I’m going to start this with a short story.  I used to be a neuroscientist (that part is a long story), and I was pretty unhappy.  For my 23rd birthday, my friend Cabiria sent me a book by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, called Hope’s Edge: the Next Diet for a Small Planet.  Cabiria knew I liked to cook, and the book had recipes and interesting stories.  But I read that book and was so moved by the narratives of health and environmental benefit and justice that I knew I had found a calling.  I applied to grad school to study environmental education and public health, and I am now well on my way to a career in sustainable food systems… because of a birthday gift, mailed to me with love over hundreds of miles.  Thanks Cabi.