We just returned from visiting family in central Florida. The trip was awesome and we enjoyed spending quality time with our family. However an incident with my 7 year old son is still bothering me and I am grappling with what it means for me.
We decided to do a very Florida-esque thing and took an airboat ride out on one of the local lakes. The ride itself is not exactly harmful to the environment (aside from the din of the motor) and the kids got to see an amazing number of marsh birds, turtles and alligators extremely up close and in the wild. The gift shop attached to the tour operator however was a little questionable. Along with other souvenirs, they also sold taxidermic baby alligator ‘trophies’ which were heads of baby alligators with intact gaping mouth and teeth finished off with a display base. I could not believe that these were real alligators. Alas, they were. The heads are harvested from farms which breed alligators for meat and skin (and souvenirs it seems). For whatever reason my son took a fancy to it and insisted that he wanted to buy one to take home. I told him that since it was real there was no way we were going to buy it and he wanted to know why. Aiming for shock and sympathy, I told him that they “chop” off the heads of baby alligators (like the cute one displayed in an aquarium in the same shop) to make the souvenir and that I was sure he did not want such a fate for baby alligators. Pat came the reply,
We decided to do a very Florida-esque thing and took an airboat ride out on one of the local lakes. The ride itself is not exactly harmful to the environment (aside from the din of the motor) and the kids got to see an amazing number of marsh birds, turtles and alligators extremely up close and in the wild. The gift shop attached to the tour operator however was a little questionable. Along with other souvenirs, they also sold taxidermic baby alligator ‘trophies’ which were heads of baby alligators with intact gaping mouth and teeth finished off with a display base. I could not believe that these were real alligators. Alas, they were. The heads are harvested from farms which breed alligators for meat and skin (and souvenirs it seems). For whatever reason my son took a fancy to it and insisted that he wanted to buy one to take home. I told him that since it was real there was no way we were going to buy it and he wanted to know why. Aiming for shock and sympathy, I told him that they “chop” off the heads of baby alligators (like the cute one displayed in an aquarium in the same shop) to make the souvenir and that I was sure he did not want such a fate for baby alligators. Pat came the reply,
Son: "But the alligator is already dead. He is not going to come alive just because I don't buy it."
Me: "Yes, but we are simply not going to buy something that was made by killing an alligator."
Son: "But why? I am not killing it. Someone else did it. I just want it because it looks like a toy."
Me: "Well, we are not going to buy it because if we do then the people selling it will think more people want it and will kill more baby alligators."
Son: [by now in frustrated tears] "I really want it and I don't get it and I don't care. I like it."
Me: [pulling the parent trump card] "Well, I am sorry but you simply cannot have it. It is not the right thing to do."
On the car drive home, I proceeded to give him a long lecture in what it means to stand up for what you believe and how we can prevent things by not supporting certain activities that are against your principles and blah, blah, blah. Suddenly I realized that I was trying to give him a lesson in activism. Well I know that the 7 year old did not really care for what I was saying but I hope someday he understands. In the meantime though I have been wondering how much of this activism I am applying to my own beliefs. For the time being, lets just talk about food beliefs :-)
Double Standards?
Yes, I do try to buy organic, free range, GMO free, local, seasonal, etc. when it is available. If it is not easily available then I must admit that about 20% of the time, I will buy whatever is conveniently available (ex. wheat, rice, oil, pasta, etc.). My family still eats out at restaurants a fair bit with absolutely no information on their food sourcing all the while nursing the nagging knowledge that it is definitely not organic nor is it free range. In principle, I disagree with the big industrial organics due to their environmental, labor and economic impacts. That said, I do go ahead and buy Earthbound greens at Costco. So what gives? All too often, I succumb to taking the easier road just because it is there and is easily available. How does one face up to the hypocrisy of refusing to let a 7 year old take home a souvenir on grounds of principle but not apply it in other arenas of your life?
Yes, I do try to buy organic, free range, GMO free, local, seasonal, etc. when it is available. If it is not easily available then I must admit that about 20% of the time, I will buy whatever is conveniently available (ex. wheat, rice, oil, pasta, etc.). My family still eats out at restaurants a fair bit with absolutely no information on their food sourcing all the while nursing the nagging knowledge that it is definitely not organic nor is it free range. In principle, I disagree with the big industrial organics due to their environmental, labor and economic impacts. That said, I do go ahead and buy Earthbound greens at Costco. So what gives? All too often, I succumb to taking the easier road just because it is there and is easily available. How does one face up to the hypocrisy of refusing to let a 7 year old take home a souvenir on grounds of principle but not apply it in other arenas of your life?
Nah, I am not about to go off the deep end and turn a total hippie (not yet atleast while pragmatism still rules) but at some point we should all start thinking about what food activism means for us. In the food circles, often there is mention of ‘vote with your fork’ and I do believe that it is a great start. How can we as consumers or rather as ‘eaters’ ask demand for more organic, GMO free, free range choices? Should we reject choices that simply do not meet our standards? For example, I have stopped buying grapes completely till they are in season which is the only time I can find organic grapes. I am sure there are other such choices that can be made as easily.
Is there more beyond ‘vote with your fork’? I am sure there is. A few days ago there was a posting on Facebook titled ‘Food is Political’. I did not fathom how intertwined food and politics are until some recent readings (from Marion Nestle and Raj Patel). The cynical part in me has always passed up on petitions and letters to legislators as something that did not really amount to much. Marion Nestle’s book, Food Politics, has totally shed a different light on the power of corporate lobbyists, media blitzing and public opinion on legislative processes. Up until now it has been the likes of Monsanto, Cargill, etc. who have leveraged these processes for their corporate benefit. What we need are more non-profits, public watchdogs, think tanks, community organizations, farmer networks leveraging media, lobbyists and public opinion to drive food and water safety issues across the political spectrum. Only then will we stop hearing stories of farmers being sued by Monsanto for having their non GMO fields being cross contaminated amongst other ridiculous tales.
Is there more beyond ‘vote with your fork’? I am sure there is. A few days ago there was a posting on Facebook titled ‘Food is Political’. I did not fathom how intertwined food and politics are until some recent readings (from Marion Nestle and Raj Patel). The cynical part in me has always passed up on petitions and letters to legislators as something that did not really amount to much. Marion Nestle’s book, Food Politics, has totally shed a different light on the power of corporate lobbyists, media blitzing and public opinion on legislative processes. Up until now it has been the likes of Monsanto, Cargill, etc. who have leveraged these processes for their corporate benefit. What we need are more non-profits, public watchdogs, think tanks, community organizations, farmer networks leveraging media, lobbyists and public opinion to drive food and water safety issues across the political spectrum. Only then will we stop hearing stories of farmers being sued by Monsanto for having their non GMO fields being cross contaminated amongst other ridiculous tales.
The Challenge is on!
Thanks to my son (who did not get his alligator head and has since forgotten about it), I have decided to challenge myself (and you too if interested) over the next 3 months to:1) Reduce by 30% eating at restaurants that do not have known organic/free-range sourcing
2) Switch to organic staples, ie. wheat, rice, cooking oils, legumes
3) Figure out how to participate in the politiical process for food legislation
I am not sure of how to go about #3 but will report back on my progress.
In the meantime chime in with your ideas on how we, ‘eaters’ can become food activists and get our voices heard (and live with a clearer conscience when denying our children their whims).
