In this column, I’ll be adding to this discussion, and finding ways to restore spiritual balance to the way Americans eat.
So how will I do this?
Well, for one, I’ll be illuminating the ways in which political conservatives have to reconnect with their roots. The truth is that the Republican Party, including its Conservative wing, has a long legacy as preservationists and conservationists. From the Founding Fathers through to Teddy Roosevelt, the idea of America as an agrarian nation whose natural beauty should not be corrupted has always been a key component of America’s political principles. But something happened this century. At some point conservatives traded in their
conservationist credentials in a politically expedient set of compromises that gave them increased power, but divorced them from their core. I’ll be delving deeply into this history, examining the writings of American politicians, legislative acts, demographic changes and even the history of the Farm Bill, that bloated symbol of everything that is wrong with American food.
As I’ve
blogged about recently, the American people are clamoring for unity from their politicians when it comes to their food. As our national health continues to collapse under the weight of chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and all the other illnesses in which food plays a major part, the conversation about the food we
eat - how it was raised, where it comes from, who is the farmer - will all become central questions. An America where we cannot easily answer these questions is an America broken, sick and destined to ruin.
I look forward to exploring these issues with them, and also want to hear from readers of this magazine on the issues that are important to them. I want this column to be a place for dialogue and two-way interaction, not simply a top-down delivery of opinion. I am a firm believer in collaboration, transparency, and what is being called the
“2010 Web,” so I certainly hope that I’ll be getting feedback and inspiration from my readers and contributors. Let’s work together to help fix America’s broken food system.
Zachary Adam Cohen is the creator of Farm to Table: The Emerging American Meal, a reality-TV show based on the local sustainable food movement. He blogs at Farm to Table, Huffington Post, and can also be found on Twitter.
The Conservative Conservationist
Issue 1 | September 2009