WEEK 2: Maize, More Microscopy, Bread

TUESDAY 1/17:

       On Tuesday we went back to our roots and broke bread together; some people had bought store-bought bread and others had made their own. It felt nice to connect as a class and discuss the origins of all the different breads in the potluck. Although we definitely should have served the bread with some water, I left class with a full belly and a newfound appreciation for bread.

        My favorite bread was the homemade croissants that someone had brought in with tupperware, and as we sat down and ate our bread, we discussed the chemistry and connections bread has to life. The main chemical reaction in bread is a result of yeast, a single celled microorganism. Yeast ferments sugars to create carbon dioxide and alcohol. In bread making, yeast is added to a mixture of flour, water, and sugar, serving as food for the yeast. The fermentation of the sugars by yeast generates carbon dioxide, which becomes trapped in the gluten structure of the dough, making it rise. Alcohol and carbon dioxide produced during fermentation give the bread its flavor and texture. Finally, baking the dough in an oven kills the yeast and solidifies the bread's structure. I didn’t realize making bread is so simple, and once I get an apartment with an oven I am definitely going to bake my own bread. 

       At home, my mom sometimes makes naan from scratch which is a type of bread associated with my culture, and while I’ve observed her making it and waiting sometimes a day or two for the yeast to rise, finally understand the chemistry behind it was satisfying.

         Later that day, Alvaro Azcarraga visited our class to tell us more about his graduate project, "Maize Should be Capitalized" (2021) that creates a critique on capitalization and the naming of organisms only reflecting colonial viewpoints, as well as questions about our relationship with maize and the excessive commodification of genetically similar plants. I really liked the way that Alvaro explained the impact of colonization on the way the world works today through his example of huitlacoche. Huitlacoche is a kind of corn that has been infected by an invasive species that causes the corn to grow large, tumor-like bulbs. In the United States, because of one farmer letting it get out of control and the invasive species destroying a crop, it is highly banned and is viewed as a destructive species. However, in Mexico, huitlacoche is considered a delicacy and is eaten regularly as another adjacent form of corn. I thought it was so interesting how a colonial perspective has impacted trade laws and demonized huitlacoche for lack of understanding. This is so similar to politics surrounding marijuana, which actually came about as a means to target minorites and not because of the substance being a public health issue. Another example is the coca leaf, that cocaine comes from. In places like Peru and Macchu Piccu, the leaves were actually chewed by those climbing the mountains to help raise their heart rate to adjust to the lower oxygen concentrations at that altitude, but now cocaine has become a demonized and weaponized substance with a bad connotation as a result of colonialism. The fear and lack of understanding around cultural substances and phenomenon by the colonial world has resulted in harsh laws that ban even allowing people to do research on these topics, which I thought was an important dialogue that is not talked about enough. After we discussed the history of corn and it’s infiltration of practically everything we eat that is processed, as well as the lack of respect for where it came from and the peoples from whom it came from, we got our own chance to plant seeds around campus. 

Me holding Maize seeds, planting them, huitlacoche Monica Ortiz Uribe for NPR, squirrel eating seeds I planted right after I planted them

THURSDAY 1/19:

         On Thursday, we visited the CNSI again to delve deeper into the electron microscopes that have revolutionized healthcare and research in general. We got to see Alison Hiltner’s Tethers Part 3, which was a fascinating interactive piece. I thought her inspiration, of holding a beating heart in her hand and wanting to recreate that, was beautiful and I think her vision translated well into the piece. I liked that you could manuevuer yourself in a manner that you could feel your own heartbeat being reflected by the inflating and deflating bulbs in the center of the exhibit- in a way Hiltner was bringing people together by allowing us to feel each other’s heartbeats, but also bringing us closer to ourselves by helping us visualize the organ that is most important to leeping us alive. With this piece, you could experience your own life in the palm of your own hand, and I resonated with that narrative a lot. 

Class looking at Alison Hiltner's installation

          Next, we heard a lecture on microscopy by James Gimzewski, who helped us understand exactly how the microscopes we were using were able to generate the data that we then interpret. This lecture really helped me understand scale, in particular the scale of atoms and molecules. We discussed powers of 10, and how to construct a needle whose tip was only one atom long. We also got the opportunity to see an actual microscope and I was so ingtrigued at the mechanical design of how it was put together; I would love to delve deeper into that- I wonder if the technology we use today is the most efficient form or if it was simply the first form that worked? With life, we can assume that everything that has formed has formed in it’s truest and most basic form, simply due to the chemistry and natural principles behind it. A cell is the most basic unit of life. I’m curious to reimagine how we can apply that principle to the city and the architecture and technology we surround ourselves with. Who decided cars were going to look the way they do? Once you set aside all the required elements, such as the headlights, the brakes, etcetera, who ultimately made the decision to design them the way they are? Why haven’t we made more of an effort to design cars that don’t glaringly stand in contrast to the rest of our surroundings? It almost feels like nothing goes with anything, and that chaos is something I’m interested in taking a closer look at.

Surface mapping Microscope James Gimzewski brought in for class

James Gimzewski giving lecture on surfaces that microscope can map (copper)

 

WORKS CITED

Allen, Lauren. “Homemade Bread.” Tastes Better From Scratch, 21 Mar. 2020, tastesbetterfromscratch.com/bread-recipe.

“Tethers Part 3 - Alison Hiltner.” Tethers Part 3 - Alison Hiltner, alisonhiltner.com/Tethers-Part-3. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.

“Home.” Home, www.huitla.com. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.

“Alvaro Azcárraga – THE LAST ONLINE SHOW!” Alvaro Azcárraga – THE LAST ONLINE SHOW!, projects.dma.ucla.edu/exhibitions/mfa2021/2020/10/13/alvaro. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.

“GuerrillaGardening.org.” The Guerrilla Gardening Homepage, www.guerrillagardening.org. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.