1. Food is More Than Something to Eat
A comparative experience of food and culture in Peru and Kentucky
By Rachel Geil, Centre College Class of 2016
Part 1: Peru
I spent three weeks attending an anthropological field
school in Carhuaz, Peru that emphasized experiential
learning and community participatory action research
in order to understand numerous aspects of
traditional Andean culture. When studying their
concept of food, I found the following experiences to
be most informative.
Seed Exchange
As part of their Winter Solstice
celebration, a group of schools
gathered to do a seed exchange.
Each school brought a diverse
selection of seeds, mainly grains
and maize, that grew well in their
area to trade with others
after a traditional, ceremonial commencement which
included the sacrificial offering of a cuy (guinea pig).
The students exhibited a great wealth of knowledge,
curiosity, and involvement in their agricultural-based
lifestyle.
The Market
Though most people grow
food solely for their family’s
consumption, the women
with extra food who can
afford to travel into town sell
it in the marketplace on
Wednesdays and Sundays. Potatoes, vegetables,
and medicinal herbs were among the most common
food items, but manufactured wholesale goods
were also prevalent among certain vendors.
Fieldwork
I found the best way to learn
was by going into the fields to
help farmers plant. They
typically use cuy droppings as
fertilizer and plant a variety
of crops in a single field.
Part 2: Kentucky
Andean culture vs. Western culture
god(s)
god(s)
people
people
nature
nature
My biggest takeaway from this experience was the striking difference
in the mindsets of the two cultures. Traditional Andean culture
understands the world to be full of reciprocal relationships between
people, deities, and the earth, all of which are sacred, all of which
equal. On the other hand, conventional Western thought perceives
the world in a more hierarchal fashion, with a removed deity who has
power over both people and nature. In turn, people believe they have
authority over nature’s resources, which can lead to misuse and
exploitation. These attitudes can be seen in the way each culture
thinks about food. While Andeans see food simply as sustenance,
people with a Western mindset view it as a commodity.
After returning from Peru, I spent the remainder of
my summer interning for the Community Farm
Alliance, a statewide grassroots organization
dedicated to bolstering the local food system
throughout Kentucky by encouraging small-scale,
family based agriculture. It was interesting to note the
impact that local legislation had on local food
opportunities, much more so than in Peru, reinforcing
the Western idea of food as a commodity.
The Directory
My main task was to
create a participant
directory for the
Eastern Kentucky
Food Systems Collaborative, a sector of CFA, to help
create a network of farmers, non-profit organizations,
educational institutions, health professionals, and
anyone interested in Eastern Kentucky food
production and distribution. Besides basic contact
information, the directory outlined reasons to work
for a healthy, sustainable food system and an
inventory of current programs that are doing so.
The Leadership Summit
I also participated in CFA’s
annual Leadership Summit at
Kentucky State University
which brought in interested
participants from around the
state, including local government officials. CFA
reviewed their involvement in a variety of legislative
work concerning food policy and farm policy, as well
as identified the main issues facing Kentucky farmers
today. As in Peru, farmers struggle with distributing
their local food to a wide range of consumers. A
unique concern for Kentucky is the idea of supporting
beginning farmers through loans and education
programs, such as the Agricultural Legacy Initiative.