Au revoir from The Conscientious Omnivore
I started “The Conscientious Omnivore” as a way to share some of what I was reading, watching, and listening to as I sought to educate myself about the modern food system. I occasionally provided original content, such as one (and only one) recipe, which became the blog’s most popular post, our re-creation of Whole Foods’ classic curry tofu salad. Mostly, though, I passed along interesting pieces of reporting that I’d discovered online. Over time, we covered a wide range of topics under the broad umbrella of “how does the modern food system work?” These included everything from the many ills of factory farmed meat, eggs and dairy; the marketing of junk food to kids; agriculture in the face of climate change and growing global population; seasonal eating, farmers’ markets, and community supported agriculture (CSA); the explosive growth in the craft beer movement; the controversies around genetically modified organisms; and the often deplorable conditions in which farm workers toil. I still care a great deal about these and the many other issues we’ve touched upon, but the time has come for me to step away from the keyboard.
Since I started this blog in September 2011, an ever-increasing number of mainstream media outlets, alternative news sources, and of course bloggers have begun producing regular (sometimes great) writing on “the food beat.” So, even without my curatorial hand to guide you, there’s no danger of running out of reporting and reflection on how our food comes to be. In my absence, let me encourage you to consider adding some or all of the following to your favorites or your news feed:
- Civil Eats
- Grist
- Harvest Public Media
- NPR: The Salt
- Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN)
- Mother Jones: Environment
- the Edible Communities publications
- Modern Farmer
- AlterNet: Food
- Humaneitarian: Eat with Care blog
- Edible Geography
Finally, whether you are a one-time visitor, a regular reader, or anyone in between, thank you for stopping by the blog! Whatever it was that piqued your curiosity and brought you to these pages, my parting message to you is the same encouragement that I give myself: Keep questioning. Keep learning. And most importantly—with your voice, your vote, your hands, and your dollars—keep working toward a food system that is more sustainable and sustaining, humane and healthful, and diverse and delicious for all.