Reflections from the Kitchen co-ordinator of Transition Bondi’s monthly Film & Feast evenings.
A recent radio program on ‘Foodism’ (on The Philosopher’s Zone, RN 576 am) got me thinking. What does that word mean anyway? The speaker, Susan Wolf, explained that ‘Foodism’ is an interest in food beyond the culinary or nutritional. It includes an aesthetic interest, and a focus on pleasure; spending time, attention and money on food. Our eating habits give status in our culture, too, so our decisions have an impact on those around us, and mark us out.
I guess in Transition Bondi we are not quite ‘foodies’,
but we certainly value good, tasty, nutritious food.
And – just as importantly – where it comes from and how it was produced.
These points were reinforced in one of this month’s great films: Dirt: the Movie. The skin of planet Earth is soil, which is the place where terrestrial life arises, flourishes, and decomposes. We tend to ignore it or take it for granted, forgetting that it is easily damaged by practices of farming and the effects of weather and climate over eons.
To bring the topic into our personal view, let us remember Charles Darwin’s admiration for the earthworm and its contribution to the formation of humus and soil fertility. Converting waste food into rich soil, as worms do, we can encourage their action by composting and worm farming. Local councils help by supplying free or low-cost worm farms and compost bins. This method of handling food waste does not contribute to the production of methane in the landfill, which happens when waste food is buried and decomposes anaerobically.
May consideration of the ethical complexities of food – production, transportation, consumption, waste etc – continue to occupy us at Transition Bondi!
Kit, Transition Bondi, September 2016