A clear sky. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable..

A clear sky. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.

In a time when every other post you read on social media is a new way in which humanity is disappointing, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on what humanity has done right.

Food is amazing; it’s absolutely my favorite thing to eat. I consider delicious food to be the crowning achievement of humanity, because we have taken a burdensome upkeep requirement necessary for our survival, and turned it into something delightful. Nutrient intake could easily have been an unpleasant interruption in our day, an inconvenient necessity like waste output, which we do in tiny set-aside rooms. I saw a short film about this once, where a young child was scolded for mentioning hunger in polite company, then went into a small bathroom-like room to open a cabinet and ingest a nutrient stick. But instead, we’ve taken this nutrient intake requirement and turned it into a pleasurable experience. Hooray for hedonism!

And sure, you could argue that procreation is likewise necessary for the survival of the species, and that is conveniently a pleasurable experience as well. But for most people — certainly for me — nutrient intake is a more frequent experience. And thus it’s a much bigger benefit that we’ve made it enjoyable. Not only does food taste good, but we’ve turned the nutrient intake into a festive social occasion. Meals are the tiny party we throw every day.

Again, most other required upkeep does not rise to this level. We don’t all get together with people we like to brush our teeth. But we love meal time. All morning, we look forward to lunch. We chat over dinner. And at night, we plan what we’re going to eat tomorrow. We’ve turned an irksome survival requirement into a highlight of our day. That is something humanity has really done right with food.

We have, unfortunately, also done some things wrong with food. Our current system is awful in many ways, sacrificing quality for efficiency, and then turning around and sacrificing efficiency for profit. Everything is mass produced, factory farms cram drugged animals into tiny cages, and standardization is what the industry wants.

There’s an old newspaper-printable saying, “Don’t defecate where you masticate.” Factory farms foment feeble fauna festering in their own feculent filth. There’s a lot of what you are if you easily read that sentence: F-fluent. And rather than finding food from farms locally, most supermarkets get food flown from far-flung foreign lands. In-F-ficient, especially when food is grown in one country, flown internationally for processing, flown again to be packaged, and possibly again to be sold.

But the worst thing about food may be our failure to allocate it effectively. Thirty-eight million Americans, including 12 million children, are food insecure and cannot consistently and reliably get enough food to lead an active, healthy life. But the U.S. also discards 40 million tons of food waste every year. Even without the alliteration, that’s F’ed.

Thankfully, there are places that provide free food. I have always loved free food, whether it’s pizzas being served at an event, or a barbecue hosted by a friend. Even if I don’t need it, I appreciate it. However, some people do need it, and they appreciate available food even more, since nutrient intake remains a survival requirement. That’s why community organizations that provide food for the needy are so essential.

In my community here in North Adams, two come to mind: The Berkshire Food Project and the Al Nelson Friendship Center. I’ve been a supporter of the Berkshire Food Project for years, and while I never crossed paths with Al Nelson himself, I approve of another Rhode Islander who ended up joining the North Adams community. If you can spare a donation to one of these worthwhile organizations, it could make a real difference for someone hungry, and be greatly appreciated.

In a time when every other post you read on social media is a new way in which humanity is disappointing, sometimes it’s nice to remind yourself that humanity can get some things right too.

Seth Brown is an award-winning humor writer, the author of “The Disapproval Of My Toaster,” and puts his money where his mouth is. His website is RisingPun.com.

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