One casual comment made by a girlfriend during a recent dinner at my house, got me thinking, deep, about women, and food, and politics. “You mean, you made the crust? From scratch?” My friend could not believe I had spent the time, and thought I was “too much”. No big deal, I assured her, it had only taken me a few minutes to mix in the flour, salt and butter, and to roll the dough. That’s when I realized how far we have strayed from our womanly ways with food.
Somewhere in the midst of first wave feminism, we, women made a bargain with the devil. Tired of being kept in the kitchen, we welcomed with open arms, promises from the food industry to make life more convenient for us. Put away your apron, and your pots and pans, we were told, and get out instead. Take your family to Mc Donald’s, for a complete dinner, or if you are courageous enough, go to the stores for some half baked alternatives. Pre-cut salads, frozen dinners, bottled dressing, whole roasted chicken, canned soups, cake mixes, potato flakes, . . . Open the package, mix it up and you are all set. That felt like progress, and the perfect solution for a hurried evening after a whole day at the office.
Of course there were compromises to be made, such as paying more for our food, and jeopardizing our health and that of our family. Products loaded with too much salt, too much sugar, too much fat, and too many empty calories. Paragraph long labels with ingredients more fit for a science lab than our stomach. Foods purified from their natural vitamins and nutrition. Further compounding the problem, manufacturers conspired to confuse us with misleading claims that we were only too happy to believe. I know firsthand. I spent a good part of my early advertising career trying to convince moms of the wholesomeness of granola bars . . . what a spin that was!
The truth has been catching up with us, however, in the form of record highs in obesity and associated illnesses such as diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure. The personal and national costs are astronomical, and demand an overhaul of our entire food system, such as proposed by pioneers of the natural food movement. First was California food’s priestess, Alice Waters, then Omnivore Dilemma‘s Michael Pollan, and now Slow Food‘s Carlo Petrini. Each time, the green, intellectual elite has responded with ardor. Some of that enthusiasm has trickled down to the mainstream, as evidenced by the spread of organics in supermarkets. Deep down, though, not much has changed.
Inspired from the success of Obama’s movement, I would like to suggest a different strategy, one that does not come from a few tenors, but that recognizes women as the beholders of the nurturing instinct, and the ones still in charge of most of the food decisions. Let’s call it The Women’s Food Movement, an effort at organizing the community of women all over, to help them regain confidence in their innate ability to nourish, using simple recipes and affordable, high quality, natural ingredients. Shifting the power away from manufacturers and retailers, back into the hands of women. No fancy words needed. Instead, a narrative anchored in their every day food activities and concerns, e.g. shopping for groceries, deciding on what to make for dinner, exchanging recipes, looking for deals and clipping coupons, worrying about feeding their family healthy food, having limited time for cooking, making ends meet . . .
Most importantly, The Women’s Food Movement is about trusting women to hold the answers, collectively, and simply providing them with an organizing community and some tools to turn that knowledge into constructive action. This approach requires a deeper understanding of women’s food psychology, than currently displayed in existing solutions. For a beginning of food conversations with women, you may follow the Twitter stream here.
Ah Marguerite, you will raise consciousness of food just as you raised consciousness of global warming. You neglected to mention in your post that you are French – and the French are raised with a totally different relationship to food than Americans. I still remember those days in grad school when my French girlfriends would effortlessly mix up a “sauce salade,” out of mustard, olive oil, and vinegar with herbs, whereas the Americans would reach for Thousand Island or maybe plain olive oil.
But you’re on to something here – I never cease to be amazed at how women will swap tips to find the best bakery, when home baked cake, made from scratch, is far more delicious. And it’s easier to bake at home than to brave the crowds on the roads and at the stores! (Not to mention better for the environment to leave the car at home).
One point of contention: I know why you’re focusing on women here, but many women I know (including yours truly) rely on their husbands for home cooked meals (and these are men with their own demanding careers). Just tonight my husband warmed up some “CSA soup,” he made from organic millet, turnips, carrots, rutabaga, parsnip, leeks, vegetable broth and crushed tomatos (ok, then last two were from Whole Foods 365).
I am going to forward you a very interesting message on this topic from one of the biodynamic farmers who supplies my CSA – you’re welcome to quote from it.
[…] So I do agree with a lot of the things that Marguerite said: […]
I don’t think we can blame the first wave of feminism – corporations began pushing convenience products way before then. Remember back then most women were expected to do all the house work and cooking; a little convenience food must have been very tempting if the men in the family weren’t pulling their weight. Lots of men (though certainly not all) have learned to be good partners in housework. Why let them off the hook now, by saying its the women who will have to relearn to cook from scratch?
Welcome to the place where women nurture, where men can do it all and kids grow strong, smart and healthy.
This is the chance to grab the lessons and run with imagination.
For a future plentiful and a productive project, may we share ourselves and be fruitful.
…just one niggle: Slow Food preceded Omnivore’s Dilemma. 🙂
Yes, it’s sad if feminism has led some women and their families to eat bad, industrially prepared food. I was a feminist in the 60s and 70s (and I still am a feminist), but I’ve always liked good food too much not to spend a lot of time preparing it. My husband, son and daughter cook too and love good food. I think it’s important for all of us, male and female, to take control of our food, by growing and cooking, and buying locally. I agree that we must take power back from the manufacturers and retailers, but it’s not just for women to do this. It’s connected to feminist issues, but different in that we must ALL do this. As women, we must ensure that, even if our husbands don’t take responsibility for food, our sons will! The People’s Food Movement maybe?
I like your blog and its challenging ideas. I’m glad to have found it and I’ll follow it now.