Episode Overview:
In this episode, Eve and I cover a lot of ground. I express my gratitude for and awe of working mothers who do so much and have even more on their shoulders during this pandemic. We then evaluate how COVID19 has highlighted socio-economic differences and tie it back to Eve’s work on food culture. Access to nutritious food is such a clear representation of the bifurcation of our society as is the way we engage on social media. It may seem like we cover varied topics here, but it is all connected: diet, food supply, climate, capitalism, social media & the attention economy, and mental health. The more of these episodes I host, the more I realize that.
My Favorite Quotes:
“You have the marketing budgets in these food systems that have been allocated to pushing these addictive food products to people of color”
“Addressing climate change is something that anyone who is marching in the streets for racial justice should care about.”
“A lot of these sustainability initiatives are so targeted to the “three W’s” – white, western, and wealthy individuals.”
“The largest population of vegans in the United States is from the African American community. 3% of the US is vegan and 8% of African Americans”
“We have to understand that money is the core motivator here – business has more power to create change than regulation or deregulation… not that those aren’t important, but we’ll be waiting a long time if we rely on those two as a lever.”
“Diet tribes are people who are craving community, they want to find others who have a similar belief system, and social media has allowed people to create those communities.”
“Research around the microbiome is JUST beginning and what scientists are finding is that the gut microbiome has way more to do with our health and wellbeing than calories.”
“It’s critical that we’re using our bodies, that we’re stimulating our senses, that we’re creating something tangible.”
“Is there anything more meaningful than feeding others and cultivating new life?!”
“Posting a meal is not a substitute for eating with friends; just as posting a black box is not a substitute for getting in the streets and marching.”