March 12, 2012

President Glassner offers food for thought in op-ed

Portland, Oregon, widely known for its foodie culture, is a place where residents are known for overthinking their culinary choices. But as President Barry Glassner points outs in an editorial for the Chronicle of Higher Education, it’s time that we give today’s conscientious young food consumers some credit.

Portland, Oregon, widely known for its foodie culture, is a place where residents are known for overthinking their culinary choices. But as President Barry Glassner points outs in an editorial for the Chronicle of Higher Education, it’s time that we give today’s conscientious young food consumers some credit.

“If the food choices of young people on my campus are any indication, the student population is a lot more sensible and grounded in its relationship with food than the skeptics, myself included, would have guessed,” he explains. “Far more than politically correct faddishness, students’ thoughtful engagement with food turns out to have educational as well as nutritional value.”

From organizing a hunger banquet to starting a drive to reduce bottled water consumption, Lewis & Clark students are taking on issues of food security, childhood obesity, and energy use through the lens of food and drink. As Glassner says, “Students’ food practices on the whole turn out to be appropriately thoughtful and, often, fully in the spirit of their liberal-arts educations.”

Read the Chronicle of Higher Education editorial.