Day 2 of the SNAP Challenge: Food Obsession

My first issue of the day was coffee, or a lack of. I was drowsy and felt unsafe driving up to the State Capitol, and by late morning I had begged a cup from a colleague. I can imagine that if I had no money for food I might regularly rely on the kindness of friends and co-workers, with all of the guilt and power dynamics that can entail.

As there’s surprisingly little access to public/free water in the Capitol, a cup/glass never seemed so important. I happened to know there are cups for water in the 6^th floor cafeteria, but I held onto it and kept finding ways to refill it to stay hydrated. Having water in my system was the only way to dull food cravings. Especially since I ate my lunch by 10:45 am.

Food obsession is real. Even within a day, I noticed an almost constant train of thoughts about food. It defies a normal sense of hunger, too, because the mindset that I can’t purchase any more makes the sight and especially smell of food that much more powerful and alluring. It also heightens my sensitivity to how much abundance surrounds us – the Capitol café is modest but bursting with shelves full of delicious food.

Again, this is temporary for me. But it really makes me think about the almost 5 million people in California who lack access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

Written by Andrew Cheyne, Director of Government Affairs