Before taking this class I had never heard of a contemplative practice. I didn’t know what it was or what to expect. When we did the first practice I did not find it to be helpful in enhancing my relationship to the course material, but when we did the chocolate contemplative practice it completely changed my point of view. In… Read more »
At the end of lecture one day, Professor Litfin gave a single raisin to each student to suck on as we learned about the lifetime of the seemingly simple food. From the time the grape was planted, to it being dried out and transported to stores, we thought about it all. For me, eating food is part of my daily… Read more »
As a daughter of immigrant parents who worked as farm hands and are now their own farmers, I have experienced issues of food scarcity and poverty. Looking back, I acknowledge how privileged I am to be where I am today. I am proud of where I came from and how I was brought up. Knowing that my parents overcame obstacles… Read more »
I’ve never liked milk chocolate; it’s too sweet, too rich, and I often find myself wishing that it was more bitter, a little saltier, mixed with caramel, or a different food entirely. Preferences differ widely; everyone has foods that if possible, they’d steer clear of without exception. Until recently, I hadn’t thought twice about my preference for dark chocolate, it… Read more »
Our contemplative practice with chocolate in Lecture 7 left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. This may be because we were ingesting raw cocoa nibs, but it was mostly due to the new information I received from this lecture that was difficult to digest. Prior to this contemplative practice, I loved eating, or baking/cooking with chocolate. I’ve always… Read more »
We don’t just stop and think anymore. Society today keeps people feeling too busy, and apart of a culture that is constantly bombarded by advertisements, and one that, frankly, does not care much for the environment or details of food systems. These factors combine for why contemplative exercises, like those practiced by Professor Litfin, are uncommon and may be thought… Read more »
One of the contemplative practices that stuck out to me the most in our class is the contemplative practice on chocolate. One of the reasons I loved this exercise is because not only did I learn something new, but I had time to connect and think about what I was learning to something I was simultaneously tasting in my mouth…. Read more »
Never before have I taken a class in my academic career that has had something like the contemplative practice activities we’ve done in class. The whole concept of contemplative practices, and literally sitting in silence for minutes at a time in a lecture setting definitely had me feeling a little uneasy at first (and still does). However, after participating in… Read more »
Given humanity’s innate ties to food, as a cultural centerpiece, a custom or family tradition, and as the energy that sustains us, it has been helpful to me to explore an emotional approach to understanding the material covered in this course as a means of supplementing my logical and analytic understanding. Several of the contemplative practices we have conducted throughout… Read more »
Contemplation and deep imaginative thinking are important tools that are often times skipped over in daily life. Especially when it comes to things more complex than just asking yourself, do I want to go out tonight or do study for my exam? Or, do I eat a salad or a cheese burger? Contemplation over deeper topics can be very resourceful… Read more »