There was a moment in both Food, Inc. and the section we read in The Omnivore's Dilemma that has lingered in the back of my mind for a couple days, the moment when Michael Pollan discussed how the way we think about food has changed in this society. He says it is no longer about survival or even a time for socializing, but in American society, food is now reduced only to its scientific parts; we demonize some dishes and worship others. In other cultures, however, the meal revolves more around the company you keep and the cultural aspect of the food.
While I am at school, meals are rarely purely for socialization, but more centered around work or eating to be full. I usually spend more time hanging out with my friends post-dinner as opposed to during. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the dining hall I usually frequent is small and not conducive for lingering meals. Or maybe it is because of the set up of the dining halls. In my architecture/art history class we have been discussing how important the inside organization is to the feel and purpose of a room or building. When I entered my dining hall tonight, I realized that the buffet-style that most colleges so eagerly adopt is basically an assembly line of food. It is the most efficient and the least coddling method of transferring nutrients into our bodies. Of course, in a large school it is a wonderful method to feed students, but I wonder if there is a way that we could also be welcomed and encouraged to take time for dinner and use that meal (or others) as a break from the hectic day.
Do any of you have any thoughts? Would you support a dining option that was more in line with the slow food movement? How would that look? Currently, I am imagining some form of a potluck in an outdoor venue (so no student workers, just chefs from all the dining halls pitching in) with small tables that seat four and of course, comfortable chairs.
1 comment:
I wonder what would happen if you decided to go to one of the dining halls with four people, and you put each person in charge of one part of the meal? So, in other words, if you're in charge of vegetables, you go up to the buffet and find an assortment of vegetables & side dishes--but you've got to get creative about making a serving dish suitable for four people of these things. And maybe you combine a few things, or bring along some of your own spices to add...and then at table you all pass things around, the way you would at home. SHARE in the food, rather than each person having her own individualized meal.
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