Who Doesn't Like Food? Anyone?

"Forget Cleopatra, I just wanted Egypt's grain."~ a made up quote from Julius Caesar

The year is 67 AD or CE (common era) for those persnickety about political correctness, and the Roman Emperor is anxiously awaiting the grain shipments from Egypt.  Rome, a metropolis so vast that the surrounding countryside can no longer feed the appetite of the Roman populace, imports most of its wheat.  Importation of wheat from around the Mediterranean, especially from Egypt, was so important that it was controlled by the emperor and his government.  If any problems in the importation of wheat arouse, the government would set price maximums and find other wheat sources.

Adequate grain stores were vital to the health and welfare of Rome, with almost one third of all Roman households receiving a ration of wheat directly from the government.  This wasn't pure altruism on the emperor's part.  Rome was filled with the poor and unemployed.  A starving populace is an emperor's worse nightmare.  Starving people are cranky, who start riots and follow any idiot they can find.  If the idiot and starving populace are successful, the emperor's head is paraded through the streets and grain stores have been broken into.  An ending no one wants, unless your name is Brutus.

It's July 1789 and after a decade of poor wheat harvests the French populace is hungry.  Bread was too expensive for many and a riot ensued.  Perhaps so hungry the rioters mistook the Bastille as a giant baguette, they stormed the infamous prison starting the French Revolution.  As you can see, hungry people are not the sort you mess with.

"See, it does look like a baguette!"~ real quote from me.

The year is 1973 and grain prices are skyrocketing.  President Nixon, in an attempt to appease a disgruntled American populace, discontinues subsidizing farmers who withhold their land for cultivation.  Instead, a new program is created that pays farmers a fixed amount, regardless of the sale price of corn.  Any Roman emperor or French king would have been proud.  Nixon had appeased the masses by supplying an endless amount of corn and soybeans to the American public.

As Julius Caesar ponders why he didn't think of this, cheap food has taken over.  Walmart, Costco and other discount chains flourish across the United States.  After all, what harm is there in cheap food? Well, the food we eat could be killing us.

Lately I have been mesmerized by the book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.  According to some government regulation, however, I must tell you that I borrowed the book from the library and haven't been paid to review this book.  Instead I have been an irresponsible mother, staying up late to read about chickens eating grubs out of cow pies and compost piles heating barns. 

I know what you're thinking, this book has nothing to do with history or that I am a little strange because I find cow pies interesting.  While I admit that I am fascinated by the littlest of things, food has everything to do with history.  From prehistoric times to the present, the lack of food and who controls it has always been an issue.  Just look at the Irish potato famine.  While Ireland was exporting grain to other countries, millions of peasants were dying or fleeing to the Americas or Australia to avoid starvation.  Not only did other countries refuse aid, they stated that feeding the Irish now would not teach them self sufficiency.  The politics of food have been around for centuries.

Back to the food killing us idea.  While food is in abundance in the United States, the pollution, pesticides and the potential lack of key nutrients, may be killing us.  Fish down stream from farms who use nitrogen fertilizer become androgynous, algae grows uncontrollably in the Mississippi Delta and various strains of bacteria are resistant to antibiotics.  The total human costs have yet to be see, but guessing from the effect on the environment it can't be pretty.

Pollan, likes the idea of organic farming on a local level.  His book gives compelling arguments for this type of agriculture and if it weren't for the price difference, people would be flocking to their local farms for fresher and better tasting meats, fruits, vegetables and grains.  Price and the politics that go with it, however, prevent this from happening. 

Americans are used to cheap food and any threat of rising prices make us angry.  Like clockwork, when the price of some food staple goes up, you see people driving SUVs on the local news complaining how the penny price jump in milk is hurting the poor.  Poor people are easy propaganda tools.  They don't get much air time, plus no one feels sorry for someone driving an SUV or new car.  Simply put, we want cheap food, not for the poor but for ourselves.

I know this hurts, but it's time to face the facts.  A new food system is needed and yes prices will be higher.  Since we are concerned about the poor eating, we should focus on wage stagnation and the disappearance of factory and other semi skilled trades to China and India.  By solving our food problem, we might even save a few bucks on health care and environmental cleanup.  Healthier people, better wages and safer food, now that's a bargain!

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