Essay 1: Humans and Food

"Food, glorious food!" as Oliver and the boys sang in the 1968 musical film directed by Carol Reed. Nurturing, comforting, pleasant, stimulating, . . . food is all these things, and more. Nothing engages our senses as food does; we see, smell, taste, touch, and hear food all the time, and on numerous occasions, food appeals to two, three, or all of our senses. Our relationship with food constitutes more than just a physical connection. On a deeper level, there exists an emotional and psychological connection that is hard to ignore or overcome for many people.

We need food in order to function and stay alive. According to Sharman Apt Russell, author of Hunger: An Unnatural History, "We were hardwired to eat and eat--and particularly eat fatty foods because we didn't get them often." It was a good thing to eat as much as possible when you weren't sure when and where you would get your next meal. But in an increasingly sedentary America, this is not necessarily the case. In a 2008 issue of Time Magazine featuring an article titled "The Science of Appetite," 67% of the U.S. population is either overweight or obese. "Nature never planned for what could happen," writer Jeffrey Kluger states, "when unchecked appetites were suddenly matched by unchecked resources." With the global population rising at an exponential rate and a finite supply of natural resources at our hands, the world will not be able to sustain our demands unless we practice more efficient farming methods, better environmental stewardship, and take control of our own appetite.

In agriculture, one of the most depleted nutrients in the soil is nitrogen, a key component that contributes immensely to a plant's growth. There are several methods to maintaining fertile soil. One method involves treating crops with manure, which is more eco-friendly than using nitrogen in manufactured fertilizers. Another method is using Rhizobium, a nitrogen fixing bacteria that can increase crop yields. Today, more and more farmers are practicing non-tillage farming (turning the soil over as little as possible), reducing erosion of the soil and the depletion of its nutrients when it is exposed to air. Many farmers also plant nitrogen-fixing legumes such as alfalfa then turn them over in the soil instead of harvesting them to replenish the ammonium and nitrate supply. This way, farmers can continue to plant crops in the same soil year after year. Genetically modified crops can dramatically increase crop yields by possessing characteristics that enable them to block harmful pathogens. However, many people object to the idea of genetically modified foods out of fear that they will cause allergic reactions or give rise to resistant weeds. Many of these methods are already being carried out throughout the U.S.

Practicing better farming techniques to produce enough food for the entire world is doable. But controlling our appetites is a different story. For one thing, eating is largely voluntary. Most of us can choose what and when we want to eat. For instance, Earth and all its inhabitants would be healthier if everyone was a vegetarian. But the choice to become vegetarian is very difficult for most people. We eat meat almost every day, sometimes every meal. It is also hard to reduce our food intake. We can't just suddenly stop eating meat or eating less, but if it was a gradual process maybe people would get used to the idea of no meat. When I came to Andrews, I didn't eat a lot of meat to begin with. But I started craving for it after only a few days. Even if I am vegetarian and eat veggie meat, the fact that I am eating veggie meat shows that I still want meat. Veggie meat is just a substitute for the real thing. The only way people can become vegetarian is by personal choice, or if the supply of meat suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. Perhaps sustainable agriculture is our only hope.