BY KRISTINA MERCEDES URQUHART
In my grandmother’s youth, a small family flock of chickens in the suburban yard was commonplace. It wasn’t a hobby so much as a way of life. In tandem with a garden, putting food on the table directly from the land was how it was done. After World War II, a massive shift in the way Americans eat began to take place. With the advent of highway systems and the growth of cities, food was more easily transported, and grocers could stock their shelves with exotic foods grown some distance away. Eventually, food was mass-produced on large farms and trucked to local grocery stores rather inexpensively.
Acquiring food in this way soon became incredibly convenient for the typical American family. Trade artisans, such as bakers and butchers, began to disappear, as it became easier to stock a kitchen or pantry with everything from under one retailer’s roof.