Appreciate food more and better

A problem from multiple perspectives

The normal diet, which has become more and more popular around the world since the end of the war, only has certain disadvantages:

• Above all, the inflationary consumption of meat puts a heavy strain on the environment.

• Food of all kinds has to be available at all times, which has led to a problematic globalization in various ways.

• As a result, many foods are of inferior quality and taste. They therefore deprive us of real enjoyment.

• A lot of what ends up on our plates is high in terms of convenience and therefore full of uncontrollable ingredients.

• In general, our inflationary consumption has ensured that there is something in all our food that does not belong there – such as antibiotics in meat or various chemical food additives.

• Since such cheap food is so cheap, we tend to buy far too much and throw away too much because of the low price and appreciation – with all the associated consequences that the problems mentioned occur.

In fact, as consumers, we bear a significant part of the blame for all the problems caused by modern diets. We mass produce poor quality food, polluting the environment and making ourselves sick. And everything, really everything can be fixed by learning to appreciate food again

1. Celebrate every meal

Every snack costs money. Money you had to work hard for. For a pound of coffee, for example, you have to work half an hour. Although significantly cheaper than the purchasing power ratio of 1960, it is still not free.

Our problem: Today we eat far too much food on the side. On the computer, in front of the TV, with the cell phone in hand. Eating like this not only makes you overweight, but also an almost unconscious consumption.

• Consciously eat every meal without distraction. Preferably at a laid table in the kitchen or dining room and at most while talking to others.

• Take every opportunity to consume food and drinks from high-quality tableware. Because even the most luxurious food looks less valuable on cardboard and plastic. Use wonderful Portuguese crockery, always pour the drinks into nice glasses and mugs instead of consuming them straight from bottles and cans. And don’t just put the pots and plastic containers on the table, but transfer them to attractive bowls and serving platters – the fuller the dishwasher, the more environmentally friendly and economical it ultimately runs.

• Take your time and chew each bite at least 15 times – the often recommended threshold of 30 or even 50 chewing cycles causes an extremely unpleasant mush in the mouth for many and also allows the food to cool down on the plate.

You should arrange at least one meal a day like this if everyday life doesn’t leave room for more. Ideally, a one-time meal die for your circadian rhythm. This gives the food back a festive character and thus the decisive basis for real appreciation.

2. Buy as seasonally and regionally as possible

You probably know how dramatic the difference in taste is between a watery greenhouse tomato and one YOU bought from the farm shop at German harvest time. This impression also plays an important role in perception.

Because of the constant availability of practically all available food, we have completely forgotten how to long for it. Our need can always be satisfied – this leads to an outstanding appreciation in every constellation, even far beyond food.

If, on the other hand, YOU only buy groceries during their natural harvest season and then perhaps also make sure that you primarily choose such delights from your region, YOU kill two birds with one stone – because the extreme amounts of CO₂ for transport are eliminated without replacement, at least for you .

3. If possible, provide yourself with at least one food (as a test) all by yourself

Since industrialization, there have been fewer and fewer people who produce at least part of their food themselves and as a sideline. Even in rural areas, hardly any people do that anymore – at least not in our western world.

As a result, the interplay of food production has become abstract for many. Many people no longer even know what work it means even for a modern, well-equipped farmer, so that even a single loaf can lie on our table.

The same applies to food as hardly anyone can appreciate, for example, a carved figure if they have never had to carve such shapes out of a piece of wood themselves: Anyone who has never had to complete all the steps from the plant to the plate is distanced.

In this regard, you can just start.

• Get cream that is at least 30 percent fat. Fill this into a sealable container and shake it – until the buttermilk and butter separate. Wash and knead the butter in cold water.

• In the next step you can buy tomato seeds (not ready-made plants) and grow them on the balcony. When the tomatoes are ripe, YOU either look for a recipe with tomatoes or you process the red treats into homemade ketchup. The latter in particular shows how valuable a bottle of this sauce actually is with its effort and low yield.

• If you then want more, you can get whole grains from the farmer and grind them yourself (without power tools) – a strenuous undertaking. In addition, you prepare a sourdough and bake bread from it.

It doesn’t make sense to make YOU self-sufficient. You should just take every opportunity to realize how much effort even the simplest food can take to produce. Anyone who understands this usually learns automatically to show more respect and appreciation for everything.

4. So don’t waste anything

Suppose you would paint oil paintings. After completing a painting, would you throw away the entire tube that was not completely empty? Most likely not, that would be a waste.

The only question is why so many people do this to food. After all, this mindset of “buy too much and throw away the leftovers” is a root cause of food waste.

Of course, it would be best if you only bought as much as you are guaranteed to use directly. However, this is often not possible in our modern life and, compared to larger packs, it is even several times more expensive – completely apart from the need for machine shopping.

you should make a categorical habit of doing two things:

1. Before you go shopping, plan a meaningful, communicated use of all the food you get.

2. Freeze food, get a canning machine (and jars) and maybe a vacuum sealer. Also, get creative when cooking leftovers. They really want to evaluate everything down to the last bite.

And if you want to do it absolutely consistently, then only dispose of inedible ones in the organic waste bin – then it is guaranteed that they will be composted or at least made into biogas.

Incidentally, you should therefore always plan carefully and keep an eye on the best-before dates. Really every food is far too valuable to simply throw away.