Although the necessity of commodities are unchanged, the way we use them is different. Before, people used to value their things more because they weren't as readily available now. In an age of capitalism and extreme consumerism, almost everything is incredibly accessible and in large amounts. Sugar is so readily available that many people are fat; before, sugar was more accessible to richer people, so fatness was a sign of being well fed and wealthy.
Sugar was connected to slavery until the 1800s because of the Haitian Revolution (which influenced neighboring islands/countries) and the revolutions of the Americas.
I believe that many people haven't tasted sugar cane by itself today. Processed sugar is common in everyday foods, but not the plant. Vietnamese have what's called, "nuoc mia". It's a cold beverage squeezed from sugar canes. They have the sugar compressor (?) viewable in the nuoc mia shops so you can watch the employees push the sugar canes into the machines. I think about 4 or more sugarcanes are used to make a 16oz beverage. The shops serve nuoc mia as is, or with different fruits infused. I personally enjoy strawberry nuoc mia and I think I'll get some later this week! People need to understand that the sugarcane crop is different than processed sugar. Although both are sweet, each is broken down differently in human bodies.
No comments:
Post a Comment