loss of incentive to create foods that ARE good rather than only LOOK good.

Each of us has the power to start mending these broken relationships, to rebuild our food communities. If you shop at the same grocery store each week (most of us do), you can start by paying attention to who you see in the produce, meat, bakery, and dairy departments. You see some familiar faces, right? Well say hello! Introduce yourself, ask a question, make a suggestion. Ask which variety of apple was grown closest to the store. Mention that you would really like the option to buy grass-fed beef. If the bread you bought last week was really tasty, tell them so! If you're planning a special meal and want to know which fish is the freshest, just ask! Get to know the people who bring you your food, and let them get to know you a little. Don't you think that they'll have more incentive to get the best for you if you're not just another anonymous body in the store? Won't grocery shopping be more enjoyable for you if you chat with some familiar folks while you're there? You'll find that even in a big chain grocery store, employees will happily order things especially for you if you ask nicely and give plenty of advance notice. Don't be afraid to make things personal (this coming from an admitted introvert). It will transform your experience of shopping for food, and take a little bit of the stress out of that part of the process. Plus, it's probably the way your great-grandmother did it.

Don't you feel a little bit better already knowing that you don't have to do it all alone?

You can take this a step further by getting to know not just your grocer, but your farmer.  I'll talk about this in another post.

Fostering a deeper connection to those who produce our food can enrich
the lives of our children as well.