Paper short abstract:

Organic food materializes multiple temporalities as it connects the past with the present while pointing to the future. Here, I explore how organic production and consumption can be analyzed as practices of time. Finally, I argue that organic food is dense with time. So how does time taste?

Paper long abstract:

Organic food materializes multiple temporalities as it connects the past with the present while pointing to the future. This can be noted in everything from how organic food is produced, marketed, sold, and finally consumed. Firmly rooted in soil, organic food is not "pumped up" with synthetic fertilizers. The food gets to grow at its own pace and this organic pace is what makes the food dense in terms of nutrients and flavor.

The appreciation of the slow growing of organic food can be interpreted as a critique of industrial food production and modern-day life that is increasingly dictated by speed and demands of effectiveness. In contrast, life in the past is often regarded as having been governed by a slower rhythm and seasonal changes. The slow growth of organic food is a projection of this past temporality.

Organic production and consumption concerns the present while also pointing towards the future. With its emphasis on taking care of the soil, the foundation of it all, organic agriculture evolves around sustainable practices to avoid compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. At the same time, consumers purchase organic food in the hope of avoiding present food risks that can lead to development of diseases in the future.

Here, I explore how organic production and consumption can be analyzed as practices of time. I argue that besides being nutrient-dense and having dense flavor; organic food is dense with time. So how does time taste?