Let's Eat

Day 4 Theme: Food

Today we met some amazing gents at a winery. It's really interesting to hear about how they talk about wine and how it affects their lives and in suit how their lives affect wine making. The idea of time plays into that. It takes a long time to make wine and even after it's sold sometimes people hold onto it for years. Sometimes when they make a wine it doesn't turn out and they have to dump it. I can't imagine how heartbreaking to put so much work into something so long term that ends up being a wash. But at the same time isn't that how all food is eventually. You can put tons of work into it just to eat it or drink it and it's gone. We talked a little bit about how food is an art form. Like other types of art it's ephemeral. Like watching a dance or live theater, listening to a band play, like ice sculptures, and sandcastles, food and drinks have a shorter life span. I think the memories created through the art is what keeps it alive. It's the way people interact with it and take it in that they'll remember, and that becomes an art of it's own. Even long lasting art like ancient paintings or architecture can create art through the memories with the person viewing. I think food does this better than everything else. We all have memories associated with food. Good or bad, from our childhood, our adolescence, college years etc. What we eat does stick with us in a way. We share experiences through food. We share likes and dislikes, tastes and smells.

I've never been a big fan of cooking. We started the day reading an article and talking about being more aware of what we're eating and where it came from. That's something I keep asking myself, should I be more conscious of what I consume? Even if I'm aware of the details of where everything I'm eating came from, will that make me change my decisions when it comes to food? I really don't think it would. When we all cooked a meal together today, I did feel more connected to the meal. It almost tasted better just because we made it. Which makes me think it does matter where it came from, but more in the way of interacting with the humans who prepared it and how you can show them kindness, and less about the food itself.

When talking to Christopher and his friend Collin, at the winery there were a couple of things that came up that intrigued me. One was the type of vocabulary they used. They said it was important to "allow people to use their own vocabulary". I think this is so important in all aspects of life. I think we often take on talking by adopting the terms people use around us, which really is just how language works. But in some ways it's important to really stand apart when speaking. To be intentional about the words you use and how you use them. We all have different experiences, different ways of describing things, and different connotations applied to certain words. I think allowing people to describe things, especially when talking about art (trying to describe any of the senses), using their own words and memories so beneficial to understanding each other. Also a lot of times I think we try to elevate our language to sound more intelligent, which is silly because sometimes the simplest of words are the most effective at proving a point.

Another thing we talked about was how California wine was created focusing on the right now aspect of drinking it. That applies so much to the American culture, and how we have low future orientation. We care more about the now than planning ahead. I think that the right now culture can be beneficial sometimes, in taking opportunities and seizing the moment. However it can also be really detrimental when it comes to things like global warming and increasing sustainability to have a long lasting world for future generations. We often act without thinking of the consequences that don't impact us, but will impact the future.