Lately I've been listening to a lot of NPR and public radio, especially on the weekends. I would have laughed at the idea of myself listening voluntarily to public radio a few years ago, maybe even as little as one year ago. But I've been captured by it. I feel like I am learning something as I am in the car listening to the talk shows and news programs. I have something to talk about.

For instance, what do you think about the new bill Congress passed this week allowing telephone companies and whoever else to listen to our phone conversations at will?

This afternoon I was listening to parts of an episode of Speaking of Faith where the host talked to a writer who wrote a book, Animal, Mineral, Miracle. They were discussing food culture. The author said that some people help the planet by not eating meat, she stopped eating bananas to do her part. I laughed at first, but she has a point. Bananas are very hard to transport and come from far away lands (can you tell I really researched this? Really I just discussed it with my husband who heard a NPR story regarding the sensitivity and future extinction of bananas). Her part to help in this global crisis is to eat only locally grown foods. She also discussed the mindset of Americans and eating. Americans, including myself, often think preparing a meal at home is so time consuming. Think of all the new recipes, cookbooks, even cooking shows that are focused on the least amount of time it takes to prepare a meal. We lead busy lives, we come home and need to prepare a meal, feed the family, when all we really want to do is veg out on the couch in front of the boob tube. Hello! TV dinners! There is a whole genre of food created because of this mindset. The author of the book was saying that if we only thought of meal preparation as entertainment, something to do together with the family, of creating something beautiful and delicious, it wouldn't seem so much like a chore.

So I think I'm going to change my thinking on this whole meal food thing, which might even have bigger effects on the why I think about food in general. I often feel guity when eating food, wondering how it will impact how my clothes fit me and my size. When really, if I'm eating fresh locally grown food, prepared in a delicious way, why should I felt guilty? God meant for us to enjoy food and enjoy his creation. This is a whole new outlook.