Harnessing the Power of Imagination

Abstract

First paragraphs:

An Irishman/Frenchman/Tunisian man is sipping his favorite tipple when he is visited by a fairy, who offers to grant him three wishes. "I'd like an ever-replenishing glass of Guinness/Bordeaux/mint tea," says he. "No problem," she replies, and with a quick flick of her wand the man's now-empty glass is refilled to the brim, and greedily drunk. This happens several times until the fairy interrupts the man's reverie. "I'm sorry, but I can't be hanging around here all day while you get stuck into more Guinness/Bordeaux/mint tea. What is your second wish?" With nary a second's hesitation, the Irishman/Frenchman/Tunisian replies: "I'll have another one of those."

This is a tired, old joke, but it is, nevertheless, a powerful parable about humankind's propensity for shortsightedness, simple foolishness, and an almost willful blindness to the value and finitude of the world's precious resources. Food is often bought, consumed, or thrown out with little consideration of its true cost—not just monetary. The pressing question is, how much longer can we be so profligate before we find ourselves in real trouble? Academics and activists have been raising the alarm about the globalized/conventional food system for quite some time, but it is probably fair to say that Food Utopias: Reimagining Citizenship, Ethics and Community is something of a trailblazer in its attempt to tackle the food conundrum by reimagining the food system through a utopian lens....