Why I go through all that work to make all this shit

1) Handiwork. Hands are fucking awesome. Think of all the verbs that relate to hands – holding, letting go, digging, reaching, squeezing, scattering, picking, throwing, pushing, pulling, giving, receiving, grasping, praying. Hands evoke things out of abstraction into a physical presence. The structure of human anatomy even recognizes this. The human hand has 27 bones out of the 206 – 208 bones in the adult body. That’s about 13%! And, let’s not forget about the opposable thumb!
2) Sensual experience. Sticky dough feels good. The bubbles of fermenting beer sound good. It all smells and tastes good (hopefully)! Obviously some deftness with food don’t hurt when trying to get laid.
3) Food security. I hate this phrase because I can’t help but hear a George W. twang say it. Any phrase with the word “security” I mentally file it away into a post 9/11 paranoid mindset. It does however, seem to be the phrase a la mode (here, I just mean “of the time.” I wish I meant “with ice cream”). Food security means that food is available and accessible to all. Growing and making your own food nurtures a reliance on smaller communities rather than relying on corporate food systems and political bodies to handle food (they have not done a very good job of this).
4) The earth. Because I’m pretty sure if it could, the earth would ask me to. Making your own food is more sustainable, getting rid of lots of steps of wasteful processing, transport, and storage. It also favors smaller, people-friendly economies and social structures rather than globalized, carbon sucking, oppressive powers.
5) Political action. Each food act I make is a protest against corporate control and homogenization. Opposing the food system includes rebelling against the political, economic, and social structures through simple acts, like making a crock of sauerkraut. No permit needed.
6) Spiritual need. Being involved with my food, my land, and the wellbeing of my community with whom I share the food I make is a spiritual experience. It’s a way of growing roots.
7) Nutrition. Our food system has produced some ugly food with ugly results – diabetes and heart disease to name the biggies. Eating living foods (that’s right, they’re alive!) that are nutritionally enhanced with ancient methods of preservation just makes sense. Ask Weson A. Price. They are simply healthier – making the benefits of the food more available and digestible to the human body.
8) Expense. Making these foods at home costs pennies compared to the cost of buying inferior products at the grocery store.
9) It is way more fun this way.
10) It tastes really fucking good.