Before money, we caught fish.
We gathered plants.
We created money, in part, so we could pay someone else to get our food & bring it to us.
With money, we no longer had to know how to find food for ourselves.
Money enabled us to specialize: You get the food, I’ll sit here and make baskets.
And specialization led to civilization.
And civilizations to economies.
In order to try to understand this evolution better, I took an economics course last year.
It wasn’t progressive economics.
It was the kind that asserts that any problem can be solved by money.
For example, if your neighbour’s dog barks incessantly and you value your quiet at $500 and your neighbour only values her dog at $499, you can purchase your quiet for $500.
That’s an actual example from my textbook.
What happens to the dog?
The textbook didn’t say.
Disconnection.
The course helped me to understand how we got so disconnected from the natural world.
Through quantification.
We decided that everything had monetary value. And that it is up the free market to determine what that value is.
Which led me to consider the economics of food.
The Economics of Supper
Even if we buy all of our food at the supermarket, we can still resist the quantification of the food that we eat to survive.
I can value my food, not only because it contributes to my well-being, but because it is an expression of the life force of this planet.
It has inherent value.
Spear fish. Dig roots.
Or buy everything you need from the supermarket.
Make soup.
It’s the spirit, and the intent, that matters.
Poached Pacific Salmon with Leeks & Fennel
- 1 Fennel Bulb
- 1 large Leek
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 3 cups Bone Broth
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan Salt
- 2 wild Pacific Salmon steaks
Slice the Fennel Bulb thinly, including the stalks.
Trim any very tough ends from the Leek. Slice it lengthwise and wash thoroughly to remove any dirt. Slice it into rounds.
Melt the Coconut Oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add the sliced vegetables, Turmeric and Salt.
Stir occasionally until the vegetables are softened, then add the Bone Broth.
Lay the Salmon Steaks on top and cover the saucepan.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
To serve, carefully remove the salmon steaks onto plates with a slotted spoon and ladle the soup into bowls. Add a green salad.
Or, be rustic & all-in-one-bowl, laying the salmon on top of the bowl of soup. Add a saucer to receive the bones and skin (though the skin is entirely edible).
