We face an uncertain future. From automation forcing mass unemployment to global ecological breakdown, the future of ‘modern’ human society has never been so demonstrably uncertain. In this blog I will argue that the solution to that is not simply about power politics, or technology – it’s entirely related to our relationship to food, and how that directly connects us as living animals to the world around us.
It seeks to provide a different framework to discuss ecological issues, outside the frame of ‘consumerism’, as a means to address the excesses of Western consumption.
While this blog concentrates on everyday lifestyle, it partners with another new blog to look at the practical means for change: ‘Long Walks & Anarcho-Primitivism’ – which looks at learning simple living skills outdoors, as practically as possible, so that you may carry out these ideas more easily indoors.
Recent posts & related blog posts:
‘An Anarchist’s Cookbook’, Pt. 7, 1st Q. Snow Moon 2023:
Bread, Soup, & Pie, Episode 1. ‘Food!: It’s Political!’ (whether you like it or not)
Food is the basis for lifestyle: Food is the connection to our authentic, biological nature as living creatures, sharing the world with a host of other creatures, in a complex global ecology. Get that right, and all the other things are ‘negotiable’.
‘An Anarchist’s Cookbook’, Part 6, Lammas 2022:
‘The Great Coffee Economy Con’
Coffee, the addictive obsession of the affluent class, can tell us more about modern society than just retail trends; it is an indicator for how the modern neoliberal system operates, and its current shift toward new economic extremes.
‘A Book in Five Minutes’, no.14, 16th June 2022:
‘Food for Free’ (1972)
The 1970s surge in ecological awareness saw many books published on our relationship with the natural world. ‘Food for Free’, by Richard Mabey, was published fifty years ago in 1972.
‘The Meta-Blog’, 19th May 2022:
The media is exercised by the ‘cost of living’ crisis; but they’re ignoring the greater structural economic trends that are driving it – and thus the difficult questions that these trends raise for our future.
‘An Anarchist’s Cookbook’, Part 5, New Sap Moon 2022:
‘DIY Oat Milk’
Contemporary ‘consumer’ veganism has an over-packaged/over-priced credibility issue. This is especially true of plant-based milks, and their impact compared to ‘DIY’ options. In this post I explore how you can avoid this by making your own oat milk – cheaply, easily, and with minimal waste.
‘A Book in Five Minutes’, no.8, 28th February 2022:
‘The Conquest of Bread’ (1906)
Peter Kropotkin’s 1906 book doesn’t just challenge the power elite. At its core it challenges the general approach of ‘the left’, and the left's infatuation with lofty ideals rather than the basic needs and conditions of the people.
‘A Book in Five Minutes’, no.4, 20th September 2021:
‘Diet for a Small Planet’ (1971)
I think there are very few books that you can truthfully say, ‘this book changed my life’. When I first came across it almost forty years ago, this one changed mine. It explained clearly to me what it was I needed to know to eat well.
‘An Anarchist’s Cookbook’, Part 4, New Harvest Moon 2021:
‘The Autumn Raspberry Harvest’
Preserving food is not just 'cooking'; preserving food requires that you think about the future. Hence why growing and preserving food can be a window into planning a new future.