My thoughts on pieces referencing the home-cooked meal ideals.

After reading the following pieces: Slate's online article by Amanda Marcotte, "Let’s Stop Idolizing the Homecooked Meal" http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/09/03/home_cooked_family_dinners_a_major_burden_for_working_mothers.html?wpsrc=fol_tw Itself based on and reporting material from this SUNC sociological study: http://ctx.sagepub.com/content/13/3/20.full And farmer Joel Salatin's response published in Mother Earth News: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/slate-family-dinner-zb0z1409zsie.aspx#axzz3CjqGRyy3 First off, I very much admire the work that Joel Salatin and other health food proponents have done to popularize and promote healthy eating in the US and knowing where our food comes from. It is important work and it does make a positive impact in people’s health as does knowing where our food comes from. Knowing that people work very hard to create it and it’s not from boxes or bags on the supermarket shelf. I’m one of those cook at home and use organic ingredients much as possible types, but I’ll get something convenient if I need too. I’ll admit straight up, I do not know what it is like to live like the families in the Slate and SUNC pieces, as I can only imagine the serious hardships these working people have to face every day. But from the tone of Salatin’s piece it seems like he does not indicate he knows either. Another thing I’ll comment on is that I don’t mean for this to come off as criticizing Salatin exclusively, as many health food advocates I imagine hold similar views, his response alone had been the inspiration for this article. I still have a lot of respect for the man, even if I do not agree entirely with what he said in the piece. And do wish more farmers could and would practice what Salatin and other farmers who care about the land and the people who enjoy the bounties do and healthy and nutritious food will be more common. After seeing the Salatin piece posted on Facebook I felt compelled to comment. First, to be a good little researcher, I read the Slate and SUNC pieces as well, and all of them more than once, and came to the following conclusion that all pieces certainly make some good points but not one should be taken as the way to get the whole story on the subject of food insecurity and food inequality in America and the problems related to it. I very much agree that healthy food helps create healthy families, and that making food at home offers many advantages. The ability to pick better ingredients (especially when they're local and organic), creates appreciation for food, and offers cheap health insurance against chronic health problems that a steady diet of processed foods, certain food additives, pesticides, certain ingredients, and more can lead too. The evidence there is well documented elsewhere and I'll not rehash it as 2-minutes on Google can certainly show you that. However, it is not for everyone, every night of the week, especially for those struggling like those mentioned in the Slate and SUNC pieces. I did not care for the attitude Salatin and many advocates have that people who do not make healthy food for their families are just being lazy with poor priorities. The comment to, that if they would just cut out luxuries, (such as cigarettes, alcohol, eating out, cable-TV, and internet) thus they would have more money for healthy food always struck me as rather insensitive. If the people referenced in the sociology piece are any indication, they've already cut out many of those luxuries, or never used them in the first place as they struggle working two or more jobs to make ends meet. A demographic likely not representative of the social circles Mr. Salatin’s customer base consists of, which I imagine have considerably greater resources for healthful eating. Something I imagine more people would like to have. Salatin’s comment too about why doesn't Marcotte write about the other problems leading to poor health in America, such as the mindset that pharmaceuticals are all magic cure-all pills, struck me as going off-topic, as the point of the original article. Are those serious problems in America? Yes! But it's not like they've not been discussed by other people in many circumstances before, and that had not been what the author had been reporting on. And thirdly, to stop picking on Salatin, the comment about how people could create food gardens in their backyard over grass fails to take into account a few things and that not everyone can grow food in their lawns. Not just the aforementioned problems with time and resources, but also quite simply, HOAs and other neighborhood associations do have rules forbidding growing anything other than grass and flowers so as to maintain appearances. And if the lawns are like many in northeastern, post-industrial USA, where I live, the soil is contaminated needing some form of bioremediation to be done. If we are to have better and healthier diets in America, healthy food needs to be accessible to everyone. Wages and benefits for all working people needs to be so that anyone working full-time can earn an actual living wage. Food assistance programs will need to do what is possible to keep healthy food available. Big agribusiness, fast food chains, and others contributing to America's food related health problems need to pay their share of the expenses so junk food is not priced at artificially low prices, but the prices reflect the true costs. HOAs and neighborhood associations nationwide can change their charters and allow gardening to take place in people’s yards so that homegrown food is more consistently available. And backyard gardening to grow more than just flowers and ornamentals can become more common place. One commenter on the Mother Earth News article wrote, "We must talk "to" them. Here are some things we can say: 1. Start easy--bring your kids to a farmers market or farm stand. Have them help you to choose and cut whole fresh carrots and other veggies to pack in school lunches next week. Ask for their feedback. 2. Try this recipe--it includes several whole food ingredients. You can do it! 3. You'll feel good when you give yourself and your kids food boundaries. Your kids will complain. That's OK. Stay positive. 4. Read this article or watch this movie about industrial food. What do you think? 5. Hey Mom--you're doing a good job. Your work in the kitchen is important. Thanks for supporting local agriculture." -Kirsten Solving food inequality in the US, and elsewhere, is no simple feet, it'll take work from all members of society, but let's not pretend that those who do not eat healthfully are all lazy-slobs who only eat fast food because they'll not sacrifice unhealthy luxuries okay? Many things need to change.