As Michael and I enjoyed our dinner yesterday evening, we reminisced about the foods we grew up with and how we never would have imagined then, that food and water would become a subject of so much controversy.
We both love soups, especially during the colder weather, so we made my grandma’s and mom’s delicious recipe of homemade pea soup “a la French Canadian” (my heritage), along with corn bread. This is one of my favourite cooked “comfort foods”.
It inspired me to share about our experiences of food while growing up in the 70’s and 80’s – mine, on our family’s farm in southeast Manitoba (Canada) and his, in Greater Los Angeles, California (US). So much has changed since then, it’s pretty mind-boggling to say the least!…
I grew up on a third generation dairy farm, passed down from my great grandpa to my grandpa, and to my dad with his two oldest brothers. I lived with my parents and three siblings on the original part of the farm with my grandparents as our wonderful neighbours. We had egg-laying chickens, pigs, cows, dogs, cats, a peacock, and a lot of wildlife that enjoyed the surrounding fields, ponds, forests and river. My cousins and their families lived on the new part of the farm which was where the cows were milked and the calves were raised.
My siblings and I spent most of our time outdoors regardless of the season, playing and exploring in the yard and Nature. We freely interacted with all the animals and loved to feed them by hand – bunches of grasses to the cows and chickens and the pigs loved anything we gave them, especially the corn cobs and watermelon rinds. They all had ample space to live their true nature, including mud holes for the pigs, grasshopper and cricket habitats for the chickens, and fields to forage with shade and scratching trees for the cows. Our dairy cows each had their own space when it was milking time, with their names painted on little plaques above their stalls. My favourite one was “Red” who stood out from the rest with her rust and white colour, instead of the common black and white. I loved to visit them while they got milked, stroking the soft bridge of their noses. Classic country music played throughout the stable while my dad and uncles milked them, and my grandpa fed milk to the calves and cats (great mousers). Every morning and night my dad would bring home a large pail of fresh milk and my mom would skim off the cream for their coffee and other delicious uses. There were also my grandparents’ and parents’ giant gardens that we helped with – summer and autumn were feasts of fresh vegetables, greens, herbs and berries. We loved to pull a few carrots from the soil or a handful of raspberries from the bushes, to munch on as snacks.
This was also the time of year when children from the nearby city of Winnipeg would come in buses to tour our farm and learn firsthand how their milk and foods were produced. It always fascinated me that our way of life was a novelty to others. I feel blessed to have known four of my great grandparents and all my grandparents. They were all farmers at some point in their lives and one of my great grandpas lived to be 102 years old. My family eventually decided to sell the farm due to increasingly ridiculous regulations from the government. My dad chose to continue the farming practice with bison instead – an animal he’d always admired. I spent the end of my teenage years on that ranch infused with wonderful Nature and wildlife. It was so beautiful to see the bison, still wild in spirit, roaming the fields to forage in all seasons.
Michael remembers a milkman that would come every few days and deliver milk from the surrounding farms right to their house in Santa Ana. At that time there were many farms in the area. They were gradually replaced by malls, parking lots and buildings. He also enjoyed picking fresh fruit from the peach, kumquat, plum, avocado, lemon and orange trees in his family’s yard and neighbouring ones, to eat and make fresh squeezed juice when the fruits were abundant. Many of those trees unfortunately disappeared when houses were sold and new owners didn’t want to bother with all the fruit.
When people ask me what type of diet I have, I reply “a conscious one”. We each have a body that is unique with different requirements. With awareness, they guide us as to what they require so we can feel and be our best. One thing that has never changed is that I’ve always loved fresh, plant-based foods, straight from its source, regardless where I’ve lived. It not only tastes divine, but its nourishing vibrancy feels sublime to my body.
What I feel is most important at this time regarding foods, is that we become conscious of their source and consistently make choices aligned with our values. A vegetarian diet can be just as detrimental to one’s health and the environment’s, as other types of diets, if the foods that make up that diet are produced unsustainably with GMO seeds, pesticides, herbicides and complete disregard for the soil and environment it’s grown in.
When I worked for the Canadian federal department of Agriculture, I spoke with all sorts of farmers every day. I discovered that while many producers employ organic methods, they’re not certified due to the costs and regulations required to attain that status. Getting to know our local farmers is a wonderful way to support their work while benefiting from high quality products that haven’t been compromised from unripe picking, packaging and long distance shipping. I was also appalled to discover how corporations of poisons, for the sole purpose of profits, took over the farming and gardening practices in ways that are criminal. The same goes with our drinking water. I was in disbelief when Michael first told me about how ridiculously little regulations and fees (pennies) corporations have been subjected to, to extract millions of gallons of precious water from California every day, for years, to then sell this water in plastic bottles for profit (a state that is in severe drought). When I researched this myself, I discovered (even worse) that many of those corporations actually pump water from national parks in that state and in at least 6 others in the U.S. (and Canada such as BC, and possibly in other countries). This precious life-giving sacred element should never have been allowed to be treated as a commodity. These corporations saw the trend of consumers switching from soft drinks to water, and this has been the result. As consumers, we have incredible power with our choices.
I feel it’s also equally important to take the time to truly appreciate the foods we eat and beverages we drink. My parents have always said grace before our meals and I express my love and appreciation before I eat and drink anything, in my own way. It’s easy to be disconnected from food sources if someone has never grown anything themselves or met with farmers or gardeners. Due to my background, I can fully appreciate all the time, dedication, love and work that goes into growing and harvesting just one ingredient included in a meal or beverage. I’m also fully aware of what a privilege it is to be able to drink good water – especially living spring water which I have access to here, from a free-flowing source near Anchorage, AK. I always leave an offering of love and appreciation when we refill our jugs.
The holiday season especially, revolves mostly around foods and beverages. It’s part of what creates distinctive cultures, traditions and celebrations.
Every time we make a conscious choice and take a moment to feel love and appreciation for what we eat and drink, we make a difference. We take a stand for what we value and we infuse the divine energy of love and appreciation into our world and those who’ve contributed to providing these foods and beverages for us. It reconnects us from the heart, with the sacredness of something that is part of our everyday life and celebrations, every time we do so. It’s up to us to recreate and maintain the sacred balance.
PS – The soup and gluten-free cornbread were created using non-GMO and locally produced ingredients.
With great love and wonder-filled spirit,
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