At a time where food and the availability of it is uncertain due to riots and looting plaguing the country, I’ve been reminded of the large disconnect that exists between us and our very source of life, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Robyn Simpson. Truck-fills of milk have been discarded onto vacant fields, thousands of day-old chicks euthanised, and everyday fresh produce – a national highway out of reach.
In this same breath, communities have rallied together and the way people in crisis have managed to get their hands on food has almost taken South Africans back to the roots of farm-to-table eating. This, to me, is the most conscious way of nourishing and uplifting, and we’re proving to ourselves that it can be done.
What is consciousness? It is, at its simplest, the sentience or awareness of internal and external existence. To be conscious is to be aware of and responsive to one’s surroundings.
Consciousness goes hand-in-hand with environmentalism: this regards concerns for environmental protection and the improvement of the health of the environment.
Believe it or not, environmentalism is a phenomenon less than 60-years-old. Considering its vast expansion in the modern world, the idea is acting in its infancy stage. This is huge when considering the fact that it represents one of the deepest shifts in human consciousness Western civilisation has even undergone. Ultimately, it’s a movement from individual to the collective.
Conscious consumption is a notion born out of the collision between consciousness and environmentalism. A philosophy that cannot be studied without looking deeper into the food that we eat. And Cape Town is the place to be if you’re looking to make a few simple dietary swaps that are good for you and the environment.
Am I encouraging a swift shift to veganism? Absolutely not. Not only would that be hypocritical of me – I am no vegan – but I’m well aware that many switch off at the mere utterance of the word. I consider myself a proud flexitarian.
Flexitarian: a style of eating that encourages mostly plant-based foods while allowing meat and other animal products in moderation, according to Healthline.
It’s a lifestyle change that has seen my health transform, from my skin to my mental health to my digestion, and one which makes my contribution to the environment a little bit more impactful than it was before. It’s forced me to turn away from mass production and dive into the colourful world of locally produced goods. Food for thought.
And let me mention here, this way of chowing doesn’t skip on flavour. On the contrary, it’s led me to try and taste different things that have simply blown my mind. I’m talking better-than-beef patties, the smokiest cured carrot ‘salmon’, falafels from the heavens, and as for milk? Nothing touches the creamy goodness of oat milk in the morning.
My inner hippie never stops reminding me that I really was born in the wrong era. It’s in this generation of groove – the 60’s -that people started to grow a deeper sense of appreciation for nature, and so the idea of consciousness began. I know what you’re thinking – the drugs. Well, you’re not entirely wrong in your assumptions. Go figure.
Swiss chemist, Dr Albert Hofmann turned tripping into science (or science into tripping, I should say). While attempting to create a new respiratory stimulant, he accidentally ingested LSD through his finger tips. Cue the most profound bicycle ride in history – one which led Hofmann to state the following.
“To shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.”
Now, if you’re not sold on a dosed-up chemist, this is what Albert Einstein drew from his own works in mathematics.
“A person experiences life as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this self-imposed prison, and through compassion, to find the reality of oneness.”
Compassion, community and oneness. Notions that have seen bread brought to the tables of many without access to food due to the current unrest in the country. I’ll say it again: communities are proving that localised eating is not only possible, but essential.
So, whether you’re on the grassy path of veganism, looking to make sustainable swaps, or learning to lean into your community farmers, bakers and good food creators, you’re taking one solid step towards creating a greater sense of food security – not only now in a time of crisis, but always.
#RobynintheHood
Insta: @Robyn.inthe.Hood
Twitter: @Robynhoodcpt
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