“Foodtopia” author discusses there being “no correct way to eat”

Marli Damp

She/Her

Staff Writer

4/3/24

Renowned agrarian author, Margot Anne Kelley, gave a lecture about her book, her book, “Foodtopia: Communities in Pursuit of Peace, Love, & a Wholesome Meal” at the Museum of the White Mountains on March on March 27. 

She began withbeganwith a discussion about Thanksgiving Dinner. The contentious nature of the holiday in a world where “people can just pick and choose.”She passionately explained how food not only generates conflict in the kitchen but also in politics. 

Kelley believes that there is no “one right way” to eat, it depends on the values of the consumer. Regardless of what values you prioritize, all diets represent critique on mainstream food culture. 

Kelley offered analysis on Thoreau’s Walden Pond experiment, challenging us to think about “only the essential facts of life.” He grew his own food and sold the excess. Relying on the generosity of family and friends. Although critics call Thoreau hypocritical, he successfully lived beyond the reach of capitalism and food is meant to be communitarian. Although technology has optimized communication, Thoreau believes that it promotes materialism. 

This theory can be applied to the expansion of railroads which snuffed out small-scale agriculture. Trains increased the capacity of competition and forced the industrialization of our food systems. This opportunity for customers became an obligation to have customers. The culture of farming moved towards market dependence and farmers became tools of their profession. 

Kelley discussed the emergence of counter-culture and the efforts of neo-agrarians to create a “utopia.” Opposition tends to occur in waves, older movements inspiring new ones. American economist, Scott Nearing, criticized the complexity of an interdependent society. Nearing’s wife, Helen, wrote an “anti-cookbook” that opposed the nature of processed foods. The couple created a simplistic life where they ate mono-meals, worked part-time, grew their own food, and refrained from mind-altering substances. Helen and Scott adamantly avoided alcohol and coffee. Kelley spent time in the Nearing’s house in Maine, attempting to follow her strict recipes. However, she did not avoid bread. An item that Helen explicitly condemned because of the processed nature of flour. Like Thoreau, the Nearings were unsatisfied by the complexities of materialist culture and resisted it by returning to the land.

Kelley discussed the impact of historical events on the development of our food systems. When the Nearings were prioritizing simplistic, the American political environment became even more complex. World War II created a demand for frozen food, enabled by the prevalence of freezers and refrigerators. As this trend emerged, fast food restaurants followed suit. The culture of American food permanently shifted when McDonalds, Dunkin, and Burger were established. Another wave of social opposition pushed against the new set of mainstream norms. The “hippies” of the 1970’s were largely inspired by the Nearings and began returning to the land. 

Kelley mentioned Living the Good Life, a book written by the Nearings that was re-released in 1970. This agrarian literature shaped the hippie movement and food became the pillar of these communities. Although critics discuss the financial privilege of hippies, Kelley believes that the movement was about escaping this materialism. Many hippies felt bad for living off of the work of others, returning to the land to resist this corruption. Hippies reinvigorated farmers markets, advocated for homemade goods, and opened up discussion about the preparation of food. The homesteads created were not about sex and drugs, the successful ones advocated for re-engagement with the natural world. 

Margot Anne Kelley highlighted the cyclical pattern of neo-agrarian food movements. The majority of the values fought for in previous generations, are the center of the conversation today. The challenge of forging physical connection with the world has become more and more difficult. We can oppose the mainstream by making educated choices about our food, pursuing small-scale gardening, and eating what makes us feel free. 

In a time of cultural division, Kelley reiterates that there is no correct way to eat. If we can all see the flaws in the system, we should focus our energy on instigating change rather than debating which diet is the most ethical. Food is inherently political and thoughtful consumption will help guide us to a more equal world.