I cannot tell you the exact "epiphany moment" when I realized my fascination with food--I suppose there are a few. I know for certain that it began with my experiences living and traveling abroad. One of the striking differences about living in Latin America, specifically in Mexico and Peru and living in the United States is the way we go about eating food. There were three prominent things for me:
First, the market. The act of going to the market every week (or few days, I suppose in some cases) to buy the food for the family is a completely different concept from the quick trip to the bright shiny supermarket. To go buy the weekly food that does not necessarily come in boxes or bags, but it is displayed in luscious piles of actually freshly picked fruit and vegetables and (do I dare say it) freshly slaughtered animals. Going to the market is an experience in itself, and believe me, it would not pass the USDA cleanliness laws! The enclosed warehouse or tented street (depending on the season, day or city) is crowded with people selling ever-y-thing: colorful fruits, ripe vegetables, freshly baked breads and tortillas, an impressive array of chiles, spices, and herbs, the cheese booths, and the meat--probably the most shocking of all for the Western-born-foreigner--the entire animal, skinned, hangs on hooks for all to see, the pile of fish are on the next stall over, while the fried pig skins are displayed with a garnish of and entire pig head. One of the other aspects of the market is the concept of seasons--when a mango is not in harvest, it will not be found at a market (but, when it is in harvest, it is the juiciest, most succulent mango ever tasted). Of course, with a location close to the equator, the is something always in season! In the grocery stores of Washington D.C., or my small hometown in New Hampshire there are no seasons, the fruits and vegetables are always available and "fresh", that is to say, until you take a bite and realize the "mango" would never pass for one in the market.
Second, the lack of fast food. I'm not going to lie, there is McDonald's and every other fast food restaurants in big cities of Mexico and Peru. Not only do they attract the non-adventure tourist, but the locals seems to like them too--not to the three-times-a-day that you see in the States, but nevertheless, enough to keep the "restaurants" in business. While the locations are there, the idea of "fast food" is not, even in McDonald's, the customers still sit and eat a meal, it is not the on-the-go mentality of the U.S. customers. The whole idea of eating on-the-go is not something that is seen frequently. It is rare to see a person eating in the street, for example, when people eat, they sit down with others and eat a meal. The lunch break is an hour, or even two if wanted/needed, as opposed to the half-hour speed-lunch at the desk that is common here in the States. Even the street taco stands, which are certainly prominent, often offer a bench to sit and eat. And if there is no bench, the customers will still stand and eat there at the taco stand, chatting with the people, taking their time to eat.
Third, the idea of sharing. This is something that engulfs much of the Latin American culture, everything can be and is shared--food is one of the many. Strangers are welcomed into a home to share a meal with out questions asked. In my experience in the States, a shared meal is an intimate activity, with friends and family. Even when meeting another person for the first time for a meal, still offers the sense of familiarity, comfort and wanting to know the person better. In Latin America, it is for everyone and anyone, and now as I write this, I realize that the feeling of the meal is the same, the people simply offer this to everyone. The comfort of food is shared as an invitation to enter into the comfort of the culture.
I don't want to completely knock on my own culture here. But I do think that we need to take a moment and re-evaluate our relationship with food. We live in such a fast-paced and autonomous society in some ways, we, in my opinion, sacrifice the importance of life's essential and natural needs.
Or in other words, as my Professor put it: we need to eat like people do somewhere else.
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