Footnotes to a Conversation, September 12, 2022
“My walls outside must have some flowers, My walls within must have some books; A house that's small; a garden large, And in it leafy nooks.” – William Davies
Follow the Recipe – Or Not
“Recipes act as document, container, process, agenda, care, code, story, knowledge, and technology … Recipes slip between uses, or perhaps more accurately they are wielded in service of projects of communication, reshaping, and perpetuation in a range of combinations. In my own life and practice, recipes have provided contour and structure to the often ambiguous distinction between the technical and the sensual in food. While in the studio, the recipe becomes synonymous with process or protocol, in the kitchen they become narrative tools and vessels for larger dynamics at play. My screenshots and handwritten notes of remembered and altered dishes from family members or friends are as instructive as, if not more so than, an edited and internationally published tome of recipes. Their utility is a particular ability to recall the physical and sensual, not so much their ability to be widely interpreted.” [Mold]
How do you use recipes?
Women’s Work
Is the kitchen the heart of the home or is it a location for forced labour? Would we have single-family homes if we eliminated kitchens? I must confess, I hadn’t considered this topic until I read What is a Home Without a Kitchen. It raises interesting questions, such as “Could the kitchenless home celebrate domestic work in society rather than covering it with a veil?” It also provides examples of a community that shared a kitchen and laundry with work undertaken on a rotating basis, a full-service apartment building with a kitchen/restaurant on the main floor, and communal kitchens. [Mold]
The big question I’m left with is: Would communities of kitchenless homes move us away from our individualistic focus towards a community-based sharing and caring?
Communal Food
This leads me to ponder the role of school lunches. Are they necessary? What is their role – is it to alleviate child hunger or to promote local, healthy food? Are they a valuable way to build community or are they a form of punishment for solitary children who would much prefer to read a book (that’s me!) or go for a walk than partake in yet another group activity? [Modern Farmer]
While I have mixed feelings about school lunches, I wholeheartedly approve of a California winery that reserves part of its land for a garden growing fruit and vegetables for its migrant workers. The workers also receive a living hourly wage that is not dependent on crop yield. Speaking about the vineyard workers, the manager says, “In our industry, we stand on the backs of so many different people that we tend to forget. Some of the most foundational folks who really let us, allow us to do what we do.” [Modern Farmer]
PS I have activated comments on a trial basis as there have recently been some interesting discussions regarding my posts on Facebook and I wanted to expand that to all readers.
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.