Footnotes to a Conversation, March 14, 2022
“Knowledge for the sake of understanding, not merely to prevail, that is the essence of our being. None can define its limits, or set its ultimate boundaries.” – Vannevar Bush
A look at food politics and the abandonment of nature but also some frivolity with fashion and chocolate. Have a good week!
Apocalyptic Visions
I’ve just finished reading Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flynn. It’s not an easy read, but it is a thought-provoking one. Flynn visits sites that have been abandoned by humans, whether it’s due to industry, nuclear meltdown, a volcanic eruption, or war. These places represent no man’s land, and yet they aren’t deserted. Life in a myriad of forms has returned, from flowers on the side of a slag heap to plants on toxic soil. In some cases, people have returned – abandoned people in an abandoned landscape. The book raises difficult questions about human destruction and a future apocalypse, about the transition from wild to domesticated to feral, and about whether humans should desist in their efforts to manage the earth, including reparation for human-induced damage, and let the earth heal itself.
Fads & Consumer Impact
Per capita consumption of avocados in the US has risen from 2 lbs in 2001 to almost 8 lbs in 2018 – and most of them come from Mexico, with their export valued at nearly $3 billion in 2021. The high profit margin has attracted the interest of Mexican crime cartels, leading to violence and bloodshed. I think I’ll look out for greenskin avocados that are grown in the US and the Caribbean instead. [Modern Farmer]
I tend to drink hot chocolate if I go to a coffee shop. I don’t drink coffee and my tea at home is usually better than anything I can buy in a coffee shop. As a result, I’m delighted to hear that there is now a chain of hot chocolate shops in the UK. “The fast-growing brand Knoops sells more than 20 different types of hot chocolate in its shops ranked by strength, from a sweet and creamy 28% white all the way up to an intense 100% extra dark … The adventurous, already familiar with chocolate strengths from sophisticated supermarket ranges, can go further still: picking from a list of 20 extras that includes Szechuan pepper, star anise, turmeric and rosemary.” [The Guardian]
A Celebration of Life
An article about people who have chosen to dress more flamboyantly as they grow older was inspirational for me. It’s a good reminder to feel good about oneself and worry less about other people’s opinions. Here’s what one woman had to say: “I thought: who doesn’t love a wedding and the bride walking down the aisle in her big dress? I wanted to wear something that encapsulated that feeling – and nothing would stop me from wearing it every day, since life itself is a celebration.” [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. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.