When I set out to cull my overflowing magazine pile, I ran across the Winter 2010 issue of GOOD, the "slow issue." Inside, an article about the genesis of the slow food movement in Italy caught my attention. Slow Food USA's president, Joshua Viertel, concisely expressed his feelings on the matter:
"We're not promoting a set of values. All we're saying is that you should eat what you value."
To eat what you value requires full consciousness, meditating on the source of your food, where it was grown, and how it arrived at your table. But food consciousness is not something that happens in an instant.
It's been my experience that awareness is awakened over time. It's not simply a matter of deciding once and for all you're devoting yourself to almond milk for the rest of your life or refusing to eat chicken unless you bought it from the farmer directly. It's about knowing why you made these choices, what motivated you, and gradually easing into a new model of eating.
Even after adopting Meatless Mondays for months, you might not see the progression until a year later. But rest assured. Look back on your journey, and if you care about food in any small capacity (and I know you do), you will see the arc of your values translating into a new model of eating and engaging with the food community, and that in itself is a beautiful thing.
How does the food on your plate reflect your values? Have you made any changes in the last year to move towards greater food consciousness?