Footnotes to a Conversation, August 23, 2021
Injustice
A farming family in northern India devoted almost a third of its income to their son’s education and mortgaged their farm to send him to school in Canada. International students blur the lines between education and immigration. It’s built on “lofty promises for the future but little regard for what actually happens to them once they arrive.” Foreign students are lied to and exploited on every front. They’re also propping up higher education as we know it. [The Walrus]
Culture
Why do humans (at least some of them, as it involves less than half of societies) kiss with their lips? Is it a reminder of breastfeeding or of earlier generations who pre-masticated food for their young? Is it because our lips are one of the few sensitive areas of our bodies that we don’t cover up with clothes? Or is it so we can get up close and smell each other? [BBC]
The Great Tapestry of Scotland was created by 1,000 volunteers working with more than 300 miles of wool over 2 years. It’s 143 m/469 ft long (50% longer than the Bayeux Tapestry) and tells the nation’s story from pre-history (glacial formation of mountains and glens) to modern times (Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory in 2013). “People don’t think of history as still happening, so when they see things they have experienced themselves put into the historical sweep, that contextualises those events.” [The Guardian]
There are so many alternatives to white sugar, and yet we aren’t even aware of many of them. “Acknowledging the existence of the many types of sweetener and their differences from white sugar can bring not only nuance to dishes but a deeper understanding of culture writ large.” Rock sugar is refined white sugar and in traditional Chinese medicine is thought to “aid digestion, soothe the stomach, and moisten the lungs. . . . In Indonesia, coconut sugar (gula jawa) is associated with helping heal various ailments, from coughing to bed-wetting.” [Taste]
Flavour
I’ve been enjoying cheese from Natural Pastures, a 20-year-old Vancouver Island dairy, while I’m in BC. The Smoked Boerenkaas (the Dutch name for farmers’ cheese) is smoked naturally with grains of salt adding crunch and flavour. I’ve already purchased my second piece. I can also recommend the Comox Brie. [Natural Pastures]
I broil slices of zucchini with grated cheese and Tajin spice every summer. Here are some other uses for this mix of chili and dried lime. [The Guardian]
The Art of the Imagination
There is so much humour in Banksy’s seaside art! I’m not sure which I prefer – the couple dancing on top of a bus shelter or the seagull eating chips (French fries) out of a dumpster. [The Guardian]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
If you share my love of nature, I suggest you also read EcoFriendly Sask that I publish in collaboration with my brother, Andrew. Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces (downloadable directly from the website).