Us and them
"A crude way of describing the divide is that we fall into two broad categories: those who care about food and those who don't. I have been accused at times of writing only for the first group or, to put it another way, of preaching largely to the converted. " Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
This has been on my 'to do' list for a while and a trip to Greensborough today brought it to mind again. Greensborough is two suburbs away from us and a little bit down on the economic scale. Definitely not poor, just poorer. And it shows, in there being rather more obese people there. Because this is really what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is talking about when he speaks of 'us and them' isn't it? Those who eat poorly - the wrong food, are, generally speaking, less well-off and less healthy. But is this because they don't have the money to buy good food or is it because they choose poorly, and if so why?
We live in the most technologically advanced time period and yet most people still don’t understand how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat it.
Joe Nissim, Strengthlete
You would think it is pretty obvious wouldn't you that good food is basically a Mediterranean diet, of vegetables, meat and fish, and that bad food is junk food. Heavens above there are enough food programs on the television, news items, magazines and cookery books spreading this message. Jamie Oliver alone has made it his mission to convert those who don't cook. That's why he keeps his cockney accent - so that he doesn't seem like a rich person (which he is) preaching to the poor and not understanding their plight. So why aren't we all eating healthy food? Choice or necessity?
"The true allure of fast food restaurants is that, plain and simple, they're cheap" Emily Rella, AOL
And I guess this is true. There are lots of ads on the television promoting family packs of their products. We noticed one last night. So why not? They are quick and popular with fussy kids. Even I succumbed to chicken and chips sometimes when my kids were teenagers. But I didn't do it every day. Just sometimes. As for the things in those trolleys at the top of the page, the instant meals, snack foods and processed foods are definitely not a cheap option. Those trolleys by the way refer to a study done in England - poor eating habits in the north - poor health and a lower life expectancy. I'm sure the same would be true here if you did a survey of the richer and poorer suburbs.
So is it choice then? Well partly. We like fatty, salty foods. They taste nice. But not that nice surely? A choice because of time? That also - like me and the chicken and chips. I would have been working all day. But really it doesn't take very long to whip up something healthy and tasty. And again, there are lots of celebrity chefs pushing the virtues of fast, easy and cheap. Jamie Oliver sells bucketloads of books. Surely it's not just to the converted? He maintains that it is a matter of choice, quoting the example of people preferring to go out to a nightclub and spend lots on drinks than on a good meal at home with friends - or even a good, cheapish restaurant. It's really how you choose to spend your money.
"I've worked with students and people on the dole who eat better than some city boys earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, and the reason is that they use their heads when buying. Why is this important? Why should you have standards when buying? Because you're going to put this food in your mouth and swallow it and you'll do this two or three times every single day of your life. Everything you eat contributes to you being happy, or fit, or lethargic, or full of energy, or susceptible to colds and flu, or being able to think better and hold your concentration. Your hair, Your fingernails, your height, your skin, everything you are is made from the food you eat." Jamie Oliver
Or do we buy those books, watch those programs, say yeah, must do that, and then put the book on the shelf and forget the program. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall maintains that, "The food media can only do so much to engage public interest in these issues." And I think he's right though it is sad that we are more swayed by ads and packaging than we are by impassioned cooks showing and telling us via every possible media what we should do to eat healthily.
Personally I think it's an education issue. We should educate people as to how and what to eat. How to choose, how to budget, how to cook. Yes we do a bit of that in primary school I know, but I'm willing to bet that there is not a lot of this sort of thing in high schools. It should be a mandatory subject for everyone. Budgeting and managing your health above all. Without money and health your life will be many times more difficult than it need be.
Food does not seem to be sufficiently important to us, in spite of the vibrant food culture of our immigrant fellow citizens that surrounds us. We have never been more able to find absolutely anything we could wish for in our shops and markets - and if you are sensible it doesn't have to be expensive. The poor of Europe seem to be more interested. A cliché I know, but I suspect it's true.
How to enthuse the food uneducated without patronising? It seems to be a problem nobody can currently solve. And the poor have more children generally speaking, so the problem is only going to get worse.
As for preaching to the converted - I think this holds true for just about everything. the only people who watch television programs, documentaries and feature films on the issues that concern the world these days are the people who are already concerned, not the people who hold opposing views or just don't care. So it is with food I fear, though at least, it would seem that they watch the programs and read the books. So nearer to salvation perhaps.
