This story originally aired on 12/24/12, WABE-FM, Atlanta.
By Courtney Farmer
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When I walk through my school’s cafeteria doors and reach the food counter, I'm usually disappointed: To me, the salad is a little too wilted, the tuna fish looks a bit too brown and the apples feel mushy. I simply lose my appetite.
Normally, people use the term “food desert” when they're talking about a neighborhood without access to fresh fruits or vegetables. But I call my school a food desert.
Unfortunately, congress recently blocked a proposal that would have required more fruits & vegetables in school lunches. To legislators, tomato paste on pizza counts as a vegetable, which is ridiculous, and not just because tomatoes are fruits! Sure, I know it would probably cost more money to server healthier foods, but there is also a cost to eating processed foods.
Rather than go hungry, I bring my own lunch to school. I try to pack things that are nutritious, like a bag of grapes and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's hard to believe simple food options like these can't be done on a big scale. Especially now with studies showing the increase in students depending on free or reduced lunch meals.
Previously on WABE:
* Figuring Out the Job Market Without A College Degree
* Advice From A Baseball Fan
* Occupy Election Booths, Not Streets
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This commentary originally aired on WAMU, American University Radio in Washington, D.C.
By Lalaram Guyadin
I remember the first time the cafeteria server put a sealed plastic cup on my tray. I asked my friends what it was. "A fruit cup," they said, laughing. I had never seen anything like it: grapes, peaches, pineapple and pears cut into small squares and put into a cup, weeks or months before being eaten. They looked nothing like the original fruit. And when I tasted it, I realized just how far from home I was.
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By: King Anyi Howell
The following was broadcast on KQED-FM.
Adapted from King Anyi Howell’s story about the Harambee Farmer’s Market on KQED’s The California Report
(download mp3) African Americans suffer higher rates of obesity, hypertension and heart disease than the rest of the nation. In the predominately black South Los Angeles of Crenshaw, however, one farmer’s market is hoping that they can break bad eating habits by offering fresh produce at affordable rates. The Harambee Farmer’s Market (open Saturdays from 10am-4pm) is located at the busy intersection of Crenshaw and Slauson between a bank and an auto paint shop. Harambee is a Swahili word, meaning “all pull together.”
The Harambee Farmer’s Market has one produce booth and two other booths that sell hand-crafted jewelry, lotions, oils, clothing and other items. Farmer Larry Williamson is from the Crenshaw neighborhood and supplies the market with produce from his farm in Merced, Ca and other black-owned California farms. Currently the booth sells strawberries, peanuts, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, lettuce, cabbage, and beets. The booth also has other seasonal produce available at rates that compete with local grocery chains.
I was fortunate enough to discover this market a few months back. Unfortunately, the market is usually empty. But they have a loyal customer base and often offer free entertainment to attract new people. It is located in the parking lot of the African Firefighters and Benevolent Association community center. The AFIBA center wants to expand the market. I would love to see this place develop into its full potential. Imagine more booths of fresh produce and long lines of customers. Communities—like Crenshaw—need more places that promote healthy eating.
When people think of Los Angeles, the first thing that comes to mind is either the beautiful weather or the Hollywood scene. But what most people don't think about is the food scene here. Since L.A. is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, there's equally tasty pots of food to be eaten. Problem is, in certain places in L.A., usually low-income neighborhoods, it's really hard to find quick food that's isn't fast food.
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If you’re not familiar with what exactly a vegetable is, then you’re lucky. “Veggies” are usually green, or otherwise another sickly color. Parents give vegetables to their children to torture them. Some side effects are: nausea, headache, dizziness. Sometimes choking will occur if an attempt is made to swallow the vegetable whole.
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