Immediate gratification vs. Immediacy

It's fair to say that I'm a picky eater and always have been. As a child, I survived mainly on applesauce, mashed potatoes, white rice, and pickles. My diet opened up a bit as the years wore on, but when I got to college and had a vegetarian roommate, it was all the incentive I needed to try vegetarianism. I had been going off the meat stuff for a while, and eating a delicious variety of meatless international foods was eye-opening and satisfying. This way of life (along with having my own apartment) gradually introduced me to cooking for myself. When I couldn't be sure that something was meat-free (even some vegetable soups are beef or chicken based), it was time to make it myself. I also found that I liked cooking...the pride I took in my very first apple pie can be seen in the snapshots I took of it just after it came out of the oven. Note: if I ever start framing and displaying said photos on my nightstand or mantle, it's time for an intervention.

These days, a recent slough of farming books and slow food movement ideas have been crossing my mind. I get most of my weekly groceries from the farmer's market, and I find that even when I don't really need that much, I just like to be in that space. I've been through an inner struggle that led me back to fish (sustainable low-mercury) and eventually chicken (free-range organic). This has continued my need to cook for myself and see exactly where my food originated and how. My newest purchase of a pressure canner continues the trend as I will now be able to store all of these amazing farmer's market items for use through the year. This brings me to my ultimate point: immediate gratification vs. immediacy. Let me explain.

NPR started it. As I drove to the sounds of the jabbering economists I normally tune out, I couldn't help catching one of them say that before the recession, we were operating under the assumption that never-ending growth was possible and perpetuated by our superfluous credit usage. Now, after having everything tank, we must strive for a system that is simply sustainable.

This same idea is something I believe many of us are unconsciously internalizing. Maybe in a financial sense, but also in an overall lifestyle change. That idea of moving from consumerism (swiping the credit card for movie tickets, restaurants, travel) to sustainability (using cash at the farmer's market, trading in our gas-guzzlers, making our own bread). Essentially, moving from immediate gratification to immediacy itself. There is an unusual pleasure in seeing where one's food comes from, how it looks in its whole state, and learning what you can do with it. It is knowing that you are a human animal and can take care of yourself without the help of a can opener. It is seeing a process from beginning to end rather than having something mysteriously appear wrapped in cellophane. It is asking the farmer himself the best way to prepare and eat what you are buying from him (try that at a grocery store).

I'm not saying that I have given up movies or going out to dinner or even grocery stores themselves. What I am finding, however, is the innate pleasure in interacting with my immediate environment in a way that is natural, simple, and honest. This same pursuit is also finding its way into my art (hopefully another post to follow with some saggar-fired pots). This pursuit in itself is aesthetically-satisfying...I am a little bit in love with the happy pumpkin-looking squash I plan on canning for pie later this winter. Between my lovely, warm colored squash and a metal tin of pumpkin mash...there is simply no competition.

I hope this post hasn't been too rambling for you. Here are some pictures to make up for it.