“Insights provided as to low-income consumers could nonetheless prove invaluable to activists open to a variety of intersecting sociopolitical barriers to food preparation. That is, if the point of challenging the value of homemade meals and food system problems is not just about getting people to eat the “right” foods but changing conditions systemically.” Vaughn 2017
This week was primarily focused on “‘Choosing’ Wisley: Paralleling Food Sovereignty and Reproductive Justice” by Rachel A. Vaughn. I have a few pages left and next week I will be moving on to my new text, “From Betty Crocker to Feminist Food Studies: Critical Perspectives on Women and Food” by Arlene Voski Avakian and Barbara Haber.
The themes in the second half of this essay focus heavily on what the Vaughn astutely calls “moralized consumerism”. Starting with an evaluation of the proposed alternatives of our standard consumer options and their real-world implications (notes on greenwashing and the economic barriers that come with an “organic” diet) and practicality, the essay then leads into a discussion of the responsibility that is placed on women, specifically wives and mothers, to play a very specific and subservient role in the food system.
Vaughn cites many texts in this section that seem quite relevant and I will be adding them to my list of texts for extra exploration should I finish my originally planned texts. These include Amanda Marcotts’s “Let’s Stop Idealizing the Home-Cooked Family Dinner”, followed by Joel Saltines 2014 critique of the piece. Another one was Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbra Kingslvers, which is a book I actually already own but have not read.
I am looking forward to week three and finishing this essay!