Bodega Down Bronx Follow Up

Francesca Craft
Food Politics
The Little Apple

Of
all of Manhattan, I personally view the Lower East Side as the most convenient
in terms of pricing, nutrition, and of course taste. By the Lower East side,
however, I mean everywhere from First street to Union Square—Avenue D to
Fourth. I’m not quite sure if these are the official boundary lines of the neighborhood,
though it’s within this district alone that I have located a great selection of
Mom and Pop businesses and farmer’s markets, most of which are healthy, relatively
inexpensive, and tasty. The area immediate to BHSEC, on the other hand, is much
less favorable; the food is actually cheaper than that purchased in typical
Lower East Side shops, but it is much less satisfying in terms of nutritional
value and flavor. There is not much to choose from, unless you are up for a
real trek, and what is right here is just… eh.
The
students of BHSEC commute from all over the city to get to school; we all come
from different nutritional backgrounds, some with higher or lower standards than
others. However, almost everyone agrees that when there is a lack of food, as
opposed to a fusion what they might consider good and bad, one’s diet no longer
relies on what is appealing to them, but depends on what is available to them
and everyone else. It becomes a matter of survival. But why, in this day and
age, and in the Big Apple, should finding good food be a struggle? It is hard
enough surviving under the academic pressure of BHSEC, but when it comes to
trying to fuel our bodies so that we can keep up with our busy days, we take on
an entirely new set of problems.
Food
insecurity is not an issue unique to the Houston area, but the Bronx, Harlem,
Midtown, and the much Lower end of Manhattan, as well as many parts of Brooklyn
and Queens (I’ve never been to Staten Island…) also experience similar and far
worse problems. The consequences of urban food insecurity manifest within our
bodies and minds. We lose sight of our communal order and begin to compete for
what is available. Moreover, many face serious health issues such as obesity,
(due to heightened intake of processed fatty ‘foods’ which come at extremely
low prices), and even starvation if the district is that devoid of resources appealing
to its residents.
Ideal
food access comes in many shapes and forms; from the growing of food in local
farms and gardens, to affordable pricing, to the freedom to cook in your own
home. We have been to the moon and back yet we still have not tackled the most
primitive of struggles human beings have ever faced. As creatures of the same
species living on the same planet, we each have the right to a fair distribution
of her resources. We all know that there is an endless supply of healthy food
out there, but eventually it has to come down to what is growing in here.