I believe the contemplative practices we have held in class have been very useful in enhancing my awareness of the material. In particular the session dealing with cacao was particularly rousing. When the cacao was initially mentioned I was met with joy. After all the fundamental ingredient that creates chocolate must be as enjoyable as it’s production. Beforehand I had always wondered how cacao made it to the market, because I myself have a hard time resisting the enticing chocolate bar. But from when I tasted the cacao it became apparent why the nut was not consumed regularly in mass. The realisation that occured was only further developed with the pairing of the film, that people earn less than one piece of chocolate in the assistance of creating millions of it. The awakening I experienced after this contemplative practice really made me understand why we are doing them. The connections to class really started to click afterwards. The concepts in class such as the industrial revolution, colonialism, globalisation, racism, and sexism within our foods are greatly brought to light. It also has shown me that the foods I have are only cheap to me. Someone may have been compensated less than what I purchase it for, someone may have not had the choice of what they ate for dinner that night as I loitered in the store deciding what candy I would have to satisfy my craving. When chocolate was introduced it really hit close to home, everyone likes it in predominantly white and higher income locations. But in the places the ingredients are gathered, people may be traded for the opportunity to earn less than the bar I buy.
