DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-10-09 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 10

ESSENTIAL FOOD
[hand drawn basket of food]

Trying to write the second article of essential foods was much more difficult than I anticipated. It was easy in the first article to place the blame on man and the capitalistic system which fosters pollution through an exploitive economic system. A solution also was clear-through our collectivity, through our sisterhood we would refuse to eat the pig shit. However, now when I try to write the alternatives I am faced with the question of relevance... if we spend much of our energies on the ecology problem, are we not helping this system to continue (slightly improved for those who can afford it) rather than tearing it down? For example, Standard Oil has done a lot of advertising lately as to how they are taking the lead out of the gasoline and now we should buy their gasoline. What they don't mention is that by taking the lead out of gas(which should never have been put in originally) they are depleting "our oil reserves". And "our oil reserves" just happen to be in South America and the Middle East. It is not even our land they are drilling and ruining. So by supporting Standard Oil's "Ecology for you" project we are participating in the rape of a third world country. Wouldn't it be better just to take over Standard Oil?

REVOLUTION

And while we are looking at Standard Oil's destruction being made palatable for the Amerikan public, look at how Amerikan technology exploits farmers around the world. The technologists tried to upgrade food production in underdeveloped countries by introducing high yielding varieties of wheat, corn, rice, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. What they didn't take into account was that for thousands of years the whole culture had revolved around primitive farm practices directed not for money profit but to feed the farmer and his family. Each family had a small plot and used human wastes as fertilizer and animal wastes as fuel. Small crop yields left little to be stored. Hungry people ate the food before the rodents did. In China and South East Asia farming has continued in some areas for 40 centuries because the fertile soil is terraced, and irrigated waste materials are recycled. Because of Amerikan interest in profits, the growing of money crops in these countries became very advanced. 
Before World War II agricultural researchers directed their attention to rubber and sugar plantations. They advanced methods, and varieties to coffee farms, and modernized the production of bananas. Those crops were then used in foreign exchange and made the Amerikans wealthy. Because the controlling interests were outside the country and were for profits, the crops had to be grown right. Corn and wheat were cross-bred to produce higher yields and short stalks (easily harvested). They were used in India and South East Asia. Yields were doubled and tripled. Problems began to spring up because the new varieties of produce had a different taste and texture to what the people had preferred for centuries. As a result the marketplace value fell, and the small farmer sustained the loss. Some areas had no huge storehouses to match the yields and bushels of grain spoiled. The produce needed fertilizer and few of these countries are endowed with raw materials needed for manufacture of chemical fertilizers. The farmers needed tractors and other equipment and were forced to sell out to the large landholders who were becoming richer and richer. Besides all this the chemical fertilizers were reacting against the soil that had been recycled for generations. The crops were resistant to a large degree to insects and disease attacks (they had to be to survive.) The new improved plants were really attractive to insects and rodents and now pesticides have to be sprayed. 
The experts couldn't have cared less what would happen to the land when they supplanted the "inefficient" ways that had evolved for centuries. Here again is the capitalist exploiting nature and exploiting the people for his own profits. 

REVOLUTION

Organic Farming constitutes conflicting ideas. It's true if you grow your own food you will not be supporting the capitalist system. However it also makes you a part of the culture because farming is co-optable. The land is not available for all people who want to farm and therefore a small group will again control the food resources and will be able to sell at a profit. And while they are harvesting and milking their cows, with their conciousness being satisfied, they can't be taking part in the Revolution and so the farming becomes an end rather than the means to an end.
In New York City a Women's commune organized a food co-op (organic). They bought it wholesale and sold it for no profits, making it cheaper than supermarket prices. It was collective in action and could be considered as an alternative, keeping in mind the possibility of being satisfied too easily, before the goals are accomplished.
When shopping in  a supermarket you should be aware that the essential quality of food is sustain. Don't but foods that have additives in them, that do nothing for you (this would be supporting the whole Amerikan policy of overabundance and waste). 
Avoid white sugar and white bread. They are concentrated carbohydrates that contain no vitamins or minerals of any kind. Your body spends more energy trying to utilize white sugar than the energy it produces. Use honey or raw sugar, and any whole wheat or or unbleached flour. 
Understand proteins. Protein foods are of two kinds- first class found in lean meats, eggs, milk, cheese, yeast, whole wheat products, especially wheat germ, soya beans and nuts. The second class proteins are found in dry beans, peas, corn, and gelatin. Because the Amerikan ideal that "a chicken in every pot" is equitable with social status, not much emphasis has been put on using soybeans as a meat replacement. Soybeans have a high percentage of protein and practically the same food value as animal protein. It contains in nearly maximum proportions the amino acids, calcium and B vitamins essential in the diet. Economically it is one of the cheapest ways of adding more protein to the diet. 
Avoid canned meats. These are usually those which are unfit for the fresh meat market and have to be canned to prevent loss. They are usually treated with saltpeter and nitrous acid solutions to add color and hide decomposition.
You can avoid some pesticides by buying lean meats and chickens. Since DDT concentrates in fat, buy sirloin and round, less marbled meats with lower far content. 
Eat food that represents a fair share of the world's food for each person. Think collectively. Think in terms of what you need to sustain. When so many have nothing to eat, anything besides what you essentially need is waste, and this includes all food additives. 
Know that the "superfood" you buy is helping the Amerikan capitalists exploit other lands for high yielding crops.
Get rid of all the shit- REVOLUTION NOW

revolution now

10 Volume I Number 7 Ain't I

Saving...

ESSENTIAL FOOD [hand drawn basket of food] Trying to write the second article of essential foods was much more difficult than I anticipated. It was easy in the first article to place the blame on man and the capitalistic system which fosters pollution through an exploitive economic system. A solution also was clear-through our collectivity, through our sisterhood we would refuse to eat the pig shit. However, now when I try to write the alternatives I am faced with the question of relevance... if we spend much of our energies on the ecology problem, are we not helping this system to continue (slightly improved for those who can afford it) rather than tearing it down? For example, Standard Oil has done a lot of advertising lately as to how they are taking the lead out of the gasoline and now we should buy their gasoline. What they don't mention is that by taking the lead out of gas(which should never have been put in originally) they are depleting "our oil reserves". And "our oil reserves" just happen to be in South America and the Middle East. It is not even our land they are drilling and ruining. So by supporting Standard Oil's "Ecology for you" project we are participating in the rape of a third world country. Wouldn't it be better just to take over Standard Oil? REVOLUTION And while we are looking at Standard Oil's destruction being made palatable for the Amerikan public, look at how Amerikan technology exploits farmers around the world. The technologists tried to upgrade food production in underdeveloped countries by introducing high yielding varieties of wheat, corn, rice, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. What they didn't take into account was that for thousands of years the whole culture had revolved around primitive farm practices directed not for money profit but to feed the farmer and his family. Each family had a small plot and used human wastes as fertilizer and animal wastes as fuel. Small crop yields left little to be stored. Hungry people ate the food before the rodents did. In China and South East Asia farming has continued in some areas for 40 centuries because the fertile soil is terraced, and irrigated waste materials are recycled. Because of Amerikan interest in profits, the growing of money crops in these countries became very advanced. Before World War II agricultural researchers directed their attention to rubber and sugar plantations. They advanced methods, and varieties to coffee farms, and modernized the production of bananas. Those crops were then used in foreign exchange and made the Amerikans wealthy. Because the controlling interests were outside the country and were for profits, the crops had to be grown right. Corn and wheat were cross-bred to produce higher yields and short stalks (easily harvested). They were used in India and South East Asia. Yields were doubled and tripled. Problems began to spring up because the new varieties of produce had a different taste and texture to what the people had preferred for centuries. As a result the marketplace value fell, and the small farmer sustained the loss. Some areas had no huge storehouses to match the yields and bushels of grain spoiled. The produce needed fertilizer and few of these countries are endowed with raw materials needed for manufacture of chemical fertilizers. The farmers needed tractors and other equipment and were forced to sell out to the large landholders who were becoming richer and richer. Besides all this the chemical fertilizers were reacting against the soil that had been recycled for generations. The crops were resistant to a large degree to insects and disease attacks (they had to be to survive.) The new improved plants were really attractive to insects and rodents and now pesticides have to be sprayed. The experts couldn't have cared less what would happen to the land when they supplanted the "inefficient" ways that had evolved for centuries. Here again is the capitalist exploiting nature and exploiting the people for his own profits. REVOLUTION Organic Farming constitutes conflicting ideas. It's true if you grow your own food you will not be supporting the capitalist system. However it also makes you a part of the culture because farming is co-optable. The land is not available for all people who want to farm and therefore a small group will again control the food resources and will be able to sell at a profit. And while they are harvesting and milking their cows, with their conciousness being satisfied, they can't be taking part in the Revolution and so the farming becomes an end rather than the means to an end. In New York City a Women's commune organized a food co-op (organic). They bought it wholesale and sold it for no profits, making it cheaper than supermarket prices. It was collective in action and could be considered as an alternative, keeping in mind the possibility of being satisfied too easily, before the goals are accomplished. When shopping in a supermarket you should be aware that the essential quality of food is sustain. Don't but foods that have additives in them, that do nothing for you (this would be supporting the whole Amerikan policy of overabundance and waste). Avoid white sugar and white bread. They are concentrated carbohydrates that contain no vitamins or minerals of any kind. Your body spends more energy trying to utilize white sugar than the energy it produces. Use honey or raw sugar, and any whole wheat or or unbleached flour. Understand proteins. Protein foods are of two kinds- first class found in lean meats, eggs, milk, cheese, yeast, whole wheat products, especially wheat germ, soya beans and nuts. The second class proteins are found in dry beans, peas, corn, and gelatin. Because the Amerikan ideal that "a chicken in every pot" is equitable with social status, not much emphasis has been put on using soybeans as a meat replacement. Soybeans have a high percentage of protein and practically the same food value as animal protein. It contains in nearly maximum proportions the amino acids, calcium and B vitamins essential in the diet. Economically it is one of the cheapest ways of adding more protein to the diet. Avoid canned meats. These are usually those which are unfit for the fresh meat market and have to be canned to prevent loss. They are usually treated with saltpeter and nitrous acid solutions to add color and hide decomposition. You can avoid some pesticides by buying lean meats and chickens. Since DDT concentrates in fat, buy sirloin and round, less marbled meats with lower far content. Eat food that represents a fair share of the world's food for each person. Think collectively. Think in terms of what you need to sustain. When so many have nothing to eat, anything besides what you essentially need is waste, and this includes all food additives. Know that the "superfood" you buy is helping the Amerikan capitalists exploit other lands for high yielding crops. Get rid of all the shit- REVOLUTION NOW revolution now 10 Volume I Number 7 Ain't I