CWA panelists discussed the complex relationship that humans have with food, how it has evolved and how to go about changing our eating habits for the betterment of the world.
(Josh Shettler/CU Independent Illustration)
The panel took place in Muenzinger Auditorium from 11-12:20 p.m. Friday. It was moderated by Dave Newport and featured panelists Zulfiqar Ahmad, Robert Egger, Tom Gold and Phillip James Walker. Ahmad works as an activist for peace in South East Asia. Egger is the founder and president of L.A. Kitchen, which distributes food to the aging population. Gold is a professor of sociology at UC Berkley and works to “improve understanding” with East Asia. Walker is an international lawyer and consultant who specializes in the reform of “conflict and post-conflict societies.”
Waste
“A huge amount of food is thrown away because it’s not perfect.” – Egger
On the changing attitudes in China: “Waste has never been a part of the Chinese culture.” –Gold
“There’s a profound waste that is overeating, and there’s a third profound waste, that is eating meat.” –Ahmad
Want
“At every given time in any given month, people don’t know where their next meal is coming from.” –Egger
“Not even 40-50 years ago there was a saying that you eat so you can live, not that you live so you can eat.” –Ahmad
Culture
“I think of food as one of the most fundamental drivers in history.” –Walker
“We’re talking about the Silk Road and hundreds of thousands of years of contact that can be traced through food.” –Walker
“Food is an intimate activity that skips across cultures very quickly.” –Walker
On foodie culture in the Bay Area: “To get a reservation at the hottest new place and more importantly to be seen there is a great badge of honor.” –Gold
“Food has power, and you have to see that your money also has power. That’s how you spend it.” –Egger
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.
