Eat a different story

Simeon runs an urban farm from his suburban block in Melbourne’s north east and, through his business, Spoke and Spade, sells what he grows through farmers markets and weekly veggie boxes.

Sim urges us all to consider the story of food beyond the supermarket shelf: the food growing, the farmers farming it, the workers packaging it, the truck transporting it, the refrigerator cooling it, the supermarket workers shelving it, us purchasing and preparing it, the energy cooking it, our coming to the table to eat it, disposing what can’t be consumed and the earth decomposing it.

“If we’re going to say grace for it, let’s do that with the understanding that God values all the energy, the processes and the people that brought it to the table,” he says.

In bowing our heads to give thanks, more aware of the complete story of food, we need to confront those aspects of the food story that we would rather not say ‘amen’ to.

As well as being aware and engaged with these issues, Sim encourages people to take practical action. Simple things such as choosing green energy to power our kitchen appliances, learning to love a plant-rich diet and reducing waste by throwing out less and composting more.

As we ask questions about systems of food, we find a richer story that is both better for us and the planet.

Knowing God as creator, we see that every single thing in this world is made masterfully and intentionally. If we look through that lens into creation, we see both pain and joy. Sim lists off the many environmental crises that are a result of the dysfunctional systems of consumption. But there is also great beauty.

“When I look at a tree or a piece of silver beet in my garden, it feels perfect. Because I am a critical person, I need to find little moments or pictures of God as perfection. And I see that in nature.”