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… Read more »
In general, I have not felt that the contemplative practices we have done throughout class have been overtly helpful in enhancing my relationship with the course material. I think the main reason I feel this way is due to the fact that I have been exposed to much of the material throughout my time here at UW;… Read more »
“Now, if you haven’t already put the cacao in your mouth, do so now.” I placed the tiny, fragmented bean in my mouth. Unbeknownst to I, the technically edible foodstuff was Mother Nature’s last horcrux, whose apparent mission was to instigate on-sight beef with my fourth sense and leave behind my ravaged taste-buds as casualties of war. My immediate reaction was… Read more »
The use of contemplative practices in a class that focuses on a subject so expansive and with so many interlocking parts that is the global food system at first seemed to me to be a waste of time. To some extent I’m still not convinced by it, but the exercise we did with the raisin was at least an interesting… Read more »
Throughout all of our plentiful contemplative practices, the one I found to be most impactful was focused on industrialized food where we used raisins. Being the first contemplative activity we had done, when it was introduced I will admit I was very skeptical of the ability for this small raisin to mean much of anything to me especially so early… Read more »
It’s always good to take a step back. There’s so much to think about, we can’t possibly think about it all. Contemplative practices let you zone in on one specific thing and really give it some thought, or think about the connectedness of different things. Food is an especially crazy thing to think about in depth. Where does it come… Read more »
Contemplative practices are used to integrate a student or individual’s holistic personal experience into the context of coursework or learning. With this in mind, not only has it been an important tool in allowing students like myself space to reflect on our involvement in the topics of class, it has also been an innovative approach to placing ourselves and our… Read more »
In this course, contemplative practices have taught me to be mindful when eating, and to truly appreciate the food that is in front of me. The contemplative practice that stuck with me the most was when we were handed a piece of cacao and a piece of chocolate, and ate it while watching the documentary of it being harvested on… Read more »
The world is a fast pace complex place where finding time for self-contemplation is often challenging. This contemplation time is an important part of understanding the world around us. For my first contemplative practice I was skeptical because I had never participated in this type of deeper reflection and engagement before, but it really opened my eyes to the way… Read more »
Working as a barista for four years has made coffee an integral part of my life. I drink up to three cups per day, am knowledgeable about different roasts, and smell like it consistently. However, I haven’t taken the time to explore where coffee beans originate from or how they are processed, even when the information is easily accessible. Instead,… Read more »