Obamarama for a Local Food Nation

Obama is taking strides in the local food movement.

Unlike his most recent predecessors, the newly elected President is taking action in promoting a sustainable local food environment, and has appointed Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, as Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Vilsack's interests lie in promoting smaller farms to grow and supply foods at a local level, and plans to shift government support from large-scale "mega-farms" to the smaller, local farm communities. Although certain dissenters assert that Vilsack's true mandate directly contradicts supporting the local food movement, such as his support for large-scale farming to create corn-based ethanol, should we not applaud the fact that the government is taking some action to place healthier foods in schools and support better treatment of farm animals?

I recently came across a blogsite named Obamafoodorama, which follows the President's initiatives in promoting local and organic foods. This blog aims to keep readers up to date with responses from the food community and various socio-cultural groups in light of the President's promise to reform the food landscape. For example, upon learning of Obama's more refined palate, Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine, proposed for the White House to hire a new high-profile "celebrity" chef to cook delicious local food. Most recently, the blog has been following Mr. Vilsack's most recent USDA investigations on food testing, which revealed 19 biologists and veterinarians illegally using animal drugs for their own personal use.

Not only has this blogsite been an enlightening source for food-related political drama , it has also made readers understand that this social trend of sustainable local foods is making an impact on the political environment. Academics have long been debating the difference between technological determinism and social shaping, the former idea subscribing to the notion that technology shapes the way humans interact with one another, while the latter points out that humans take technology and end up using it in unforeseen ways, thereby not only changing the way in which technology is used in society, but also the social landscape.

I wonder if the creators of these digital network tools ever thought the President would use this media to enhance his campaign. I'm curious to see whether or not the President is going to take his gastronomical initiatives one step further by creating his own "local food" blog. After all, he did setup a Twitter account to notify subscribers of his daily actions prior to the election. That being said, I'm waiting to see whether or not Obama's next Twitter post will recount experiences of a 100-mile diet and to eat, feel, and act local.