Green my guy: The thankful eater

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

I’m scared of pie.

That’s right, you read that correctly. I am scared of its soft, sweet center and its crunchy crust. Eating too much pie on Thanksgiving weekend left my boyfriend, Austin, and I wincing at the idea of food in general.

Throwing away the pie is not an option. Not only do Austin and I hate the idea of wasting food, but wouldn’t it be horribly ironic to throw away food from a holiday that’s all about being thankful for food?

At a time when the global food market is still highly unstable and many Americans are turning to food banks for help, we must appreciate the fact that unlike many others, we still have the luxury of eating when we are hungry.

Unfortunately, food banks and community shelters only take non-perishable food items, not half-eaten pies. At a time when some have so much and others so little, what can we do to minimize that gap? And how do we do it without putting further strain on our natural resources?

Some may say to donate food and money to those in need, but I think that’s just a short-term fix. Simply giving food to the starving doesn’t provide a lasting solution.

Others say that the problem lies in the government, the industrial food system, overpopulation or a culmination of all three. One issue only seems to lead to another and everything only seems to get more and more complicated. I wish I could say I have a solution, that while sitting here at my computer in Kansas, I came up with a way to solve world hunger.

Rather, what I want to say is this: Thanksgiving comes but once a year to remind us to be thankful for what we have: from family and friends to food and football. Just because the leftovers now sit in stacks of Tupperware does not mean that the feeling of thanks must also be stored away until the next year.

Giving thanks for every meal, not just the important ones, does two things. First, it reminds us of how lucky we are. Second, it changes our mindset from one that perceives food as packages, brand names and calories to one that appreciates it for what it does: Satiating our hunger, helping us grow and giving us something to enjoy.

— Janie Chen is a junior from Olathe. Her sustainability blog can be read at www.greenmyguy.wordpress.com.

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