With the media abuzz about trans fat, risky food imports, marketing junk food to young children, obesity and a thousand other negative consequences to our modern consumption habits, perhaps it’s time to step back and evaluate our behavior.

Our quest for a quick, easy hunger fix has destroyed our connection with what we’re eating, and food isn’t valued and respected like it should be. The best way to reconnect with what you’re eating is to start making it yourself. Some of my best memories involve food and specifically cooking it. Vivid memories include standing on a chair when I was young to help my mother bake cookies, teaming up with my little brother last year to make a Christmas Eve feast, summer cookouts, making my very first apple pie from scratch, potlucks, dinner parties and the list goes on.

Cooking shouldn’t seem like a difficult, foreboding task. Like Julia Childs said, “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” If you’re new to the kitchen or if you just want to breathe some life and creativity into what you make, grab a cookbook or explore the Internet. The Food Network is a good place to start – try www.foodnetwork.com. The British Broadcasting Corp. also has an entire page dedicated to food, which you can find at bbc.co.uk/food. Both sites have recipes, tips for beginners and plenty of information about even the most exotic ingredient.

To find the very best ingredients for some fabulous meals, consider looking locally. Farmers markets are fantastic places to find your favorite fruits, veggies and (surprise!) eggs, baked goods and meats. You get to support local, small-scale agriculture, which keeps your money within Michigan, and you connect directly with the person who grew your food, an extinct concept in the supermarket atmosphere. For the food adventurers out there, farmers markets are a great place to learn about different products you may have never considered using before. Who better to teach you about the best use for a new fruit or vegetable than the farmer who grew it? Besides, you can’t beat the farm-fresh quality.

The MSU Student Organic Farm harvests its vegetables every Thursday morning to sell at the on-campus farm stand Thursday afternoon (from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., in front of the Auditorium on Farm Lane). To get the true farmers market atmosphere, with an abundant selection of in-season products and knowledgeable farmers, check out the Allen Street Farmers’ Market, open Wednesdays from 2:30-6:30 p.m. on the corner of Allen and Kalamazoo streets in downtown Lansing, or the Meridian Township Farmer’s Market, open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5151 Marsh Road in Okemos, just past the Meridian Mall.

And of course, the most important part of cooking is friends. Breaking bread together is even more rewarding when you take the time and effort to make the food yourselves.

It may not be possible to cook extravagant meals every night, but a weekend potluck, a Saturday afternoon picnic by the river or the occasional community dinner party is certainly attainable. Whether you’re experimenting with food from a different culture, making an old favorite recipe or simply learning how to make spaghetti yourself, cooking is an invaluable skill to learn and nurture.

We all need food to survive, so why not make it good food? So gather some friends, pull out the pots and pans, fire up the burners and start chopping – just don’t forget to call me.

Liz Kersjes is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at kersjese@msu.edu.