This evening I attended a panel discussion titled Setting the Oldways Table. Oldways is a Cambridge-based food issues and culinary think tank founded over ten years ago in hopes of recalibrating America's perspective on diet and sustainable food sources. The founder of Oldways, K Dun Gifford, is a familiar figure to me as I know many of his relatives and we both share a passion for pulling striped bass out of the Atlantic. He anchored a panel of scientists, culinary icons and restaurateurs who everyday ramble through a love affair with food. Ideally I would have learned a bit more from the actual discussion, but the event did provide a fertile backdrop for some of my own musings on food, nutrition and health in general.
The book provides a context for a food-lifestyle that combines health, social awareness and social interaction. A table set for friends, a myriad of fresh ingredients, and some good wine will not only result in great memories, but also better mental and physical health. As a personal rule, I always try to avoid eating alone. One does not need to dig in with one's hands, literally sharing a pot of food with others as they do in some cultures, to find the ritual of eating with someone a strong one. My shared meals are purposed to catch up with friends and family, or to extract new ideas from business and social networks. Adding the experience of preparing the food, or at least appreciating hospitality amplifies such interactions, and the book contains the first steps to perfecting the content and setting of a meal.
The details of recipes, science, and cultural origins are best left to the book, but the concept of proximity to one's food is key and it will vary based on where you live --proximity in knowledge as well as geographical proximity. A farmer who grows vegetables for the market may chose not to eat their own due to the amount of pesticides they use to ensure a "healthy" product. Mass-produced poultry and livestock from the center of the country taste different from their grass-fed cousins an hour away from your metropolitan area. Finding a local butcher or monger (maybe just behind the counter at your supermarket) and being able to ask about the source of one's ingredients is not only educational but also reassuring. With Oldways' stress on vegetables, it may even be better to grow your own food in the yard or in a victory garden. As one panelist put it, "I look at the green worms on my cabbage and know that if they are healthy, its healthy for me too."
One concept that came to mind during the discussion was the idea of the aesthetic of the table. Aesthetics, and the efforts that I feel most people put into aesthetics, is popularly associated with interior decorating and home improvement. In our capitalist society showing one's wealth through one's assets, and in this case one's home, is the most popular pastime. Home Depots and hardware stores are booming as people attempt to increase their property and personal values through stylish additions. For the effort given, the immediate return is likely to fade as the aesthetic dulls with time and shifting style. In contrast, if society placed more premium on the pleasant aesthetic of healthful variety, balanced diet, sustainable processes, and social communication, we would greatly improve the quality and value of our intangible "home" and likely find a new way to add to our own personal value.
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