Those who have been following these posts on food have often seen me qualify and set boundaries to what I have been saying. Such qualifications are necessary and good, and so here comes another one. Put this one in the categories of two different prepositions — at and for. Who are these posts aimed at, and who are they for?
They are directed at every form of phood pharisaism. Some may think that this is mostly a windmill to tilt at, but I think differently. I see and hear expressions of moral superiority based on personal food choices on a regular basis, and such expressions are a true enemy of our souls. They are deadly.
This is quite a different thing than a recognition that some foods can be better than others — aesthetically, nutritionally, and so forth. Avoidance of pharisaism is not equivalent to food relativism — though the pharisees usually think that it is. If their made-up rules fall, then all moral standards must topple with them, and civilization with it.
So that is where these posts are aimed. If you’re not living in phariseeville, then, as the Aussies say, no worries. If you have never seen an instance of phood pharisaism, and you don’t know what I am talking about, then perhaps you should consider whether you are one. But if like the rest of us you do live in a society that is given over to this foolishness, then it would be difficult not to be affected by it all. But being affected by pharisees is not the same thing as being one, and those in that category can find themselves being pushed in a direction they haven’t really thought about much.
So if you assume that natural, ancient, and organic necessarily means healthier, then these posts are for you. Something could genuinely be all three and still be bad for you. If you tend to think that natural on a label is anything other than an advertising hook, manipulated and controlled by bureaucrats and corporate execs, these posts are for you. If you think that you (or your children) ought to be required to eat the heel of the loaf because the browner and tougher it is, the more nutritious it must be, then these posts are for you.