Breaking Bread: Not Just for the Religious Anymore...

What does “giving thanks” and “breaking bread” really entail and why must we understand the necessity and importance of conserving those rituals? I am a self proclaimed Atheist, however, my endeavors thus far into the sustainable food and social justice movement have made me question my views enough to reanalyze my spirituality.

Many people would like to think that we, being the self proclaimed most intelligent animals, are at the top of the “food chain. “ Just because we have the cognitive (and dehumanizing) ability to turn massive amounts of factory farmed animals into horrifically slaughtered dead meat within half a day DOES NOT put us at the top of the food chain. So therefore, I beg to differ with those people who’d like to think we’re at the top of this so called food chain.

My friends, I’d like to introduce you to the Food Circle, AKA, The Circle of Life. Mother Nature has provided us with all the necessary colors and tastes to transform our minds, bodies, and souls. The way in which we treat these gifts from the moment of discovery and ultimately possession depicts its future and reveals our character. At this point in time, our character as a society is fatally flawed. Hence, industrial farming. Industrial farming has taken away any beauty and oneness in the way we produce food and turned it into a commodity. Our society has mastered the art of exploiting virtually everything we come into contact with for the sake of “economic progress.” Industrialization has robbed us of true culture and spiritual oneness with our surroundings. Our culture is purely consumerism at its finest. We consume our daily lives with the constant act of consuming that we forget to pause and connect with one another and our surroundings. I am desperately seeking Susan (Susan being culture and a spiritual awakening and me still being the lesbian. Pun intended.)

Due to my desperate need to find a cultural and spiritual connection, I have begun to understand why people turn to religion and thus give thanks when breaking bread. The giving of thanks is never ending. More than a verbal acknowledgement at the table, it is the never ending consciousness and awareness of one’s surroundings. For me, learning about where my food literally comes from, whether it’s the pastures the dead cow on my plate grazed or from who’s garden my figs came, has not only connected me personally to the farmer, animal, and fig, but to the circle as a whole. This is a powerful reminder of how miniscule we really are and it puts into perspective the more important things in life. In my life, the breaking of bread has become the simple act of sharing my own awareness and consciousness with the people whom I care about. Food is the common denominator across the board, we all need it and we all eat it, but our perceptions are not all quite common; yet. My mission is to change that by simply giving thanks while breaking bread with whoever will sit with me over a meal. So, I ask you this: will you break bread with me?

Today, a Man Melted My Heart...

...by giving me a bag full of fruit from his yard : ) His name is Tony, and although I am sure he does not have a Gmail account (he's mid 70's) this post is dedicated to him. Nameless to one another until the end, he invited me into his home, and in a way we broke...well not bread...but a tree branch or two together over a heartfelt discussion about the pleasures of fruit trees. It is people like him who I admire and strive to be like. Thank-you.



I feel that the time has come to explain to all of you why I am obsessed with not just food, but local, fresh, and more specifically home grown food. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working in (Sacramento and now San Jose) California ( the state in which you can grown pretty much ANYTHING) and I have been taking full advantage of being here (yes, stealing fruit from people's yards AND the capital lawn hehe.) Being from the mid-west, I am accustomed to apple picking at orchards and seeing hundreds beyond hundreds of rows of corn in the out skirts of the metro Detroit area. So, when I came to Northern California to become the best damn organizer that one can be, my love and passion for the Food Revolution deepened beyond measures. You see, there is something awe inspiring when you see a tree from afar, but when you get closer you see that hidden and camouflaged to perfection are these beautiful limes, olives, or whatever it maybe. I can't help but act like a kid in a candy store when I see trees that bare edible fruit. It's literally pure joy that I feel. It's the bigger connection to this circle of life that I feel. We all have to eat, but there is a profound difference between just eating and thinking and THEN eating. We owe it to ourselves, our past, our future, and to the land. Think about this for a moment...



For those of you who think you're truly vegan...think again if you dare...or...ear muff it and blind fold it...



The soil in which your food comes from ( and yes ALL the foods you eat, even the fake shit, comes from dirt) is filled with millions if not billions of microorganisms that break down dead and decaying matter. What dirt ultimately is...is well...the feces of these organisms. This "crap" if you will, is FULL of all of the necessary nutrients that plants need to survive. It takes the perfect combination of these nutrients, plus sunlight, water, TLC, and I am sure other things I am missing...to bore and sustain plant life. So, when you're eating that carrot, or apple, just think about this life cycle, because like it or not, you're a part of it in more ways than one. I hate to tell you my fellow homo sapiens, but your body will one day be a meal to be feasted upon by those microorganisms and the beauty that comes from your break down...well...it's more life : )



Last thought for the night...



When you eat locally grown produce and grass fed meats, you're connection to the sun is 3 degrees. Think about it: we as humans can eat BUT not break down the cellulose in grass. Only animals with ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, and lots more) can. Therefore, they are the only animals that can utilize the sun's energy directly. When we eat animals that are grass fed (which means that they ARE NOT factory farmed because factory farmed feeds animals GMO corn products) we are more connected to our energy source. Geeky...I know...but that's me : )