I love serving people food. Food, defined as a consumable made with integrity, from ingredients that are pure, is wonderful. My reaction to it is on an emotional level. I am fascinated by it; I pursue it; I want to be around it; I enjoy giving it to other people. I am proud that this is how I spend the majority of my days.
In trying to understand the general (though certainly not universal) attitude that service is a second rate job and one that you do on your way to becoming something else, I keep returning to the way we produce food and how we view consuming it. Even at the finest of restaurants, and certainly at the delis, Subways, and diners of our daily lives, most of what is served travels a substantial distance before being broken down and made in its final product. There is little to no relationship between the production of the raw ingredient (the fabrication from nature) and the production of that which is sold as a final product. So already there is a disconnect for most people between what is needed to survive (and thereby what is, historically and psychologically, been held in 'awe') and what is being eaten.
At the same time, and not unrelated, is the attitude we have developed in relation to food: Food is the enemy, something to be parceled out in certain settings or combinations or not at all; Food as a substitute for any one of many emotional difficulties (most of which I believe ultimately lead back to a distinct feeling of alienation, but that for another time); Skinny is beautiful; The other extreme, fat/obese is beautiful; And the list goes on. The people who serve us food, rather than being harbingers of care and survival, become enablers of damaging social and internal narratives. It is not unreasonable to have little respect for such enablers, or to desire not to be one.
Food, produced in a more traditional manner, from ingredients grown locally and fabricated in smaller quantities, tends to attract people to serve it who share my attitude toward service. This creates, on a local and sometimes national scale, a loosely knit community of like-minded folks. It is a lovely world to belong to, and the first one in a long time to which I feel I truly belong.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
An examination of the way we produce, serve and consume food...
Our approach to food production and food service is not value neutral. Through the creation of food, from raw ingredients to finished products, and through the giving or serving of food, we express a myriad of mores, social and cultural norms, anxieties, and personal neurosis. Though these webs of interrelated processes may be socially and personally challenging, their examination fosters community awareness and the opportunity to live, produce and consume with greater care and understanding, both socially and personally.
Sites I Enjoy
- Amy's Bread, New York, NY
- Bonny Doon Vineyard, Santa Cruz, CA
- Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
- David Bruce Winery, Santa Cruz, CA
- Edible Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
- Fort Greene Greenmarket, Brooklyn, NY
- Grapevine Catering, Russian River Valley, CA
- Intelligensia Coffee, National and International
- Oliveto, Oakland, CA
- Ommegang Brewery, Cooperstown, NY
- Six Point Craft Ales, Brooklyn, NY
- Tasting Table, San Francisco, CA and New York, NY
Followers
Blog Archive
About Me
- Mikha Diaz
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Sister, daughter, wife, lover, cook, baker, philosopher, addicted to water, sunshine, wine, cheese and chocolate.
2 comments:
I remember visiting Germany back in high school, and being told: "When your server comes around at the restaurant and asks you how the food is, remember that in all likelihood they made the food as well as serving it to you." Of course--and I take this as not incidental--one also rarely tips much in Germany, because these same servers are paid a full, living wage with benefits. I spent a good couple of 'transitional' years as a server in college: never did I prepare the food, never was my participation in preparing the food requested (or even suggested)...and, like every other waiter in this country, I survived on tips, with my paycheck barely covering taxes (and certainly no benefits).
I think when people tend to think of serving as a "transitional" and/or "menial" job, it's the low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions they have in mind. But you're absolutely right to see that, lurking below this surface, there must also be reflected an entire cultural relationship to food, food production, etc. In a capitalist society, the way we pay people directly reflects the value placed in their labor by the culture--and so the low pay of waiters, teachers, etc., is never the true problem, but always a symptom!
There is no more basic act of kindness than feeding another human being. I can remember as if it was yesterday the deep satisfaction I felt when feeding our babies, watching them enjoy new foods, contributing to their contentment. I took pleasure in steaming fresh vegetables and grinding them into baby food, knowing I was preparing wholesome, tasty meals for our growing children.
Our too-busy, multi-tasking lives have led many to value convenience over quality. Our super-size-me society has us buying big. We live our days in a rush, unconscious of what we are eating and where it came from. I believe this lack of self-care is a symptom of a people disconnected in basic ways from self.
There is nothing more wonderful than lingering with friends and family over a tasty meal --fresh, colorful, flavorful foods and drink enjoyed together -- in an atmosphere in which each person feels attended to; cared for. These are the special moments that make up ones life; the memories one cherishes.
Post a Comment