Earlier this week, after watching a moving theatre performance with some friends, we decided to lunch in a neighbourhood cafe which had raving internet reviews. The restaurant doubles up as a yoga studio and also, hosts art therapy classes and comedy nights. A thick menu offers numerous ‘healthy’ dishes - breakfasts with eggs, neer dosas, smoothies in glasses, smoothies in bowls, rice bowls, millet bowls, salads and so on. A long introductory page describes the cafe in these words, ‘this is an urban oasis. If you’ve been manifesting good energy, good food and like-minded people to share a space with, it’s time to reap the fruits’. Alas, the beverages were insipid, the curry was off balance, the prawns weren’t fresh and the neer dosa was sprinkled with an ajinomoto (MSG) loaded topping similar to the kind in little sachets which accompany pizza boxes. Yet, the place was teeming with people who seemed to be enjoying themselves and were spending precious money on a meal which promised nutrition and goodness but, did not deliver on that promise.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a meal in isolation. There are far too many like it and they have an appeal for an urban consumer population which is seeking interesting food experiences and is also, spending time and money on health and wellness. The food is perhaps photogenic but, neither healthy nor flavourful. It would not be accurate however, to make this observation about restaurants alone. It is equally an observation about consumers i.e. us, the eaters. On a regular basis, we’re encountering people from different walks of life and age groups who have what might be characterised as strictly regulated relationships with food or relationships that are in isolation from the intricacies of the food ecosystem. For example, buying imported vegetables and fruit over local and seasonal produce or choosing jumbo sized buckets of biryani over more balanced meals or wasting food and with just as much ease large amounts of food packaging or eating selectively like only a few vegetables, only chicken, only salads, no fruit, no sugar, no starch or seeking red winter carrots in the middle of May and so on.
We have a situation where on the one hand, there is an abundance of food choices for those who can afford them and undoubtedly, one must be able to exercise choice based on cultural practices and nutritional requirements. However, informed choices can only be made when we, as eaters, inform ourselves about what good food means and how it should be consumed. Previously, knowledge of the relationship between food, health, nature and culture, was commonplace in every household and this wisdom was passed down from one generation to another. It was education in food, not in a physical or digital classroom but, through everyday interactions and experiences. It is time for us to contemplate how this education can be provided again in a modern context and how we can rediscover our natural relationship with food by building what we call our ‘food aptitude’.
By building aptitude, we do not mean having to take cooking lessons but, engaging in simple, structured, well-rounded learning experiences which gradually and continuously rebuild our repository of food wisdom. It means to rediscover our natural relationship with food and become confident and responsible about the choices we make. What does it really mean, having an aptitude for food? It is to,
- Develop a healthy and natural relationship with food, recognising that it is the prime source of nutrition, pivotal to physical and mental development and wellness
- Understand the bases of good food i.e. food must certainly be nutritious but, it must also be flavourful, cultural and seasonal
- Engage in a diverse diet, confident and curious about consuming different ingredients and dishes, from your own culture and others
- Understand the basic principles of food production, appreciating the interdependencies between growers, soil, climate and biodiversity
- Understand the basic economics of the food system, realising that working with food is a source of income for many people and hence, the money you spend on food supports livelihoods
- Feel responsible and be disciplined in ways of eliminating or minimising food waste
- Be comfortable cooking; using ingredients, utensils, knives, fire; even if with a limited repertoire of recipes
This broad based knowledge of food is relevant to everyone and it can be imparted in ways that are relatable for everyone as well. Hence, when we think about who should be educated in food, quite simply, it is for everyone but, especially the following:
- Urban consumers, who have an interest in food experiences but, are increasingly distanced from the fundamentals of good food systems
- Professionals working with or aspiring to work with food, particularly chefs and restaurateurs
- Young people, who live independently and make decisions about eating at home and eating out
- Students, who will become consumers and professionals of the future
When we build this food aptitude, we enable ourselves to differentiate between food that is balanced, enduring, sustainable versus food fads which may come and go. ‘Wisdom is not a product of schooling but, of the lifelong attempt to acquire it’, said Albert Einstein. Food is lifelong for each one of us and it’s influence goes far beyond our nourishment and pleasure. Hence, our effort to constantly build our food aptitude and become foodwize must be lifelong as well.