Food Comas and Empty Plates (week 8)

'Food Coma', most of us know what this means, or have even experienced it ourselves. We often react in a pleased way, happily reclining in to indulgence for a much needed rest after stuffing ourselves. But what does a food coma do to the rest of the world? Today the world's food sources are distributed in an uneven fashion. We live in a world where "we produce more food than ever before (and) more than one in ten people are hungry" (Patel, 2007, p.1). So whilst in prospering nations we complain about our food comas, plates around the world remain empty. So how is this happening and how can you change such an international problem?

Food Coma (Source Healing, 2011)

 In our lecture this week (Wilkinson, 2013) we discussed the industrialisation of the world food networks. Developed nations are now disconnected to the production and farming of food and to ensure we all still get food there are major food corporations. The power of food corporations control what we eat and what is available to eat. Their use of media controls what we want to eat. Food is now a commodity, to be distributed to those with buying power. So whilst "40-50% of food produced in the USA goes to landfill" (Wilkinson, 2013) the empty plates in poorer, developing nations don't have the buying power to be considered in the new network of food as a commodity.

Empty Plates (Geoffroi, R.)

In the essence of the network, Couchsurfing is not about food and does not control food. However Couchsurfing has been used as a tool for change in the past. So how can it possibly relate to the food inequalities that we are seeing in the world today? Atkins and Bowler (2001) discuss food as a culture, what we eat, our interactions in preparing food and food as a social catalyst are all behaviors observed in society. One of the common ice breakers in Couchsurfing is a meal. So why not make it a meal with a message? When you share a meal in your home, on your travels or in another person's home, remember that there are empty plates around the world. Cook what you need, not what you want. Eat until satisfied, not in a coma. Save your left-overs for another day. Couchsurfing can use social networks to change the unequal distribution in food networks.


 References
Atkins, p. Bowler, I. (2001) Food in Society: Economy, culture, geography (pp.272-293). London, England: Arnold Publishes

Geoffroi, R. (2009). Starving African children comment on NASA's mission to Mars. Retrieved from: URL: www.artizans.com/image/GEO251/starving-african-children-comment-on-nasas-mission-to-mars/

Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and Starved: The hidden battle for the worlds food system (pp1-19). Ontario, Canada: Harper Perennial.

Source Healing (2011). Combat the thanksgiving coma. Retrieved from: http://www.sourcehealing.com/545/

Wilkinson, R. (2013). EV1008: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 8 notes.