Leading by Example

   In an Ideal World...

 

  "Stigma" can be such a debilitating word when it looms over the heads of a particular city, especially one that is hampered by a, shall we say, waist band problem.  Riding into the Tennessee area, Dan and I were informed about the health epidemic in regards to the mass consumption of fast food chains and a lack of embracing a healthier, cleaner diet not consisting of preservatives and dye ridden condiments, the catalyst for a state with such a high obesity rate amongst its occupants   It was only the first day, and we could already smell the influence of these processed food havens in the air as we puttered along, noticing throngs of cramped vehicles being chaperoned through drive-thrus like chromed cattle to the slaughter.  Noticeably, however, as we lazily rolled over the cow dotted dipping hills of the more rural country side, I could taste in the air what I can only describe as something that was unmolested and unadulterated by the hustle and bustle we just left behind.  For miles I could see the vibrantly green waves blanketing the country side with the burgeoning nimbus clouds casting cooling shadows over the stark naked trees lining the road we were traveling, and in time I soon became enamored with my surroundings, almost to the point where my oblivious attention towards oncoming traffic almost got the better of me.  

    

 

     And then we met Jason and Mindy, our hosts in the Tennessee area, along with the new member of their growing family, Parker, and my admiration for this family is only slightly tinged with a tendril of jealousy.  Nothing negative in its connotation, mind you; it's just that they are a family with pure Americana stenciled in everything that they are and do,  and it's humbling to see this healthy and happy family achieve a lifestyle that I imagine all of us aspiring to be like, one day.  As we start to talk and trade each of our fair share of stories, Dan and I are invited to a dinner being made by Mindy, which we are informed consists of wholesome ingredients gleaned from a combination of their own farm and through the friendships they've built with other local farms.  On the menu:  authentic biscuits and gravy, made from scratch.  My stomach growled a bit too earnestly, which prompted me to hide the thunderstorm in my belly with a couple well timed coughs.  

   

    At the tail end of the week we rode over to their house located in the town of Norris, and Jason, upon our arrival, invited us for a lengthy hike up to the blueberry patches that are owned by Mindy's parents which we gladly accept, giving us a chance to stretch our legs for once.  We inhaled the earthy bark and brush as we clamored our way up the trails leading to a look out,appreciating the scenery of the barren foliage and steep hill sides, properly kindling and fueling our appetites as we made our way back down the trails and to their house.  

     Once we had arrived, we were treated to Mindy showing the process of making the meal, all the while demonstrating the ridiculously simple and yet time consuming process of making fresh mozzarella.  I resisted the urge to toss the camera aside and make off like a bandit with the bowl.  Later, I'm informed that she also tried her hand at kimchi, a Korean spiced fermented side dish, and my eyes blossomed to the size of saucers.  For the record, this half Korean concedes that her first try ranks up there with some of the best I've ever had.  

What particularly intrigued me about this whole process was that rarely anything is wasted in this kitchen.  The raw milk that they get from a sort of "Groupon" cow that they co-own (which, by the way, has officially converted me from the watered down reduced milk I am used to), is used to make this fresh mozzarella, and the eventual whey by product of the whole process was actually used for the kimchi she whipped up, along with a myriad of other food items bulging from her refrigerator.

 Soon the kitchen is cluttered with the unfair and sinful combined fragrances of rising biscuits and sizzling crumbled meat, all the while a bubbling pan of white gravy is practically begging me to chug it.  Self control.  Just keep taking pictures, Myles.  She tops off the meal with a couple of farm eggs straight from the source, and the meal is ready.  To be quite honest, I can't exactly recall the transition from the kitchen to the dining room table. The smells and my salivating were blocking my immediate memory. I can, however, reminisce spreading that golden broken yolk with a gravy slathered biscuit around the perimeter of the plate and shoving it into my mouth.  For a split second, I couldn't exactly handle what I was tasting, for that processed air I was swimming through in the city area choked with fast food restaurants was not at all present in this house.  It felt wholesome, and it tasted alive.  It.Was.Blissful.

  

 Top it off with freshly juiced organic apples, and we finally laid down our forks, feeling satiated and rich in goodness.  It's a wonderful feeling, really: to consume something that weighs down your stomach not with chemicals and overly saturated mystery ingredients, but with a heft that invigorates you instead of prompting you to regret that last bite.  I have to say this is the first time that, after eating biscuits and gravy, I didn't feel like a  total slob and feel compelled to take a three hour nap.  With the meal wrapped up, we lounged in their living room and bathed in our own personal puddles of contentedness. as if we had just proven something to the world and are now reaping the rewards of our enlightened sensibilities.

    

     For me, this is how I envision a healthy America.  I crave to see discover these places not with a layer of the aforementioned stigma hanging overhead with its health statistics and obesity rates, but instead stitched together with families like Jason, Mindy and Parker; a family whose collective smile is infectious, and whose day to day lives are fueled by clean and wholesome meals (not to mention absolutely delicious) ,and steadfast relationships with their farmer friends and neighbors.  I picture this idealistic future, and it emboldens me as we climb back onto our little scooters, ready to continue to spread the word and influence of the influential families we meet along the way.