Finding Better Ways

Wouldn’t you love a lawn like this? Image taken from the American Meadows website.

Sometimes I go back to a quote from the Australian and American journalist and novelist Geraldine Brooks. Even if I didn’t finish her novel Horse, I still admire Brooks a great deal, especially for this one quote about climate change. 

I’m not naïve to the fact that climate change is a crisis. I’m well aware that my country’s President is effectively taking a flamethrower to the planet, and will try to cut whatever green energy programs he can. But there’s one answer Geraldine Brooks gave in this 2022 interview with the New York Times that really stuck with me.

Brooks was asked what subject she wished more authors would write about. Her response was as follows: 

We have to reframe the story of climate change so that it is not only about renunciation and loss, but also about possibility and joy. A wild lawn full of bees and wildflowers is more beautiful and less work than a dull expanse of toxic ChemLawn; a sunlight-powered electric car happens to be a more sporty drive than a gas vehicle, and a pre-owned treasure discovered while socializing with neighbors at the local Dumptique brings more satisfaction than a plastic tchotchke one-clicked on the internet. It’s not about giving things up but finding better ways.

There’s something beautiful about this. Whenever we read or listen to news about climate change, we’re confronted with statistics about what we are losing; species are going extinct, glaciers are melting, entire major cities might become borderline uninhabitable by century’s end or sooner. I don’t mean to minimize the tragedy that these losses are, nor do I believe Brooks intended to do so.

In my personal life, I’ve noticed these “better ways” showing up. For instance, my father now drives a Rivian, an electric vehicle he’s a major fan of. If climate change did not exist, there wouldn’t be such a demand for these vehicles. My hometown still holds a weekly farmer’s market during the warmer months, and it’s a popular gathering place at a time when “third places” are receding quickly. Without minimizing the bad things that will happen (and are already happening) as a result of the climate crisis, we can find our silver linings, as small as they may be.

I can connect this to my personal life. Now, I’m not going to get too specific about what prompted this recommendation, but my doctor recently advised me to lose about ten pounds. I’m not obese by any means, but I would likely be healthier if I were about ten pounds lighter. So that’s my new goal.

In an era when many of us spend hours doomscrolling, you might think I’d be panicking about my diagnosis. But I decided early on that I wasn’t going to spend hours and hours researching potential complications of my condition. 

My reasoning is fairly simple: All that’s going to accomplish is stressing me out more. Losing ten pounds is the best way to ensure my condition does not progress, and knowing what might happen if I don’t lose that weight doesn’t change the objective. It would have no bearing on my success or lack thereof. Therefore, I need to have the right attitude toward my goal.

Of course, no conversation about my weight or efforts to lose it would be complete without talking about American cuisine. Honestly, I don’t need to tell you about its reputation. Fast food restaurants and stores like Dollar General have taken over the country, to the point where that’s what most people think when they hear the words “American cuisine.”

And if you ask me, that’s a shame. Indeed, that’s putting it mildly. Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in this country, and our food is to blame. But it’s not just the food itself, but the inequities involved.

You see, Dollar General has a very specific and insidious business model. They build stores in impoverished communities - as the Wendover Productions video linked above mentioned, even many tiny towns with no restaurants have a Dollar General. Their business model is to run local grocery stores out of business by offering low prices. But ultimately, it’s more expensive to be poor. 

Terry Pratchett’s “boot theory” is one of the most prominent examples of this, but it’s also relevant to food, especially in the United States. If you’re affluent, you can afford plenty of fresh, healthy food (and you’re more likely to have time to cook it), a gym membership or home gym, a nutritionist if necessary, Ozempic if absolutely necessary, or bariatric surgery in extreme cases. If you’re poor, that’s much more difficult. Additionally, if you don’t have enough money for healthy food, you might have to purchase food that’s cheap at time of purchase, but in the long run (at least in the USA) you’re likely to incur more health care expenses sooner.

Relevant to the issue of climate change, however, is the amount of carbon emissions that come from transporting food. Some estimates suggest it’s as much as 20 percent of overall food-related emissions globally. That’s why we’re often told we should buy and consume what’s grown locally and in season. But that’s not possible for everyone.

In addition to our reputation for being obese, Americans have a reputation for not caring too much about the environment. In many cases, this reputation is well-earned; we do in fact have a climate denier as President, and he did win a free and fair election. Yes, he really did.

But again: If you’ve got enough money, you can afford to eat expensive, locally-grown food. If you don’t, you can’t, at least not as often. This leads me into my next point, which is that “American cuisine” is a tragedy. Not just because of how famously unhealthy it is, but because of what it could be.

USDA plant hardiness zones in the United States as of 2023. With such a diverse range of climate conditions, shouldn’t we have a more diverse cuisine?

It’s no secret that, as much as many American cities look nearly identical to each other, its natural environment is one of the most varied on Earth. Our national parks, for instance, are famous the world over. And we have nearly every climate type on Earth within our borders.

We probably have the best geography of any country from the standpoint of growing a wide variety of food to feed the population. If you look at the cuisine of many other countries, it’s dictated by the climate, since a country’s climate dictates what can grow naturally there. You can’t grow tomatoes in Norway (at least not outdoors), but you can in California - in fact, they grow in abundance!

With all this variety, with so many climate and soil types that can support so many different delicious, nutritious staple foods, it is criminal that we made ourselves known for McDonald’s. Like, that’s a tragedy.

It didn’t have to be this way, and it doesn’t have to stay this way.

Now, back to my personal life. A few years ago, my family bought an air fryer, and I maintain that’s one of the best three-figure purchases we have ever made. Because we’re all trying to eat more healthily, it’s best to limit our intake of potatoes fried in oil. But lots of us, particularly my father, still crave sweet potato fries.

Here’s the answer: Buy some sweet potatoes. Peel them, then chop them into your preferred size and shape. Put a small amount of olive oil on them, as well as salt and pepper if that’s what you prefer. Toss them in the air fryer for about ten minutes, and voila! They taste at least as amazing (maybe even better with the satisfaction of having made them yourself), and they’re far healthier. 

Incidentally, The Damage Report recently covered a story about how McDonald’s, Donald Trump’s favorite restaurant, has seen a decrease in revenue. Host John Iadarola speculated that this may be because prices at the restaurant have risen. Previously, the main selling point of McDonald’s was that it was cheap (at least, at the point when you eat it), but without that, is it still worth buying Mickey D’s? 

It’s been just under a week since I received my diagnosis and resolved to lose ten pounds, but I already feel like I am more passionate about food than I used to be. Isn’t that funny?

Geraldine Brooks’ quote rings true for me. I’m not giving up oily, greasy sweet potato fries - I’ve found a better way to enjoy them. I’m not giving up the enjoyment of delicious food - I’m becoming more cognizant of what I’m putting into my body. And, though my weight loss journey has only just begun, I think my attitude is important. I’m not naïve to the fact that I should lose weight, far from it. But I’m putting a positive spin on it as much as I can.

It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. The key word there is life. The changes you make to your habits should be things you can change for life. And to accomplish that, it’s ideal if you don’t look at what you’re giving up, but instead think about what you’re getting in return.