As a native Midwesterner, there is something about spring—you can smell it in the air, hear it in the breeze, and feel it across your skin. After being cooped up in a powerful furnace-pumping residence during the last six months, many of us spring out the door to feel that slight difference in the weather that tells us summer is on its way.
My favorite memory and sign that spring had finally arrived in Minnesota, was jumping in all the puddles filled with melted snow on my walk home from the bus stop. It’s funny; every year it’s such a celebratory moment for everyone when the winter season finally starts to dissipate. In fact, I vividly remember seeing our neighbors wearing flip-flops and board shorts when the temperatures finally hit 40 degrees. After months of dreaded 19-degree weather and loads of inescapable snow, you never questioned a person’s sanity when it came to how they dealt with the changing seasons.
As you can tell, I am a huge fan of spring and warmer weather, but I was a bit alarmed when I read an article about how some of our recent warmer temperatures could lead to our food tasting completely different to us in the near future.
Your Hamburger Could Taste a Lot Different, is an article from Business Insider, which recently got my attention and for good reason too. As a food lover, this is a concern. It’s clear as to how global warming can affect animal populations and changes to geography, but not necessarily about how it would effect the quality of our food. If you’re like me, you have your staple foods and your favorite meals you desire for certain occasions. For example, on date night, I love to enjoy a glass of red wine and make steak salads with strawberries, feta cheese, spinach greens, a poppy seed dressing, and a slightly marbled sirloin steak. It’s divine!
However, if I make this meal for my grandchildren in 50 years, this favored dish might taste incredibly different. Wrapping my head around that is tough to grasp at this point, but I think it’s important to keep in mind. The Earth is precious and so is what you eat. I think, for now, enjoy the warm breezes that come from within the spring air and dine on your favorite recipes, because who knows what it might taste like in the future.
