The big food industry has been very effective in convincing the masses that food is a complicated black box best left to experts and most of us lack the time and ability to prepare it well. Sure, our time is better spent binge-watching Netflix or on social media having our data harvested, right?
In truth, preparing healthy food for ourselves and those around us is in the top handful of most creative, worthwhile, life-enriching activities we can spend time on. It is also a key part of efficient financial management so that we waste less and benefit more. Knowing how to do it from the resources at hand has always been the base of vibrant cultures and communities the world over.
As the majority of people have stopped growing food in recent decades, access to fresh ingredients can be challenging in some areas, to be sure. But most of all, the deficit today is in knowledge and education around what and how to prepare.
Turns out teaching people to recognize and use different types of fresh produce is key to them wanting to eat it, and without education and experience those making health-destructive food choices don’t know the difference (or the delicious eats they are missing!)
Time and money spent on health-destructive activities are counter-productive, and a lot of people (and governments) are allocating scarce resources today to food that is making us sick (and our sick-care system financially unsustainable).
The fresh food movement is about connecting families and communities in preparing affordable, health-affirming sustenance together, and it’s a pastime making a much-needed comeback. Cooking lessons and community education efforts are a new-old growth area in huge demand. And since people are online a lot anyway, recipes, how-to-videos, and even live-cooking classes are some of the most useful information available on the internet.
As always, teaching people how to help themselves is more effective than just handouts. See one inspiring story in Meet the woman helping change the way that Brooklyn eats:
Samuels opened The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH) in 2006, a 2,000 sq. ft. pantry offering nutrient-rich foods and fresh produce, only to realize the biggest challenge wasn’t the availability of healthy food. It was the relationship that people in the neighborhood had to the food they ate. So, she set out to help change that relationship…
The other differentiator was the pantry’s commitment to a consistent supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. In Samuels’ eyes, giving people options and healthy foods was the solution to the issues of health and hunger.
There was just one problem: nobody was taking the produce.
What do you do when your clients reject your idea? You listen to them, says Samuels. “People thought curly kale was too difficult to swallow. They didn’t know how to cook spinach, or they’d boil string beans until they lost all color.”
She quickly changed her approach and turned the pantry into a community food education center that includes a “chef’s corner” where clients can try new foods and talk to professionals about how to prepare them, says Samuels. If you’re there at the right time, you might, for example, find small pieces of soft zucchini bread, kale salad, or lentil soup on display next to a recipe. Or a chef teaching a group of seniors how to prepare roasted spicy lemon cauliflower with a yogurt parsley sauce.”
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