Our first feature is Ashanti Taylor, a community organizer, and curator based in San Francisco. We asked her a few questions to get to know her a little more.

Interview conducted by Stetson Hines

What neighborhood did you grow up in?

I grew up in Bay View Hunters Point, and for the other half of my life, I grew up around the Bay area.

In general, how would you describe your health?

I would say my health is good, not excellent or poor, but good.

What does your diet currently consist of? 

I eat out a lot, so I tend to eat much Mexican food, dried fruit, and Chinese food. I try to avoid a lot of processed food.

Do you think quality food depends on your income? 

Yes, because quality food depends on your income. Especially in this area, Bay View Hunters Point, you may not get the quality food you need like fruits, vegetables, organic food, whatnot.

Why might healthy, affordable food be difficult to obtain in certain areas? 

Because of not having access to grocery stores with fresh fruits and meats, that’s not a super process and has other options.

How could living in a food desert relate to food insecurity? 

Not wanting to try other food outside the area that you're in. Living in a food desert,t you only have access to places like McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King and are forced to pay 12 dollars for a meal and tell yourself you can’t do this anymore. With these 12 dollars that I’m spending at a restaurant, I could be spending it at a grocery store and buy groceries that would last me a week. But instead, I’m spending it at a liquor store eating process f.oods

What types of restaurants are in your neighborhood? 

Fast food restaurants, taqueria’s that are pretty cool, and those cafes that are expensive, and you don’t want to go there and have to buy a $5 coffee or tea. They TThey'rejust here because people are moving into the area, and they want to appeal to those people. That’s not what we need, and that’s not what we asked for.

Other than grocery stores/liquor stores, where else could you purchase food? 

If you travel out enough, maybe 15 minutes driving or 45 minutes by bus you, could get to a grocery store that’s decent to a Safeway and a Wholefoods but that’s expensive. There are some far between on the outskirts that I may travel to get groceries to meal prep. Like I said, in the beginning, I eat out a lot due to not having access because transportation going to and from is a lot.

How does our neighborhood influence the choices we make about our health? 

I think the way that our neighborhood is set up looks good, like “wow, it’s all these restaurants to go to,” but they're not great places to go to. And were not identifying that it’s not the healthiest. But it’s food that we like, and it’s food that we grew up on. Because of the disparity in the area or the injustices, it’s not exactly making us aware that this is super greased up foods or super process foods because we don’t have access to healthy foods to make a better decision.