The development of human history and culture is closely related to food, which plays a decisive role in human development, involving multiple aspects such as existence and belonging, pride, and identity. However, literary works with food as the theme are not common. Barbara Kinsoff's "Animals, Vegetables, and Miracles: A Year of Food Life" is a memoir centered around food, emphasizing "deliberate eating", reshaping the relationship between humans and food, and resisting the environmental crisis brought about by industrialized food. Kingsoft focuses on the emotional connection between food and bodily senses, local consumption, and storytelling, highlighting the emotional nature of food life and presenting how food and its underlying life can touch people's emotions, inspiring humanity to rebuild its connection with nature.

Zoba's Diet and Thoreau's Wild Taste: The Presence of Senses

In "Animals, Vegetables, and Wonders," Kinsoff explores the connection between humans, food, and nature through "Zoba's Diet" and Thoreau's "Wild Taste. She emphasizes the presence of senses and the manifestation of vitality, believing that the true taste of food needs to be experienced in the natural environment. Kinsoff opposes industrialized and off-season food, advocates understanding the seasonality and location of food, and restores the rhythmic relationship between humans and nature. She depicted the harmonious relationship between humans, nature, and the land through her experience of farm life, as well as the emotional connection brought by the interaction between labor and the land during seasonal changes. Camille, the daughter of Kingsoft, also shared her insights on seasonal food, believing that each season's food gives people a unique understanding of life. Jin Soufu's narrative portrays the emotional connection between humans and nature, as well as the tranquility and satisfaction of becoming a part of the season in labor.

The body triumphs over the brain: the emotionality of local food

Camille, the daughter of Kingsoft, transformed her childhood aversion to eating asparagus grown by her parents into love for it, reflecting the influence of bodily perception on food emotions. Jin Soufu emphasized the importance of local food culture, believing that the taste of food is closely related to factors such as region, soil, and climate. Tasting local food is a process of understanding its production place and process. She advocates for local consumption of food, reducing environmental pollution, and salvaging the estranged relationship between people and food. Jin Sofu and his family have established a deep emotional connection with food through planting and breeding, believing that food is the result of the cooperation between humans and nature. She emphasized the importance of purchasing local food, resisted the political ideology behind industrialized food production, and advocated individual responsibility for the environment. Kinsoff's local food practices have strengthened emotional connections and mutual dependence with community farmers. She believes that farmers are memory banks, a symbiotic relationship between humans and their land. Her family is also influenced by the promotion of local food and actively participates in environmental research and the revitalization of local agricultural economy. Despite the challenges of economic inequality and social issues faced by local food, Kinsoff's experiment is a necessary attempt to challenge industrialized agricultural systems and explore sustainable ways of survival. A study by the US Department of Agriculture shows that farm sales to consumers have increased, and the Agricultural Act provides funding for local agricultural market projects to promote the development of local food markets.

Time Begins Again ": The Storytelling and Emotional Memory of Food

Jin Sofu deepens her connection with food through the stories and emotional memories of food. Every corner of her farm has a story that connects her with her past owner and the land, creating a sense of responsibility and love. Flowers and plants become a part of the story, and the plants given by friends give her farm a new story, symbolizing friendship. The process of growing vegetables reminded her of the time she spent with her grandfather, and the cooking process also established emotional connections with many people. Jin Soufu loves the seeds passed down from ancestors and resists the seeds cultivated under the stimulation of capitalist consumption. He criticizes the mechanized food industry for reducing variety and sacrificing taste. She continues traditional varieties in her farm, searching for ancestral vegetable seeds, incubating turkeys in traditional ways, and experiencing the joy of life's birth. Kinsoff believes that the kitchen is an important part of life, and cooking is an important way for her to enjoy life. She encourages women to make cooking a happy and creative activity through the participation of family members. Her daughter Camille also misses the wonderful time when her family had dinner together. Kinsoff's memoir "Animals, Vegetables, and Miracles" is an important part of the American domestic food movement, providing a practical and poetic path for environmental protection and food safety. The local food movement experienced rapid development in the early 21st century, with Kinsoff emphasizing a return to the land and establishing emotional connections between food and the human body, nature, community, and past years through mutual care. She hopes that the fragrance of food can enter the skin and hearts of children, so that they can also enjoy nature. Jin Sopher's food experiments and writings have promoted Native American food as a trend and way of life, reducing food problems, supporting farmers and rural economies, promoting healthy eating habits, and strengthening the relationship between farmers and consumers.