Our Food Map

A look at how we source our food & the edits we plan to make.

Publication Year: 2025, Issue #5

Have you heard of food mapping? It may sound like some niche food-focused jargon, but it’s actually a powerful tool for tracking where communities buy, grow and eat their food. Think of it as a visual deep dive using maps, charts and diagrams to show how food flows through a specific community or population. Beyond just logistics, food mapping offers insight into nutrition studies, environmental engagement and the cultural values that shape our plates. Anthropology, but make it edible.

I’m fascinated by how food moves through spaces: restaurants, neighborhoods, cities and entire countries. But zooming in, I think food mapping can be just as insightful on a household level. Salih and I just hit the three-month mark in Orlando and I thought, what better time to take a step back and reflect on how we’re sourcing our food? It’s the perfect moment to think about what we want to start, stop and continue doing in our food-sourcing routine.

Below, I’ve put together a diagram of how we currently source and buy our food. You’ll see the stores we frequent, what we typically pick up from each spot and even a food map of our kitchen showing how ingredients make their way in, where they land and how they’re stored.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, I’m sure I’ve missed a thing or two, but it paints a picture of our current reality.

A Few Notes About this Food Mapping Exercise:

• I want to acknowledge that having options and making these kinds of choices is a privilege. I’m deeply grateful to be in a position where we can think critically about where our food comes from and how we spend our grocery dollars.

• To be clear, I’m not here to preach about what’s healthy, when to buy organic, or what’s ethical. Eating is personal and even sharing this feels a little vulnerable. But I do think it’s worth reflecting on whether our food choices align with our priorities.

• Salih and I don’t eat out much. With our sensitive stomachs, takeout is more of an intentional decision rather than a spontaneous one, making home cooking our mainstay. You will see that reflected in the maps above.

• Lastly, this tool isn’t about judgment, it’s more about collecting data and facing the facts of our current situation. Think of it as an exercise in observation and curiosity, not self-criticism.

My Biggest Takeaway from this Food Mapping Exercise

Going through this exercise made me more aware of our patterns and habits, as well as a few things I’d like to change. As much as I care about food and cooking, our current habits don’t fully reflect our values which are: reducing food waste, cutting down on plastic, eating less processed food and actually slowing down to cook and enjoy meals. So, I’m taking that into account and making adjustments.

Click the video below for a sneak peek inside my refrigerator.

Alright, let’s get to it. Here’s our Start, Stop, Continue list.

What We Want to Start Doing:

• Find a local butcher. We don’t eat a lot of meat, but when we do, I’d love to get it from someone who actually knows its story, not just where it came from but how it was raised and handled.

• Participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Florida’s growing season is no joke and I’d love to buy from local farms while pushing myself to cook with produce that doesn’t usually make it into my cart.

• Stock up from specialty pantry purveyors. At this point, I know many people who have started companies who are working to produce amazing pantry staples: Rancho Gordo for beans, Barton Springs Mill for flour and spices from Diaspora Co. or Burlap & Barrel. Because if we’re cooking at home this much, it might as well be with ingredients we love.

• We’re currently on a gardening adventure, growing corn, zucchini, eggplant, watermelon, cucumber, pepper and tomato in a community garden. I’m excited to watch these crops grow and eventually work them into our weekly meals.

What We Want to Stop Doing:

• Excess packaging and plastic. I recently moderated a Milk Street Cooking School event with Joe Yonan, the Food and Dining Editor for The Washington Post, who has completely cut out plastic containers, plastic wrap, paper towels and other disposable waste products from his kitchen. Consider me inspired, I’d love to move in that direction, too.

• Plastic grocery bags sneaking into the house. We want to be better at remembering our reusable bags every time and even bring smaller reusable produce bags for fruits and veggies.

What We’re Sticking With:

• Buying just what we need, no more, no less. Sure, it means a few extra trips to the market, but it also means less food waste and fewer science experiments in the fridge.

• Shopping with a recipe in mind. When we buy ingredients with a specific dish planned, we actually make the meal (shocking, I know) and use up everything before it has a chance to wilt into oblivion.

• Storing leftovers in glass containers. It's just another effort to reduce plastic.

• Cooking in big batches. A little meal prep like a big batch of soup goes a long way, perfect for lunches, quick dinners and avoiding the “what do we eat?” spiral.

• Having people over for dinner. We love cooking for others and sharing good company over a meal. It’s the perfect way to slow down and show care for others in a world that often feels consumed by empty "busyness."

I encourage you to take a closer look at how and where your food comes from. While our example goes in-depth, you can start small by examining the top five ingredients that make their way into your kitchen. Visualizing the journey of those ingredients can help you align your food choices with your values.

Well, there you have it, a peek into our world, with all our food choices laid bare for your viewing pleasure. Maybe you relate, maybe you’re side-eyeing our grocery habits. Either way, I think this is one of those rare corners of life where we actually have some control, especially when the rest of the world is, well, a bit chaotic (understatement of the year).