Who Makes Your Food Decisions?
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
There is a Jacksonville, Florida boarding house breakfast scene in James Weldon Johnson’s novel Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man. The food scene made me think about the gastro-politicss—hierarchies, differences, and privileges related to food that exist in various spaces in which people live and eat. Before I got married, on several occasions I rented rooms with various food options and experiences. It got me thinking about the food options of those renting a room at a YMCA and YWCA, or a hostel. What about the food experiences of state run spaces like prisons, juvenile detentions centers, and group homes? Who decides where the food is sourced, who cooks it, and how much is served? These questions call for a gastro-political interpretation.
