Taylor Schermers Food Ethic Essay

Taylor Schermer
Jessica McCallum
Humanities 11
1 May 2020
Food Ethic Essay
Development of my Food Ethics Through Time
From the day I was born until I was 2 years old, my family lived in the city of El Paso, TX.
The fast-paced lives of the city are run by fast food and efficiency. Even for the two years of my
life run by fast food, the brightly colored signs and playgrounds of McDonald’s didn’t fool me. I
have always hated fast food. Our family would go to McDonald’s because it was quick and easy.
My brother would order a happy meal with “Chicken” McNuggets and I would refuse to eat. I am
still the reason we don’t eat fast food.
I have spent my entire life developing my food ethic. My parents’ food ethics influenced
the way I ate when I was younger, but as I have grown and learned I find my food ethic
influencing the way my family eats. When I was little, I ate food that tasted good. As I’ve grown
the way food affects my body and my health has played a large role in my food ethic. Now my
ideals and ethics dictate my eating habits.
In 2004 my family moved away from the fast-paced life in the city to Monte Vista, CO,
which had two fast-food restaurants; a Dairy Queen and a Pizza Hut. Our food habits changed
from fast food to more home-cooked meals, which I personally enjoyed. We spent time buying
groceries and cooking our food, knowing macroscopically what we were eating. I felt the taste of
the food change, and at this age, my food was dictated by taste.
Taste is very important to me. There are so many varieties of food and different
techniques to cook them that manipulate the taste, it is impossible to not find something you
like. I don’t know anyone who wants to eat something they don’t like - of course there are a few
instances where I make this sacrifice, but I’ll get to that in a second. The sensations of sweet,
salty, umami, sour, and bitter are beautiful sensations that we get to experience because of
taste.
After four years of home-cooked meals, my family moved again, this time to Durango,
CO. The food culture in Durango is unique. There is a local farm, James Ranch, and organic
grocery stores, such as Nature’s Oasis/Vitamin Cottage. The presence of organic food slowly
grew in our diets. My parents made friends who informed them of the industrial food system and
the dangers it presented to our health. I remember watching, “Fed Up,” a documentary about
the dangers of sugar to human health, and throwing all my candy away. This was the first time I
thought about the way I was eating through the lens of health. I still cared about taste, but
quality and health allowed me to make sacrifices when it came to taste.
I personally don’t like red meat and I had to really be in the mood to eat chicken, but my
opinion towards meat changed when I watched the documentary, “The Game Changers.” This
documentary explains the science and health benefits of a plant-based diet. (I highly
recommend just because it's a good documentary. (it’s on Netflix.)). After watching this
documentary and learning about the benefits, health or otherwise, my family and I have started
eating plant-based meals.
Having a healthy body is important to live a long life. I want to be able to mountain bike
at seventy and go camping with my grandchildren. Making sacrifices to make my body run like a
well-oiled machine and prevent illnesses doesn’t require a second thought for me. By not putting
dangerous chemicals into my body, I am preventing the side effects that might occur. I have
grown up in a household of medical professionals (my dad is a doctor, my mom is a nurse), so
the priorities to my health have been ingrained into me even if I wasn’t aware of them. I choose
to eat organic and home-cooked food because it is better for my body.
I have lived in Durango for eleven years, and at year ten my dad moved to Kauai, HI. In
Hawaii, everything grows, whether you want it to or not. We drive down the road and there are
different fruit trees. The neighbors all have fruit and vegetable stands outside their homes. We
have several pineapple plants and banana plants. The culture of self-grown produce has
allowed us to take part in our plate by supporting the local economy because we buy our
neighbors’ produce and produce our own. It also cuts down on distribution costs and pollution.
I have recently taken my personal ethics and applied them to my food ethics. I, like many
people, am concerned with the current climate situation. Agriculture contributes as much
pollution as all the forms of transportation combined. After learning this I have tried to eat
locally. I support animals and the correct treatment of animals, so when I went vegan it wasn’t
just for health but for animals’ rights as well.
My food ethic has changed as my environment has changed. My family’s meal ethics
change around my personal ethics. As I am writing right now, my mother and brother, who are
in Durango, are enjoying a chili cheese dog casserole, full of taste but lacking in health and
ethics. Before I left we had a quinoa salad. Food ethics vary and understanding where they
come from is important to understand the person who holds those ethics. My ethics reflect who I
am. I have learned to respect taste, prioritize health, and support my ethics through my meals.

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