Week 1 Symposium

As a result of my parents both being collegiate athletes and health fanatics, I grew up eating nutritious meals and little to no fast food.  I have never drank soft-drinks or consumed microwavable meals. My mother cooked dinner almost every night with ‘natural, fresh’ ingredients.  This considered, neither my parents nor myself were aware of the importance of produce sourcing. It was just assumed that iceberg lettuce was simply iceberg and all other produce the same.  Produce, it turns out, is far more complicated than I had expected. Including myself, “Some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious. We were a little surprised that we didn’t find that,” said Crystal Smith-Spangler, a Stanford Medicine instructor and one of the paper’s authors.  “The only nutrient found to be significantly higher in organic food was phosphorous, but that was considered an inconsequential advantage, since few people have phosphorus deficiency.”

At the symposium, Chapter Two: Dirt, presented by Laura Parker gave me a new perspective on the important relationship between soil and its influence on the taste of food.

During her presentation, Laura Parker emphasized how soil is “mysterious, commonplace, unclean, and beautiful.”  Soil, from this perspective is art.  It is a fundamental asset of nature as the basis for agricultural growth.  Parker’s workshop was designed to illustrate the shocking relationship between the aroma of organic soils and the taste of their respective produce.  That day, I ate the freshest, most delicious lettuce I have ever consumed. Needless to say, I was surprised by my findings. Interacting in the experiment, I compared the smell of the first soil sample with the taste of it’s lettuce.  For the second sample, the process was the same. Both samples were overwhelmingly accurate. These findings are not surprising because “Without proper nutrients, growth becomes stunted and bitter tasting lettuce is the result. Fertilize regularly, but don’t get carried away. Some studies suggest that bitter lettuce can also be the result of too much nitrogen.”

Among all presentations at the symposium, I was most interested in Iain Kerr’s presentation “Totally Warm: The Materiality of Heat.”  Let alone, Kerr was an extremely inspiring and passionate individual. He carried a captivating quality that I couldn’t quite pinpoint but fully grasped my attention.  The basis of Kerr’s presentation highlighted the relationship between solar energy and its effect on microorganisms in the process of fermentation. The process by which herbs and water interact overtime through fermentation is a natural system, artificially imposed, yielding natural healthy products like kombucha and alcoholic beverages, like beer.  Kombuchas accolades are resultant to the tea itself and the polyphenols it contains. “Polyphenols are known to act as strong antioxidants in the body and decrease inflammation, which is the root cause of many diseases and conditions,” she explains. “And the fermentation process actually increases the amount of polyphenols.”  This process can take anywhere from one week to multiple months and its preparation is as simple as making lemonade.  Inspired by Kerr’s passion, I have already started my first batch and am eager to continue my practice in the time to come.

Vera Wittkowski’s presentation on technology encouraged me to view my daily interactions with my cell phone from a new perspective.  During this exercise, I found that more than anything else, my cell phone was a burden to me. It is an overwhelming feedback loop of countless notification from a multitude of applications.  I view this as a sort of sensory overload that distracts me from daily responsibilities, hindering my productivity. Furthermore, I argue that the prominence of modern phone use insights negative implications on our current social structure.  Compared to the eighties when premeditated ‘plans’ dictated social interaction, the current norm is marked by procrastination and lacking accountability. For example, Saunders Medlock says “I have heard people say that they are afraid they will miss something if they do not do the checking,” she says. “And when people are not doing anything else they tend to interact with their phones to distract or entertain themselves.”

Although I was expecting Friday to be boring and monotonous, I found it wildly compelling.  I am beyond excited for the remainder of this class and plan to help the world with my findings.

Citation

 

  1. Genetic Literacy Project. “Are Organic Foods Healthier than Conventional Foods?” GMO FAQ, 2016, gmo.geneticliteracyproject.org/FAQ/are-organic-foods-healthier-than-conventional-foods/.

  2. Parker, Laura. “Taste of Place.” 2019.

  3. Rhodes, Jackie. “Bitter Tasting Lettuce – Why Is My Lettuce Bitter?” Gardening Know How, www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/bitter-lettuce.htm.

  4. “What Are Kombucha's Health Benefits?” Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic, 16 July 2018, health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-kombuchas-health-benefits-and-how-much-can-you-safely-drink/.

  5. “Mobile Phones and Society - How Being Constantly Connected Impacts Our Lives.” South University, 2013, www.southuniversity.edu/whoweare/newsroom/blog/mobile-phones-and-society-how-being-constantly-connected-impacts-our-lives-137313.