You Are What You Consume

Lindsey Crawford

Library 201

26 April 2010

Blog 4

You Are What You Eat

When my siblings and I were kids, my dad would terrorize with the idiom, “You are what you eat.” He would tell us that when he was a kid, he lived on junk food, greasy, salty, fatty, junk food. And because of this he had terrible skin; he had acne. He hated having acne. So. When he turned 16 he went to a dermatologist and got a skin peel--yes, he had the top layer of his skin peeled off! Then, when my brother, sister and I were all on the verge of vomiting, he’d pipe up and say, “Now remember guys, you are what you eat!” That lesson stayed with me. Despite being a sugar addict--I love gummy bears--I have been good about avoiding fast food: I tend to equate it with acne and getting a skin peel--irrational, I know. Anyway, for most of my youth that cliche saying had negative connotations for me, causing me to not give it too much thought; however, later in life, I began to rethink it--I even wrote paper themed around it once, for this agricultural class called plants and society. The thought that I was entertaining was that now a days the old idiom, “You are what you eat,” doesn’t cut it, especially in America. Instead, it should be revised to, “You are what you consume” because let’s face it, we are consumers--and not just when it comes to food either.

The things we eat, the things we buy, the place we live, the jobs we work at, the majors and career paths we pursue, all these choices are interconnected, and they all say something about who we are. The things we consume define us, and food habits are one way of looking at the definition of who we are. For example, someone who eats all organic, also tends to fall into other categories: they work at a non-corporate job, enjoy exercise, practice yoga, likes to go hiking, likes to commune with the outdoors, doesn’t follow fashion trends, bikes, walks or takes public transport to work, reads the newspaper regularly, reads books, especially ones by new ages authors, is democratic, maybe even socialist, doesn’t spend much time watching TV, is community oriented, believes in affirmative action and the list could go on. On the flip side, someone who routinely eats fast food or makes junk food the staple of their diet can also fall into other categories: works at a fast paced, high stress corporate job--hence eating on the go all the time--, watches a lot of TV, doesn’t like to get outside a lot, is a sports fan, isn’t concerned with monoculture techniques, is more on the conservative side of the spectrum, is into mainstream media trends, likes to go out, isn’t community oriented and, I hate to say, probably is overweight or obese. Now of course there are exceptions to every rule and there are reasons behind every food choice or lifestyle choice. People who come from the last quartile in the socioeconomic ladder are going to have less education about nutrition and wellness and be set up on a more unhealthy track than someone at the top who has the time, leisure and education to devote to a more “natural” lifestyle. And are a host of other reasons for choices. I’d also like to say that choices like these are personal, and I don’t wish to make any normative judgements. All I want to point out is that we are what we consume. The image of ourselves is reflected in our food choices. So if you want to take a closer look at your life, eating habits is a good place to start.

To classify myself, I am a semi-organic, home food, eater. I try to eat organic as much as I can, but can only buy what I can afford. I avoid eating fast food. I don’t eat out much at all. I am not a vegetarian, but I only eat meat in one meal per day, usually it is bacon with breakfast--little quirk about me, my favorite breakfast is a BLT. I enjoy cooking and preparing meals for myself. I am not the best cook, so I have routine meals and stand-byes that I make over and over again. Like for breakfast, I have either a BLT, oatmeal with fruit, cheerio with fruit, corn beef hash (before ski days) or a fresh smoothie and rye toast. For lunch, I am a bean wrap girl; I roll up canned pinto beans, shredded cheddar cheese and Frank’s red hot sauce in a flour tortilla. I also like making tuna salad sandwiches for lunch. For dinner, I make veggie and tofu stir-frys, white lasagna, NY strip and baked potato, steamed veggies with brown rice and homemade cheese sauce or lemon pepper chicken is another favorite. So. What does that say about me? Yes, I am guilty of my own stereotype. I walk, bike or take the bus to get around. I love to ski, hike, climb, kayak and play outdoors. I am an avid reader. I don’t watch TV, but I appreciate film. I netflix instead of paying for cable. I don’t have a job yet; I’m in school, but I am currently pursing a double major in history and economics, with the hopes of becoming a journalist specializing in economic theory and economic thought. Yes, I do love economics. I am no socialist. I am a capitalist--with a heart. I am not a Republican or a Democrat. I consider myself to be a fiscal conservative / social democrat, and I vote for whoever, on either side, the best exemplifies my values. I am a product of my family and culture. I am lucky. Both my parents have advanced degrees. I grew up in an upper-middle class household in upstate NY. My mother is an organic freak. My dad likes to golf. I realize that they are the reason for my stereotypical behavior. I’d like to say it again, I am lucky. And I feel despair for all those who grew up without my advantages. I’d like to believe that I have a sense of entitlement, but I do :(. I hate that. I hate that deep down I am a yuppie, a patagucci wanna-be-hippie. But I am what I consume. I cannot escape that.

Wow, I think that was more than I wanted to share. So I’ll stop now.

Pollan, Michael, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. New York : Penguin Press, 2008