I think the next few posts are going to be a bit shorter than the last. Of course I say that and then 2000 words later I find myself back at square one. In my worrying about not having a job yet once I get back to the states, I will happily distract myself by writing away. I'm doing so at the Writers Meetup right next to the river in downtown Melbourne. Belgian Beer Cafe. I feel like an Aussie ordering fries with gravy and a pot of cider. :)
This post's theme is consumerism and of course, as the title suggests: the value of food. My sister keeps making this comment about how she doesn't pay enough for food, which I know is the same in the States, but I didn't realize how BAD it is here in Melbourne. Residents spend about 5% of their income on food here, compared to roughly 30-40% of American households. How freakin' crazy is that?
If you know a much (or as little) about economics as I do, you're probably also feeling slightly alarmed at that statistic. Well, my four weeks abroad studying the issues certainly won't change the state of affairs, but it does at least provide me some perspective when it comes to what consumers are willing to pay for their food--and everything else for that matter--and its effect on farmers. While I was camping, I read a great book edited by Nick Rose called Fair Food, which comprised the stories of about ten influential foodies of some flavor in Australia. Most of them I had either heard of, emailed, or plan to meet while I'm here! It was a great overview of what's been happening in the past couple decades in Australia and gave me a lot of hope for the future. It was also awesome to read about other's people's trajectories into their current positions and find them so non-linear. A lot of their thought processes mirrored my own--being ambitious in their ideas and influencing those around them through sheer excitement for what they're doing. I came across a lot of ideas through reading Fair Food, such as pursing an MBA program that allows me to focus on social innovation/change so that whatever farming venture I go into has a meaningful impact well beyond the immediate environment.
It also made me realize that perhaps I wouldn't be worse off if I stayed in Kansas to be a foodprenuer or "pioneer", as Rose kept saying about those he featured in his book. No one else is going to change the food system for me, right? I can't travel the world and come back expecting things to be different. I think as long as I have the opportunity to continue traveling and learning about other agricultural innovations out there (and of course find a way to satisfy my appetite for Spanish) I could make it work. Maybe just do PeaceCorps in South America and call it good?
Anyways, back to consumerism. Australia's equivalent to Black Friday is called Boxing Day, which occurs the day after Christmas and is a shopper's hay day. Personally, I found my quick walkabout with my sister at Melbourne Central (a four story mall with a train station at the bottom) absolutely overwhelming. Sure, the free smells from T2 (my new favorite tea shop after Teavana) and people watching is always great for cheap entertainment, but I much prefer less chaotic forms. The whole reason we went to the mall was to go to the movie theatre to see Coco (HIGHLY recommend, esp. for you Spanish learners out there!).
I don't know...I think there's something to be said about preferring environments that are similar to those in which you grew up. Sidewalk Sale day in Lawrence is about as chaotic as I'm willing to endure, and that's just once a year. I've gotten over Black Friday. The best kind of shopping is done strategically throughout the year in my opinion.
So what's the relationship between consumerism and the value of food? Australian's spend about $100 a week on food eating out. I've noticed that the options for restaurants and cafes here are insane. I forget what the ratio of restaurants:humans is in Melbourne, but it's crazy compared to most places. Being surrounded by food on every corner undoubtedly makes the choice easier between grabbing something from a cafe as opposed to picking up food from the grocery store and preparing a meal at home. I'm lucky to have a mother who instilled in me a great love for cooking, so to me it's more like a functional hobby than anything, but there are many out there who don't know how to prepare vegetables, don't think they have enough time to cook, or are afraid of failure. Trust me: as a young cook myself, delicious meals do not come without many hiccups along the way. The wonderful moments when everyone around you is happy because of what you just made is totally worth all the burnt, overcooked, and saltless mistakes of the past.
The real question here is how do we foster a culture of cooking once again, and how do we convince consumers to eat seasonally AND pay more for their food? Don't forget about the farmers again. They've got to earn a living, too. I'm still trying to figure out how we go about it, but my first suggestion is to try growing something yourself this year. Anything! It doesn't have to be edible, but it will probably be a lot more satisfying if it is. Maybe you've got a window where you can put some herbs, or a tiny spot in the garden for a seed potato?
Six days left of my trip...trying to enjoy every moment of warmth from the sun.
This post's theme is consumerism and of course, as the title suggests: the value of food. My sister keeps making this comment about how she doesn't pay enough for food, which I know is the same in the States, but I didn't realize how BAD it is here in Melbourne. Residents spend about 5% of their income on food here, compared to roughly 30-40% of American households. How freakin' crazy is that?
If you know a much (or as little) about economics as I do, you're probably also feeling slightly alarmed at that statistic. Well, my four weeks abroad studying the issues certainly won't change the state of affairs, but it does at least provide me some perspective when it comes to what consumers are willing to pay for their food--and everything else for that matter--and its effect on farmers. While I was camping, I read a great book edited by Nick Rose called Fair Food, which comprised the stories of about ten influential foodies of some flavor in Australia. Most of them I had either heard of, emailed, or plan to meet while I'm here! It was a great overview of what's been happening in the past couple decades in Australia and gave me a lot of hope for the future. It was also awesome to read about other's people's trajectories into their current positions and find them so non-linear. A lot of their thought processes mirrored my own--being ambitious in their ideas and influencing those around them through sheer excitement for what they're doing. I came across a lot of ideas through reading Fair Food, such as pursing an MBA program that allows me to focus on social innovation/change so that whatever farming venture I go into has a meaningful impact well beyond the immediate environment.
It also made me realize that perhaps I wouldn't be worse off if I stayed in Kansas to be a foodprenuer or "pioneer", as Rose kept saying about those he featured in his book. No one else is going to change the food system for me, right? I can't travel the world and come back expecting things to be different. I think as long as I have the opportunity to continue traveling and learning about other agricultural innovations out there (and of course find a way to satisfy my appetite for Spanish) I could make it work. Maybe just do PeaceCorps in South America and call it good?
Anyways, back to consumerism. Australia's equivalent to Black Friday is called Boxing Day, which occurs the day after Christmas and is a shopper's hay day. Personally, I found my quick walkabout with my sister at Melbourne Central (a four story mall with a train station at the bottom) absolutely overwhelming. Sure, the free smells from T2 (my new favorite tea shop after Teavana) and people watching is always great for cheap entertainment, but I much prefer less chaotic forms. The whole reason we went to the mall was to go to the movie theatre to see Coco (HIGHLY recommend, esp. for you Spanish learners out there!).
I don't know...I think there's something to be said about preferring environments that are similar to those in which you grew up. Sidewalk Sale day in Lawrence is about as chaotic as I'm willing to endure, and that's just once a year. I've gotten over Black Friday. The best kind of shopping is done strategically throughout the year in my opinion.
So what's the relationship between consumerism and the value of food? Australian's spend about $100 a week on food eating out. I've noticed that the options for restaurants and cafes here are insane. I forget what the ratio of restaurants:humans is in Melbourne, but it's crazy compared to most places. Being surrounded by food on every corner undoubtedly makes the choice easier between grabbing something from a cafe as opposed to picking up food from the grocery store and preparing a meal at home. I'm lucky to have a mother who instilled in me a great love for cooking, so to me it's more like a functional hobby than anything, but there are many out there who don't know how to prepare vegetables, don't think they have enough time to cook, or are afraid of failure. Trust me: as a young cook myself, delicious meals do not come without many hiccups along the way. The wonderful moments when everyone around you is happy because of what you just made is totally worth all the burnt, overcooked, and saltless mistakes of the past.
The real question here is how do we foster a culture of cooking once again, and how do we convince consumers to eat seasonally AND pay more for their food? Don't forget about the farmers again. They've got to earn a living, too. I'm still trying to figure out how we go about it, but my first suggestion is to try growing something yourself this year. Anything! It doesn't have to be edible, but it will probably be a lot more satisfying if it is. Maybe you've got a window where you can put some herbs, or a tiny spot in the garden for a seed potato?
Six days left of my trip...trying to enjoy every moment of warmth from the sun.
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| These alliums are everywhere as ornamental flowers |
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