Food is culture.

Food connects us humans, it unites us at one table. It is social.

Food is an important part of every culture and we can learn a lot from it. Are there more vegetables, grains or meat? How is it prepared? Which spices and herbs are used? Which traditions exist around food, which rituals and celebrations?

When I was a child there was always a roast on Sundays, there were six of us at the table and everyone got a slice. We had potatoes and vegetables from our own garden. My father had a large garden with vegetables and the harvest was either immediately put on the table or in the freezer. So we were always well taken care of. Meat was something special, not something to expect everyday, and every schnitzel was counted.

Today we have everything in abundance. Meat has become cheap and you can buy every vegetable the whole year round: In any greenhouse in the world, you'll find what you're looking for: strawberries at Christmas, apricots in February. But this availability has a price; vegetables are grown with lots of chemicals and then transported halfway around the world. Animals are treated and rationalized like packaged goods.

Food is political.

 The meat industry has become very big. People in wealthy countries have detached themselves from the animals they eat.

On the shelves of supermarkets, everything is portioned, packed under plastic film, no longer related to the animal it once was.

Where did the pig in the barn stand? Was it ever on a pasture? What does free range mean? Do the chickens really get to see the sun there?

Can argentine cattle graze romantically on a huge prairie like in a western movie?

 But the food we eat represents us, the nutrients that go into our bodies become part of us. We live with them, we can grow through them and we react to them. Who knows, maybe the history and origin of our food also influences us? Would we perhaps be different if we only ate meat or only vegetables? Would we have different thoughts, be more or less satisfied?

 How will humanity be able to feed itself sustainably and consciously if we continue growing as a population?

 It is important for me to know exactly what I eat. Our life is full of options, I want to make conscious decisions.

 Where does my meat come from, how was the animal treated throughout its life, was it species-appropriate? How was it killed?

 It is important to me that we return to the origin. To our foundation. To regain an awareness of what we do and what we eat. An appreciation of the earth, the animals and the plants, and of those who feed us.

 Surely there are only a few people in the first world who can slaughter an animal themselves, but to watch or watch it being cut up would be a start, wouldn't it?