Save me! Every time I take a bite of anything these days, I wonder about the resources that went into it.
I normally don’t eat beef. I did recently. A burger and fries at Ted’s Grill. Did you know Ted Turner owns Ted’s Grill? Did you know Ted Turner owns 80% of all the Bison? As we walk into Ted’s Grill, I notice a huge Bison head mounted on the wall. It looked like a giant. There must have been 10 feet from one tip of it’s horns to the other. Impressive! It was huge! Needless to say, I set with my back to that wall and didn’t order bison from the menu…remembering the glass glare from the bison held on the wall.
When Ted Turner was asked what is it that you like about bison?
“I just, I really love them. I’m a naturalist and an environmentalist, and I was touched by the tragedy that occurred with the bison. There were 30 million of ’em on the Great Plains when the white man landed in North America. In the 1880s, there were only about 200 of ’em. I wanted to do everything I could during my life to bring them back. In order to do that you have to be able to monetize the surplus.”
What I didn’t know
about Ted Turner was that he is a huge experimentalist! In 1997 Ted Turner and his family established the Turner Endangered Species Fund as a response to the mass extinction of the world’s plants and animals. Thanks Ted.
Anyway, when the server brought my plate, I commented that the food on the plate could feed three people; and asked for a take-home-box at the beginning of my meal. I cut my burger in half and put half the burger and 3/4 of my fries in the box.
As I take my first bite
into the grilled steer; I try not to think about it bounding through a field…however, most steers don’t get that luxury. Does it really matter? Yum. Juicy and hot, dripping down our chin. Though I didn’t let juice drip down my chin, the flavor was delicious. And I think to myself, how can I eat this, knowing what I know?
Why am I thinking such thoughts? What resources are spent to produce food? How much food do I need? What nutrients do I require? What’ the most efficient and effective way to capture these nutrients? How do I organize my diet? Who do we rely on to safe guard our food? Why do we need to safeguard our food?
Educators should design a food curriculum
for every grade; from one through 12. Tours of local agricultural industry infrastructure should be made mandatory; including ‘field trips’ for all students. Students should follow the livestock and poultry industry from beginning to end; from where they live, what they eat and how they are slaughtered. This relevant education would prepare us to integrate this knowledge into our daily lives. We need to develop respect for what lives are affected by what we eat.
Too Many Miles
We’ve put too many miles between where our food comes from and our mouths! It’s five minutes from the freezer to our mouths. The study of ‘agriculture’ and its impact to our well being should be mandatory from the moment we take our first bite.
Bon Apatete!
