Daily food! – Food and drinks in Wijchen since 1950

last: 7 maart 2014 tot 15 juni 2014.

Daily food! – Food and drinks in Wijchen since 1950

Daily food is about the Wijchense food culture. A large development is made in a relatively short period of time. Not that long ago a slaughtered pig hung on a ladder in autumn. In the first years after the second world war, the average household has little to spend. Meat, fruit and vegetables obtains from private yards and bottled and brined for times of scarcity. The rising prosperity will bring huge changes in preparing food and drinks from the end of the 1950s. Electrical appliances and supermarkets provide variety, comfort and time savings in the preparation of the daily costs. Nowadays these elements are to stay in our food culture. At the same time there are critical voices about E-numbers and bio-industry. Personal stories, photos and objects gives Daily Food literally a look in the kitchen of Wijchen

Henk Helmantel

Taste, smell, texture: we eat and drink with all of our senses. But the eye also wants some! In ‘ Daily Rate ‘ painter Henk Helmantel shows the stunning beauty of our food in all its simplicity. Nine paintings are shown of country’s most well-known realistic painter.

Pre-industriële periode  (1950-1970)


Although the industrialization in Netherlands starts in the second half of the 19th century, it really gets going after 1970 for the region of Wijchen. This also obtains to the social and business services, schools and banks. After the second world war the average household has not much to spend and food is quite scarce. The inhabits of Wijchen fatten their own pig and keep chickens. Many have a vegetable garden behind the House or renting an allotment. Pickled cabbage, meat is bottled and apples are dried. The bakers bake their own bread and butchers slaughter itself. The weekly market plays an important role in the distribution of the food.

Industrial period (after 1970)

The industrialization brings people to the cities. At the same time, the world population is growing exponentially. A food industry arise to feed all those people. Together with the United States the Netherlands plays an important role in food. A country with the most cattle in the world. Despite of sharp control the outbreak of swine fever in 1997 and 1998 arise in the Netherlands. In the second half of the twentieth century the large demand for food leads to a new store concept. In 1953 Dirk van den Broek opens the first Dutch supermarket in Amsterdam. At the end of the sixties the first super markets also opens in Wijchen. Because of this self-slaying butchers and bakers are disappeared.

Present

Our food production, processing, distribution and consumption over the past decades is industrialized at a global level. But the industrialization also has its disadvantages. (e.g., greenhouse gases, salinization and erosion of agricultural land). Of all the food produced the half is waste. There is starvation for a billions of people in the third world, while an equal number of people suffers from obesity in the western world. Both producers and consumers are more aware of the adverse effects of the current food production on the environment and fellow human. Initiatives are developed for sustainable production, preparation and distribution of our food industry. In Wijchen are plenty of examples of sustainable developments. We notice an ever-increasing demand for local food supply.

Future?

What are we going to eat in the future? Will we eat readymade meals? Or will our food be 3-D printed in about 20 years? In addition to the availability of food, health plays a large role. More than ever, the consumer is aware of ingredients and the origin of the products they buy. It is expected that the demand for organic, locally produced and seasonal food will increase even further in the future.

 

 

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