Farm to Table...or...Table to Farm?

Question of the Day? Farm to Table ... or ... Table to Farm?

***Note: the word "Table" in the question is defined loosely as a metaphor for "eat spot." In this case, the "Table" is the cement wall outside of a middle/highschool in Washington Heights.
***Note2: The word "Farm" should also be considered loosely, as in this context, "Farm" is meant to describe the Squirrel...or Nature.

Now, did you take a close look at the pictures? Ok, look again.

Did you really see what is going on here? Yes, that is a squirrel happily chowing down on a cafeteria hamburger bun. Clearly he is into convenience and has fallen prey to the commercialized sweetness that flavors the little starchy snack.

The irony of this encounter: I saw this guy and his afternoon treat no more than 2 minutes after teaching a Food Justice course to students, and leaving the school for the day. We had just finished an activity on the effects and impact of partially hydrogenated oils, wherein, the kids made "Blubber Burgers" out of hamburger buns and a tub of shortening.

They went 4 grams of fat for 1 Tablespoon of fat (shortening). They began piling on the white, hard, sticky food stabilizer until it equalled the amount of fat in a popular meal from a fast-food or chain restaurant of their choice.

The activity left my hands feeling like they were coated in Elmer's glue, and, left a sink full of dishes that were definitely not going to be cleaned....I'm not sure if you realize, but the combination of cold water & lard doesn't exactly lend to warm soapy suds or clean hands.

Nonetheless, I had to laugh when I saw the squirrel eating the hamburger bun simply because, it seemed a fitting visual representation of the issues associated with our current food system and the amount of work still needed to restore natural balance through clean, simple and fair food choices for all. Even the wild squirrels of Manhattan don't have a say...they also are at the mercy of a corporation driven food supply.

I highly doubt the squirrel paid cash for that burger...but, he'll still pay for it. Unjustly? Perhaps. But then again...I don't think hydrogenated oil discriminates when deciding whose arteries to harden.

So, this sighting posited the question: Are we really well on our way to a majority "farm to table" dining environment? Or, are we still a majority "table to farm" society? This was definitely an example of "Our Table to Farm (nature ->squirrel)."


If only there were a "Blubber Burger" exercise that would help squirrels like this one see the consequences of indulging his taste buds as an uninformed consumer. So, Squirrel, if you are reading this, please take note of the following, (which represent ingredients that may or may not have been present in your bun)...enjoy and God speed:

Ingredient(s) in the average fast food burger bun (2008):
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, canola oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, soy flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride, baking soda, sorbic acid, deactivated dry yeast, dough conditioners (may contain one or more the following: distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, enzymes, guar gum), calcium propionate & sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.
Note: Calcium and Sodium Propionate are 'mold inhibitors,' hence the fresh looking 12 year old bun!
***The mold inhibitors....that explains it. He was duped.***


-cook. observer of the paradoxes of nature. squirrels for life advocate.