My grandfather was Slovakian, and came to America in 1918 on the ship Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic. He worked as a Powder Monkey (Dynamite Setter) in the coal mines of Roslyn. His mother had left him behind as an infant, and come to America and remarried. When his stepfather found out about him, he sent for him, and the rest, is history.
He sent for my grandmother and their son in 1922 after having saved up enough money over three years for their passage. This man, and his wife, had 8 children, purchased a 100 acre farm for cash after saving in the coal mines, and Grandma selling vegetables from her garden. They raised potatoes, cabbage, and ran 40 head of dairy cattle that were milked twice a day, by hand.
This garden with my older sister standing with our grandfather is how he retired from farming. He never took a vacation, as all he knew was that if he didn't work, he wouldn't eat or have a roof over his head, neither would his family. There is much more that I can write about my grandparents, as they were amazing people, but the fact that we never wondered what was in our food or if we were healthy is another testament to how our lives have changed so dramatically in the last 100 years. It is my firm hope, and belief, that we are returning to simpler ways of feeding ourselves and the world, but it will not be without a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth from people who don't want to change their lifestyle.
Whether we wish to change, or not, we must. Our survival will require cooperation of industry and government with the citizens of those countries, to develop better infrastructure, less pollutants, and a healthier population that is a sustainable reality.
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