Our culture is obsessed with eating good tasting food. People move from one taste experience to another. Some people do this by eating out a lot; others do it by experimenting with recipes at home. This is very easy to get sucked into and can quickly drain many of our resources.

I think that in some ways this drive for taste and satisfaction has become an idol in many of our lives. It certainly has consumed too much of my attention and money at times. Like similar idols such as the drive to own more I've found that it has never left me satisfied. What I enjoyed last week now tastes bland. I think that we need to break out of these habits and mindsets and start viewing food more pragmatically.

While the obsession itself is a problem, I think there are several secondary problems that stem from it. Obesity is the first obvious problem. Obesity can hinder or even render us incapable of doing and all that God would like for us to be doing. I've been overweight in the past, so I can certainly attest to the fact that I did not have as much energy as I do now at a more healthy weight.

Another problem is that we consume more than our fair share of the world's resources. This occurs in a couple of ways. The first most obvious way in which we do this is by spending money on food beyond what we need for basic nutrition. This money could’ve been used to feed those who don't have enough to simply survive. We can waste money in this way by eating too much food or by eating food that is more expensive then other food that would provide adequate nutrition. For example, if I buy gala apples instead of red delicious apples even though they are more expensive just because I like them better, then I am being wasteful with my money. Similarly, prepared food (for the most part), junk food and candy are all wasteful as well. Since the world and its resources have been given to all, if we take more then our fair share we are stealing from those who don't have enough and thus we sin.

Another way in which we take more than our fair share of resources is through the amount of meat that we consume. Each pound of commercial meat that we eat takes several pounds worth of grain in feeding the animal. When we continue to buy this meat we put a demand on the market for more grain fed animals and thus more waste.

Consuming cash crops also leaches resources unfairly. When I buy sugar, cocoa, coffee, coconut, bananas or any other cash crop I take advantage of cheap labor and precious land in poorer countries, which could have been used to feed themselves. So far I've found that it is possible to eat nutritiously and avoid all cash crops from grocery shopping if I'm careful. Some people argue that if everyone was to do this then the people would have no jobs instead of poor jobs. I think that this might happen temporarily as companies that own the land are forced to leave, but then I believe the land would be redistributed to the people. Maybe this is simplistic but as far as I can tell it's better then encouraging the current levels of exploitation.

When we obsess over food we also end up wasting our time. When I think of all the time that I spent planning, preparing and eating for pleasure I realize that I've wasted so much time that could have been spent on building the kingdom of God. It's sad to realize that my drive to consume has at times ended up consuming me.