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Scott Lax Blog

World Hunger & Foodie Foolishness

There are half a billion hungry children in the world. Here's my son, cuddling a blanket his Aunt Jane gave him. I am thankful he isn't one of the hungry. But there are still a half a billion too many.
I usually post articles I like to the bottom left of this blog, on my (partial) reading list. But there is a piece I strongly recommend, as I couldn't agree more with it, and have written about it, but not as well as the author of this article. It's "FED UP: Gluttony Dressed Up As Foodie-ism is Still Gluttony," by B.R. Myers, in The Atlantic Monthly. It's an excellent piece.

Along with the fetishistic American foodie culture (if you don't know what I mean just Google "food blogs" or watch Anthony Bourdain do his faux-macho routine on television program), there are nearly one billion hungry people in this world; about half of them are children.

So next time "Tony" berates food lovers for not eating a bat, or whatever some foreign cook throws his gluttonous way, consider that maybe we've gone a tad too far in the wrong direction. That the late Julia Child's honest charm, gratiousness and passion for food or Jamie Oliver's concern for children's health might be a better way to approach food than the excess the modern foodies foist on the culture.

I like food. I like wine, in moderation. I think cooking shows are terrific for many. But it's gone too far. Anyway, read this article if you can (sorry you can't click the link; you can cut and paste it): http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/03/the-moral-crusade-against-foodies/8370/ Read More