Where Am I Eating?

A deeply human-centered perspective on the origins of America's food

Where Am I Eating? bridges the gap between global food producers and the American consumer, providing an insightful look at how our eating habits affect farmers and fishermen around the world. Follow the author on his global quest to meet the workers that nurture, harvest, and hunt our food, as he works alongside them—loading lobster diving boats in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas in Costa Rica, lugging cocoa beans in Ivory Coast with a modern-day slave, picking coffee beans in Colombia and hauling tomatoes in Indiana. This new edition includes a study guide, a deeper explanation of the "glocal" concept, and advice for students looking to become engaged as both local and global citizens. Arguing neither for nor against globalization, this book simply explores the lives of those who feed us.

Imports account for eighty-six percent of America's seafood, fifty percent of its fresh fruit, and eighteen percent of its fresh vegetables. Where Am I Eating? examines the effects of this reliance on those who supply the global food economy.

• Learn more about the global producers that feed our nation, and learn from their worldviews intensely connected to people and planet
• Discover how food preferences and trends affect the lives of farmers and fishermen
• Catch a boots-on-the-ground glimpse of the daily lives of food producers on four continents
• Meet a modern-day slave and explore the blurred line between exploitation and opportunity
• Observe how the poorest producers fare in the global food economy

This book takes a human-centered approach to food, investigating the lives of the people at the other end of the global food economy, observing the hope and opportunity—or lack thereof—that results from our reliance on imports. Where Am I Eating? is a touching, insightful, informative look at the origins of our food.

Introduction: Our Global Connection ix

Part I Coffee: Product of Colombia 1

Chapter 1 The Starbucks Experience 3

Chapter 2 The Grande Gringo Picks Coffee 20

Chapter 3 The Cup of Excellence 30

Chapter 4 The Heart of the World 44

Part II Chocolate: Product of West Africa 61

Chapter 5 Solo Man 63

Chapter 6 Slavery and Freedom 91

Chapter 7 Is It Peace? 109

Part III Banana: Product of Costa Rica 121

Chapter 8 The Banana Worker’s Commute 123

Chapter 9 Banana Worker for the Day 132

Chapter 10 Nowhere to Go But Bananas 153

Part IV Lobster: Product of Nicaragua 165

Chapter 11 Life, Death, and Lobster 167

Chapter 12 The Lobster Trap 184

Chapter 13 The Future of Fish 190

Part V Apple Juice: Product of Michigan China 195

Chapter 14 No Apples 197

Chapter 15 Mr. Feng’s Apple Empire 214

Chapter 16 As American as Apple Juice Concentrate from China 225

Part VI My Life: Product of USA 235

Chapter 17 Food as Faith 237

Chapter 18 Farmers No More 242

Chapter 19 Imagined Futures 252

Chapter 20 Decisions About Man and Land 257

Appendix A A Guide to Ethical Labels 269

Appendix B The Journey Continues 275

Appendix C A Guide to Going Glocal 277

Chapter Discussion Questions 285

Acknowledgments 299

KELSEY TIMMERMAN is a speaker and writer who lives in Muncie, Indiana. His works has been featured in The Christian Science Monitor, U.S. News & World Report, NPR, and other media outlets around the world. Learn more at www.KelseyTimmerman.com

DISCOVER WHERE THE FOOD WE EAT COMES FROM. . . AND WHY IT MATTERS

America now imports twice as much food as it did a decade ago. Imports account for 86 percent of America's seafood, 50 percent of its fresh fruit, and 18 percent of its fresh vegetables. But what does this increased reliance on imported food mean for the people around the globe who produce our food? Kelsey Timmerman, author of the acclaimed Where Am I Wearing?, traveled around the world to find out, meeting the farmers and fishermen who grow and catch our food. Timmerman worked alongside them: diving for lobster in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas during a monsoon in Costa Rica, splitting cocoa beans with a machete in Ivory Coast, picking coffee beans on a dangerous mountainside in Colombia, and hauling tomatoes in Indiana. Where Am I Eating? explores the global food economy and the issues surrounding it–globalization, workers and human rights, modern-day slavery, the global food crisis, fair trade, and immigration.

Before your next sip of coffee or bite of chocolate discover how each of your small choices have shaped the lives of a worker thousands of miles away.

"Kelsey's reporting is not designed to steer you away from purchasing these items but to help you appreciate the human lives behind them."
—Christian Science Monitor

"[Kelsey] immediately engages his readers and challenges us to be informed and educated global citizens."
—Eli Capilouto, President, University of Kentucky