I tend not to eat differently according to social norms anymore, I try to eat new, interesting things that are also healthy (“YOLO”). However, I do remember instances in a buffet setting where I pick foods that seem socially normal to eat. I usually pick a meat, starch and a vegetable. I used to conform to the social norm of getting a salad before a meal but I have officially given up on thinking that I am going to even eat it. I find it more embarrassing, socially, to have the plate of leafs go uneaten in front of me than not ordering it in the first place. I also tend to portion my foods according to social norms. The inner beast in me wants to fill 3 whole plates of food (preferably 2 filled with creamy mashed potatoes…) The salad food norm I once conformed to was often cheap leaf salad, probably from monoculture fields of romaine lettuce.

After reading this lesson, I realized that most of the food I eat is probably a product of monoculture. As a college student, I buy cheap and in bulk as much as possible just to save a few cents. This habit is practiced by most altruistic college students and most other people I know who still want healthy foods but do not have the money to afford it. I often buy large bags of frozen vegetables from Walmart, the various vegetables are probably grown in acres of fields of just a few, or maybe one, vegetable. Because monoculture is not the best for the environment and its local agriculture, this practice is something I could try to avoid. College students are not the only one to blame for the growth of monoculture, almost everything in a grocery store is probably from a monoculture field. People do this because it is easy. To help change this social norm, awareness can be raised of the importance of buying locally grown products. This not only prevents monoculture but also helps with the local economy and health.