Unit Two Ethical Issues Essay

For a ten month period I lived on a small island in the South Pacific. During that time I gardened and ate an organic diet. I participated in many community meal gatherings and found myself entirely satisfied with life. I attribute much of this to my nourishing lifestyle habits. It is tradition in the South Pacific to share meals with neighbors, passing full plates back and forth between homes and families. If you are presented a plate of food, after its consumption, you hold onto the plate. Whenever the mood strikes you, you return the plate to its owner--full. This tradition (never ending!) leaves one feeling both physically and emotionally fulfilled.

Those in support of the "Slow Food Movement" further encourage this sense of a food community. The process of slowing down and making homemade meals is equal parts spiritually and nutritionally satisfying. Aside from food preparation, food selection could be slowed down as well. Taking time to garden and cultivate ones own ingredients is incredibly rewarding--even therapeutic. Slowing down to hand-squeeze orange juice or hand-squeeze milk from coconuts is commonplace in areas less developed than the United States.

The author of the "Unhappy Meals" article seems to agree with this concept, saying once food was all that you could eat. Now you can choose from many foodlike substances. The consumption of whole foods versus processed foods is very much recommended. This can be achieved through gardening, or through being conscious when grocery shopping. Many foods that are advertised as health foods are truly unhealthy. Shopping at a farmer's market and buying fresh organic products is a good way to ensure that your groceries are nourishing.

Buying local food is a widely popular concept. This supports local economies. Also, it contributes to product freshness. There are several organizations creating programs where a local school garden is used for the cafeteria meals. Again, this is the norm for many developing areas, particularly in the South Pacific. Adopting lifestyle changes in shopping and cooking habits could certainly contribute to a more physically and emotionally satisfying sense of nourishment for Americans.