Category Archives: Week 3

The Diary of a Chocolate Snob

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By the third week of class I felt that I had gotten more out of the contemplative exercise than I had previously. I truly gained some insight into myself that was different than the weeks before.  It was different because I didn’t want to acknowledge it.  Coincidentally I worked for an German Chocolatier and when I was in high school.  Before… Read more »

What’s The Raisin Behind Contemplative Practice?

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Don’t tell the professor but I almost fall asleep during every one of her contemplative practice videos. For me, closing my eyes while talking to me in a slow rhythmic tone is the express elevator to dreamland. While falling asleep would no doubt bring much mental relief from my busy day, I found that contemplative practice assignments also have a… Read more »

Local & Seasonal Eating

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As someone who enjoys cooking, it is easy to get inspired to try new dishes, come up with new combinations, and try exotic food (i.e. tropical fruits, “strange” vegetables, new meats, etc.). Eating seasonally and locally can be a challenge when one is inspired to cook. Whether I am following a recipe or making one up as I go, cooking… Read more »

Anthropocene and the Changing Economy

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Any significant drop or raise in population would dramatically change the state of the economy, and ultimately, the function of the market. If something simple, such as wheat, were to suddenly become scarce, the impact would be dramatic. Since wheat is used in such a great many other products, those products relying on wheat would also become scarce and would… Read more »

Banks, Chains, and autocracy of corperations

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  Between the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO we begin the journey into acronym ladened globalization lead by the neoliberal policies of Bretton Woods. Although the intentions appeared to be in the best interest of the average person, with trade incentivizing countries to create ties rather than going to war. We began an era of subsidized and industrialized… Read more »

Turning Human Waste into Energy

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The food system is a linear system: take resources – make product – consume – waste. In linear systems we know that input is directly proportionate to output. However, there can be synergy which is when the collective element’s output is greater than the output of the individual elements. There is also interference which is the opposite of synergy, it is… Read more »

Supply Chain Transparency

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Today’s consumers are more sensitive to where a product comes from and who is affected during production. Many companies are reluctant to reveal the source of their materials or method of production to maintain a competitive advantage or protect trade secrets. There is a lot of information on the Internet from watchdog groups, but is the information credible? How far… Read more »

Approaching Environmental Issues: Individualization vs. Systems Theory.

  There are two contrasting approaches to understanding human being’s responsibility and capacity to change difficult social or environmental problems. One perspective places accountability on the shoulders of the individual; this is the idea that a single person has the power to make changes in their personal conduct that could alter the course of complex issues. In his essay on… Read more »

Farm to Plate: A Disadvantage

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When I consider how globalization and international trade inform one another, the food industry comes quickly to mind: affordability and access. While developed countries greatly benefit financially, some may argue that globalization has many more disadvantages when it comes to developing countries. For instance, globalization affects not only the environment via commodity chains, but culture on a mass global import-to-export… Read more »

I Think I Need a Garden!

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What is the real cost of cheap food?  In Michael Carolan’s book, The Real Cost of Cheap Food, he tries to answer this question by explaining chapter by chapter what we lose when we consume “cheap” food (anything mass produced and sold as affordable to the working class.)  Whether a country that produces cheap food or a human who consumes… Read more »