Tarot by the Mouthful - Seven of Pentacles

Kyle is a foodie who loves Tarot. Theresa is a Tarot reader who loves food.

Together, we host Tarot by the Mouthful: a mouthwatering, multi-media culinary tour through the world of Tarot.

Sublime recipes. Soulful stories. Essays, videos, interviews and delicious surprises.

Join us every Sunday for a new installment — and get ready to sip, slurp, crunch and savor your way through the entire Tarot deck!

This week: Seven of Pentacles

Seven of Pentacles – The Seven of Pentacles symbolizes slow growth. There is more work to be done. This marks a good time to pull back and assess the progress thus far. Where might you need to put more effort? Where might you need to conserve? What’s working? What’s not? Check to see if plans are on track. An investment that pays off eventually. Roll up your sleeves and get to work – you’re almost there but not quite. Doing it all alone.

Kyle – For Grace

Usually when Theresa sends me the next card in the deck to be considered for our weekly Tarot by the Mouthful post, I sit with it a bit, and mull over what would the most appropriate, unexpected, and relevant for that weeks card.

The Seven of Pentacles was different. From the moment I read the prompt, I knew. This film, this chef, this story.

I can’t think of a better representation of what the Seven of Pentacles energy, as exemplified through culinary stories, I can offer.

This. http://www.forgracefilm.com

Theresa – Share the wealth

Traditionally, the Seven of Pentacles represents rewards coming in after a period of hard work. It can also symbolize reassessing the progress of your good efforts.

But this is not a traditional series so I’m going in a different direction with this card. One can’t help but notice that the figure is leaning on his garden tool, looking at the abundant crop before him. When I looked at this card from the perspective of a foodie, it got me thinking about what to do with all the waste in the world.

What happens when we have too much?

In the previous two cards, I talked about eating well when you’re broke and giving to charity. All well and good.

But there is another problem in this country: we grow a lot of food and much of it goes to waste. In fact, almost 40% of food grown in the U.S. will never be eaten. That’s 70 billion tons of food, friends.

Partly to blame: an agricultural standard that says our veggies and fruit need to look a certain type of way in order to be sold in the supermarkets. So where do those ugly fruits and vegetables go?

To waste.

Mostly in landfills. That’s absolutely shocking and sickening when you think about it. There are many people, all over the world, many right here in our own back yards, that need that food. If we didn’t throw away this bounty, we really could feed the world.

Don’t blame the farmers. Many of them have to grow big crops to stack the odds in their favor and meet consumer demand. They cannot rely on a small crop and cross their fingers, hoping Mother Nature cooperates. One bad season can wipe ‘em out.

So what to do?

Start demanding stores carry ugly fruit and vegetables.

Encourage US legislators to pass a law like France has, which requires stores to give these ugly or sell-by date to local food banks.

Start a movement in your city to donate your not-so-pretty veggies.

Encourage farmers to sell or donate their ugly fruits and veg instead of sending them off to landfills.

Check out food waste reduction movements and revolutionary people such as The Food Waste Reduction Alliance and Tristram Stuart.

At the end of the day, we must be responsible for each other. Which means making sure every stomach is fed, no food is wasted, and that farmers are rewarded for their toil, even if only the sweet reward of knowing that all that work wasn’t for naught. That somewhere, somehow, even that ugly carrot filled a grateful belly.

That’s reward enough for a job well done.

Resources:

Fighting Hunger and Reducing Waste

Food Waste Rebel Wants You to Eat Ugly Food

Waste – Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart.

Bon Appetit!

Theresa and Kyle

photos from personal collection and Jessica Kaminski

Hungry for more? Click here to explore the entire Tarot by the Mouthful series, from the very first card… right up to our latest installment. Bon appetit!