Wednesday, September 18, 2013

“When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.”-Nancy Coey, motivational speakerFor some time now, I have wrestled back and forth with the idea of having a blog.  Naturally, the first question is what to blog about and how to do it in such a way that I am committed to it, I enjoy it, and it encompasses topics that I have knowledge and curiosity about.  Because of my career as a dietitian and my interest in food and nutrition, I knew that a blog pertaining to these topics would be a way to pursue my passion for writing, (as well as developing writing skills), inspire me to research and stay abreast of what is going on in my field, and provide me a way to meet other bloggers and receive feedback and interaction.   One evening, several months ago, I had started to think about and write out what my vision for a blog would be.  Lots of dietitians have blogs to promote a nutritional business or topics that they are passionate about, or to provide accurate nutritional information to consumers.  I wanted a bit broader scope for my blog.  The phrase Food 360 came to mind.  The background story which inspired this title is this: I had attended an event called Outstanding in the Field, which I will discuss in my next post, that inspired my idea.  In addition to the event, I had read several books by Michael Pollan concerning the origins of food and practical applications in society, and had many discussions with my cousin, Miles McMath, the Director of Culinary Operations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, on eating real food and the impact it has on society.  So, I am sure you are wondering what was so significant about these things that it led to a vision or a premise for creating a blog.  I will share with you the notes that I jotted down to serve as topics for this blog, in hopes that you will better understand the vision that I had in mind.     

Food 360

-Food at its origins, from the earth, to the table
-Food as comfort, as healing, as medicine, as entertainment, as pleasure, as social hour
-From the fields to slaughter, as it takes its presence in our homes and in our bodies
-From the labs to the supermarkets, through all the marketing in between
-Food for it’s sensory appeals-touch, taste, sight, smell
-Food as a holistic approach, for it’s nutrition or lack thereof, for its allergic reactions and intolerances, as therapy, as sustenance, in sickness, and in health

Like I said, these are merely notes jotted down in a short time frame, but it definitely got my brain to turning.  I wanted to write about food on a deeper level, not just what foods contain Vitamin A, the so-called benefits of eating gluten-free, or what it means to be a vegan.  However, I didn't want to negate the benefits of food from a nutritional standpoint, especially since a lot of my career as a dietitian deals with this aspect, so I included the holistic part.  

Moreover, I wanted to have a blog where I could capture and appeal to a wider audience and learn from them.  I wanted to have a place to discuss the origins and history of food, and how it has significantly changed as more than the hunter-gatherer approach, and become a major marketing campaign and a social, entertaining part of our culture, whether that be from dining out on a first date, to planning a huge pot-luck event for a family reunion.  By incorporating this facet, I believe I will be able to share personal stories, photographs, recipes, restaurants, events I attend, and the like.  Growing up in Mississippi, attending school in the Mississippi Delta (aka the most southern place on earth) where tea is sweet, everything is fried, and food insecurity is a real issue, and now living in Houston, Texas, where food trucks are on every corner, tea is not so sweet, and BBQ is done with beef, I am looking forward to assessing the impact of food in various cultures, as well as in my own life.  As I have often told many clients:  Food is very Personal.  

I hope you will join me for this adventure, bear with me as I am a novice to the blogging world, and share with me your experiences and opinions concerning a topic that we all require in order to sustain life.  Thanks to my husband for helping me set this up.  I look forward to seeing the direction it takes.  

Megan