clementine from morocco
2005.02.24 - 08:02
Food items i buy mostly come from other countries. Today i wondered if it could be ‘asked’ (required, if possible) to put an image of the tree that produces this kind of fruit, and another image of the representative resident(s) of the region where the produce was farmed. There are many practical problems, but also benefits: could help and promote mutual understandings. Look, people who look like xx bin laden farmed the orange you’re buying. Inducing abstract level of trust by making us realize everyday we eat the same food stuff.
In the long run, this concept may turn out to be more important for meat distribution: mandatory to put an image of the ’source’ animal of the same race. Benefit- to teach kids that chicken breasts that always come in plastic package actually come from an animal. (hmm, well, in fact i once became a vegetarian temporarily due to this knowledge in my childhood)
This is actually something that has been implemented at places like ‘Whole Foods’ in the states and ‘Hole Foods’ in South Korea (nongdam, I forget the name of the chain in the ROK). It’s pretty effective in that you see a picture of some poor farmer then you feel pity then you look at the inflated price then you say ’shit… whatever’ and you walk over to the cashier and pay the premium for your supposedly undoctored apple.
Thanks for more text Younghee!