Introducing Food Warrior: Lauren Telfer and Nun Chongwitookit

 

Lauren Telfer is a senior at University of San Francisco pursuing her education in the field of environmental studies. A native of the east bay, Lauren has a tremendous appreciation and passion for her surroundings and the environment in general. She has transferred this passion into not only her studies, but her every day life as well. Lauren commented on being raised around healthy and fresh foods and how this shaped the way in which she not only viewed food, but consumed it as well. Lauren was attracted to the Real Time Farms organization because she found many of her passions within this organization. She felt called to the organization. Lauren stated, ” RTF appealed to all of my passions that I have uncovered thus far in my life”.

1. Why do you care about food transparency 

Being an Environmental Studies major I find it extremely disheartening that the food industry has evolved into something so monstrous and foreign. Food is the basis on which humanity exists; it is the very core of our being and for this reason it should be maintained at a very intimate level in our lives. It is my strongly held belief that we have a right to know where our food comes from and how it is produced. Many people are unaware of the e

vils of major corporate-run food producers and I was one of those people for a very long time. When I first learned about “factory farms” and the like I was so appalled that such a thing was legal in our country and even worse yet, that I had been buying into it and supporting this industry my entire life. As soon as my eyes were opened to this evil in our society my lifestyle and eating habits were forever changed. My hope is that by promoting food transparency more people will be similarly inspired to change their lifestyles for the better and eventually change society as a whole. 
2. What made you attracted to Real Time Farms. What did you feel like you could bring to the internship?

Real Time Farms appealed to all of my passions that I have uncovered thus far in my life. I am an advocate of animal rights and environmental justice and I knew that working as a food warrior would allow me to pursue these passions in an effective way. I am also a strong believer in the importance of a transparent and truthful food industry so consumers can make informed decisions about what they put into their bodies. Overall, I am simply thrilled to be working as a food warrior and my passion and fervor for this sub

ject will be palpable as I fulfill my duties. 

3. Talk a little bit about growing up and having access to healthy foods. How has this influenced your view on food transparency?

Growing up, I was always aware of the importance of eating healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. I was fortunate enough to be raised in an environment that stressed the importance of taking care of yourself and maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine; however, my family and I were not informed about factory farms and large scale corporations controlling the food industry until later in my life. Once I learned of this I wanted to spread the news like wildfire to anyone who was willing to hear and that happened to be my family. After we armed ourselves with information and more truths were revealed we began shopping at organic markets and trying to buy goods more locally. From this experience, I learned the value of being in the know and spreading awareness. Simply being knowledgeable 

about the food industry changed my family’s entire eating habits. We always wanted to make healthy choices about our food and for years thought that we were. Food transparency is incredibly important so that more families like mine can make informed decisions instead of blindly choosing food because corporations leave consumers in the dark. 

4. If you had to describe local farmers markets and farms in a couple of sentences, what would you say about them to convince people that local food is sustainable and important.

Local farms and farmers market are not only an easy and accessible way to get fresh produce; they are also a great way to promote a sense of community and the local economy. Locally grown food is better for the envi

ronment and often times safer for the consumer because most of the food grown is organic and only travels a small distance to get on the dinner table. 

5. What do you want to gain out of this experience at Real Time Farms?

I want to gain knowledge about our local food industry. I am eager to know all about the different farms and farmers markets so I can spread awareness and promote the food industry on a more local level. I am just thrilled to be working for such an honorable cause. I know that I will be dedicating my life to causes such as food transparency that promote positive change in society, and working as a food warrior will be an amazing platform to begin my lifelong work.

 

 

Food Warrior: Nun Chongwitookit

Nun Chongwitookit is a graduate student at Golden Gate University majoring in marketing and advertising. She is originally from Thailand which caught my attention right away! I immediately wanted to know the similarities and differences of food and transparency in Thailand compared to America. I found it intriguing and commendable that Thai people shop at local markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, but sad to learn that frozen foods are becoming more popular there. But nonetheless, it was still really interesting to learn about food and Thai culture related to this. Nun cares about food transparency because of her belief that this transparency can help solve problems like false product marketing and mass production. Nun believes that being an active participant in farmers market is a great way to engage with farmers and see the products and find out information about them. Nun is extremely excited about this internship opportunity and all of the possibilities that will arise. Nun stated at the close of the interview, “ Traveling to many different farmers’ market and farms would be really exciting and many great stories are waiting to be told. Hearing people love at what they’re doing is also inspirational, especially what they love to do is all about food!

1. Why do you care about food transparency”.

I think it’s important that we know where our foods come from. I’ve heard a lot of ugly news that make me feel like consumers have the rights to be informed about their foods. In Thailand a couple of years ago, we had fake eggs from China. A lot of Japanese restaurants also affected a lot after Tsunami last year: no one wants to eat fish from Japan. Food transparency solves all of these problems and also prevents false marketing communication.

2. What made you attracted to Real Time Farms. What did you feel like you could bring to the internship?

I love eating and learning about food. Real time farms is a great crowdsource website that not only allows everyone to document the food system, but the website and the blog also have so many interesting photos and information about food. I’m glad that I am a part of the website that brings excitement and awareness about food transparency to everyone.

3. Talk a little bit about being from Thailand and how the food industry here relates or differs from America’s food system.

Grocery shopping here in US is an excitement for me, because we have different kinds of fruits and vegetables. I also cook for myself, so I’ve been trying many different kinds of recipes using ingredients from here. It’s a wonderful experience and also very yummy!

American fast food chain is considered pricey in Thailand, so people don’t eat fast food as often as people do here. We always shop at street food vendors for convenience and less expensive options. Thai people usually do grocery shopping at nation-wide supermarket chain like Carrefour. But when it comes to fresh produces, we always shop at local fresh market because it is much more fresh and also cheaper. We don’t have a lot of packaged food, but it is becoming more and more popular everyday. I think that Thai food also taste pretty bad frozen, that’s why even though frozen food is becoming more popular, it can never replace freshly cooked meal from street vendors.

4. If you had to describe local farmers markets and farms in a couple of sentences, what would you say about them to convince people that local food is sustainable and important.

Shop local produces is much more fresh and also help reduces carbon foot print. Other than its many plus sides, shopping at farmers market is also a lot more fun and you get a chance to talk and interact with farmers.

5. What do you want to gain out of this experience at Real Time Farms?

I hope it to be a fun and eye-opening experiences. Traveling to many different farmers’ market and farms would be really exciting and many great stories are waiting to be told. Hearing people love at what they’re doing is also inspirational, especially what they love to do is all about food!

Where it All Begins

For our first assignment as Food Warriors, we were asked to interview another fellow intern. It was left up to us to create the questions we would ask. One of the questions I was asked by another intern was, why I care about food transparency. It was a question that I hadn’t really pondered until accepting this internship. It was a question, like many others, that so often goes unanswered. But when I thought about it, why I really care about this project, this came to mind. Growing up, I always had the comfort of deciding what types of foods I wanted to eat. I always got asked what I wanted to have for dinner, or what type of fruits and vegetables I wanted to pick from the store. I was constantly surrounded by healthy and nutritious food. I, like many others, did not know what it meant to not have access to healthy food. When I think about that lifestyle, that specific comfort and how I grew up, it makes me grasp at the enormous contrast that many low income communities face when it comes to food access. I thought to myself just how many children grow up never getting asked what type of veggie they want for dinner, because their simply isn’t one available. As kids we can often remember rejecting fruits and vegetables from our diets, but how many of us ever stopped to think what it would be like to not have that option. How many of us never stopped to be thankful for having healthy foods. All of this came to mind when my fellow intern asked me why I care about food transparency. It is so much more than just providing information about farms, markets, food artisans, etc. Sure those hardworking, passionate, and special people deserve the publicity and recognition that they have absolutely earned. But building up knowledge about local and sustainable food is the key to helping bridge the gap between communities and access to food. This project is one key to providing aid to making food more accessible. It is a beacon for communities and will give them food sources to believe in. I am excited to be a part of this project and most importantly a part of connecting people to food. Because somewhere along the way we became disconnected from the process of growing food, and somewhere along the way we will regain our roots.

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