Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves...

I may have jumped the gun a little here. Before we continue, I want to identify what Gastronomical Sovereignty looks like to me, how I take it up, and why I feel it is important.

To me, Gastronomical Sovereignty is a political decision and it is not always the path of least resistance. It means attaining and retaining the right to be informed about the potential "food" available to me on all scales and exercising my right as a human being to have access to it. It is about being free to choose consciously what I consume with the acknowledgement that those choices have severe and long term political and social effects. In essence, Gastronomical Sovereignty has the ability to form the very foundations of how we live as women, consumers, and citizens - each with our own experiences, histories, and stories.

I take up this act through various methods - most of which I realize comes with a certain level of privilege. One involves growing as much of my own food as I can. Since this is SO time consuming and energy intensive, I rely heavily on purchasing as much organic, sustainable, seasonal, and (if applicable) "free range" pastured food from very local producers via farmer's markets, box programs, pocket markets, and the farms themselves. Beyond this, I utilize local markets and small grocery chains to supplement my local diet. I limit my meat intake and work to find "healthier" sources of protein in my diet. Given our choice of lifestyle, I don't believe it is possible to attain all our food entirely locally all of the time. I don't know anyone who has the luxury of time that such an endeavor would require, nor anyone with that sort of patience. However, I believe we CAN make changes and adapt our diets to a more natural, "affordable", and genuinely kind method of consumption.

Gastronomical Sovereignty is a deeply personal decision. It has many facets and each one is as unique and important as the person who defines it. Thus, while my definition may not agree with yours (or vice-versa), I dare to think that the many different versions of conscious food choices/consumption can be aligned and allied for many purposes.

There. That's what I mean, by Gastronomical Sovereignty (in a nutshell). What does it mean to you? How can we work together for the betterment of ourselves? Our planet? And/or each other?