Where Am I Eating?: An Adventure Through the Global Food Economy with Discussion Questions and a Guide to Going "Glocal"

DISCOVER WHERE THE FOOD WE EAT COMES FROM. . . AND WHY IT MATTERS America now imports twice as much food as it did a decade ago. Imports account for 86 percent of America’s seafood, 50 percent of its fresh fruit, and 18 percent of its fresh vegetables. But what does this increased reliance on imported food mean for the people around the globe who produce our food? Kelsey Timmerman, author of the acclaimed Where Am I Wearing?, traveled around the world to find out, meeting the farmers and fishermen who grow and catch our food. Timmerman worked alongside them: diving for lobster in Nicaragua, harvesting bananas during a monsoon in Costa Rica, splitting cocoa beans with a machete in Ivory Coast, picking coffee beans on a dangerous mountainside in Colombia, and hauling tomatoes in Indiana. Where Am I Eating? explores the global food economy and the issues surrounding it–globalization, workers and human rights, modern–day slavery, the global food crisis, fair trade, and immigration. Before your next sip of coffee or bite of chocolate discover how each of your small choices have shaped the lives of a worker thousands of miles away. “Kelsey’s reporting is not designed to steer you away from purchasing these items but to help you appreciate the human lives behind them.” — Christian Science Monitor “[Kelsey] immediately engages his readers and challenges us to be informed and educated global citizens.” — Eli Capilouto, President, University of Kentucky

Introduction: Our Global Connection ix Part I Coffee: Product of Colombia 1 Chapter 1 The Starbucks Experience 3 Chapter 2 The Grande Gringo Picks Coffee 20 Chapter 3 The Cup of Excellence 30 Chapter 4 The Heart of the World 44 Part II Chocolate: Product of West Africa 61 Chapter 5 Solo Man 63 Chapter 6 Slavery and Freedom 91 Chapter 7 Is It Peace? 109 Part III Banana: Product of Costa Rica 121 Chapter 8 The Banana Worker’s Commute 123 Chapter 9 Banana Worker for the Day 132 Chapter 10 Nowhere to Go But Bananas 153 Part IV Lobster: Product of Nicaragua 165 Chapter 11 Life, Death, and Lobster 167 Chapter 12 The Lobster Trap 184 Chapter 13 The Future of Fish 190 Part V Apple Juice: Product of Michigan China 195 Chapter 14 No Apples 197 Chapter 15 Mr. Feng’s Apple Empire 214 Chapter 16 As American as Apple Juice Concentrate from China 225 Part VI My Life: Product of USA 235 Chapter 17 Food as Faith 237 Chapter 18 Farmers No More 242 Chapter 19 Imagined Futures 252 Chapter 20 Decisions About Man and Land 257 Appendix A A Guide to Ethical Labels 269 Appendix B The Journey Continues 275 Appendix C A Guide to Going Glocal 277 Chapter Discussion Questions 285 Acknowledgments 299

KELSEY TIMMERMAN is a speaker and writer who lives in Muncie, Indiana. His works has been featured in The Christian Science Monitor, U.S. News & World Report , NPR, and other media outlets around the world. Learn more at www.KelseyTimmerman.com