It says this produce is farm to table but “farm to table” doesn’t tell the whole story. First, it’s money to farm. Labor to farm. Toil to farm. Chore to chore. Hour to hour. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Season to season. Year to year. Life to farm. Sunup to sundown. Sea to shining sea. Lamb to slaughter. Sacrifice to gods. Sunlight to farm. Rain to farm. Gods to harvest. Harvest to profit. Profit to seed. Profit to cattle. Profit to farm. Hopes to farm. Dreams to farm. Blood to farm. Sweat to farm. Tears to farm. Sunlight to farm. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Drought to farm. Prayers to farm. Starvation to family. Winter to farm. Cold to family. Farm to bank. Family to streets. Dumpsters to eat. Life insurance to farmer. Farmer to suicide. Money to family and so on.

That's the classic tale but it’s not the only story. Sometimes it’s profit to seed. Seed to ground. Sunlight to farm. Rain to farm. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Ground to machine. Machine to machine. Machine to truck. Truck to facility. Facility to truck. Truck to store. Store to stockroom. Stockroom to aisle. Customer to aisle. Food to cart. Cart to conveyor belt. Conveyor belt to cashier. Cashier to bagger. Bagger to cart. Cart to car. Food to trunk. Cart to cart. Car to lot. Lot to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to road. Car to driveway. Food to house. Hour to hour. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Smell to food. Food to dumpster and so on.

And there’s more action-packed stories than those. Sometimes it’s food to trunk. Car to lot. Lot to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to bank drive-thru. Bank drive-thru to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to pharmacy drive-thru. Pharmacy drive-thru to road. Road to road. Road to boulevard. Boulevard to street. Street to lane. Lane to avenue. Avenue to drive. Drive to way. Way to terrace. Terrace to court. Court to place. Place to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to road. Road to traffic. Bumper to bumper. Bumper to bumper. Bumper to bumper. Bumper to bumper. Bumper to bumper. Traffic to road. Road to road. Car to car! Airbag to customer. Blood to windshield. Glass to road. Ambulance to customer. Customer to ambulance. Ambulance to road. Road to avenue. Avenue to boulevard. Boulevard to street. Street to hospital. Hospital to emergency room. Emergency room to coma. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Nurse to plug. Body to hole. Money to family and so on.

Occasionally, the story arrives from farm to table with little to no drama. Then it’s table to plate. Plate to fork. Fork to knife. Knife to fork. Fork to mouth. Mouth to teeth. Teeth to teeth. Teeth to teeth. Food to throat. Air to throat. Air to throat. Air to throat. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Fist to chest. Food to floor. Air to lungs. Lungs to air. Air to lungs. Lungs to air. Tears to eyes. Air to lungs. Lungs to air. Air to lungs. Mop to floor and so on.

In an alternate timeline, it would be farm to table. Table to plate. Plate to fork. Fork to mouth. Mouth to teeth. Teeth to teeth. Food to throat. Air to throat. Air to throat. Air to throat. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Hands to throat. Hand to phone. Finger to “9.” Finger to “1.” Body to floor. Head to floor. Phone to floor. Finger to floor. Blood to floor. Minute to minute. Hour to hour. Day to day. Week to week. Month to month. Smell to neighbor. Neighbor to door. Neighbor to kitchen. Eyes to body. Hands to mouth. Tears to eyes. Neighbor to body. Hands to chest. Hands to chest. Mouth to mouth. Vomit to face. Mouth to sink. Hands to sink. Hand to phone. Finger to “9.” Finger to “1.” Finger to “1.” Neighbor to pockets. Hand to wallet. Paramedics to door. Wallet to pocket. Neighbor to door. Paramedics to body. Body to ambulance. Paramedics to pockets. Body to morgue. Family to morgue. Tears to eyes. Body to crematorium. Crematorium to urn. Urn to mantle. Year to year. Decade to decade. Kids to room. Football to kid. Kid to football. Football to kid. Kid to football. Football to urn! Kids to vacuum. Vacuum to ashes. Sand to urn. Urn to mantle. Ashes to garbage and so on.

But sure, in a perfect world the story goes food to table. Family to table. Conversation to family. Love to family. Food to plate. Plate to fork. Fork to mouth. Mouth to teeth. Teeth to teeth. Food to tongue. Tongue to taste. Taste to reflex. Reflex to mouth. Food to napkin. Beverage to mouth. Smile to face. Compliments to chef and so on.

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