Relational

We need a foodie movement for relationships and civic engagement. Once, the United States was in love with McDonald's and Wonder Bread and Velveeta, because manufactured, uniform, predictable food was futuristic. Then came food television and hobby obsession, and food appealed to the senses and had a lot of potential for novelty and stimulation. We need to find our way out of this by being excited to do more of something new and enjoyable, not by being worried about how we have to abandon our current behaviors. We already place a lot of emphasis in this culture on the pleasure of friendship, but it's predictable and uniform friendship, with hostility toward the outgroup of people who are different. But foodies rediscover foods they hated when they were children, and they're triumphant when they reclaim them with new preparation techniques. I long to see the day when Facebook and text messages, and easy agreement in general, are the Velveeta of human connection.