Eating Memoir: Week 4

“The only way to recover my wanton old appetite is to draw a deliberate blind over all the evidence, to switch off my brain, and to eat without thinking” (Dunlop, 2008, p. 281).

Though there are many differences (as well as similarities) between different cultures and their cuisines, one thing many cultures surely have in common, is the gluttonous corruption of the food industry. Unethical sourcing of food such as factory farming has taken over many aspects of the food industry. Many people across various cultures are aware of the effects of the food industry; contributing to global warming, depleting important resources, etc., and find that the only way to get through their meals is to eat without thinking. Many people can’t confront what they are putting in their bodies these days, and while there are many people who do not have a choice, blindness to these issues only empowers them to continue. The corruption of food is all over, and it silences everybody it touches.

I chose to illustrate myself in my own rendition of the engraving “Fatal Effects of Gluttony: A Lord Mayor’s Day Nightmare”, as a way to acknowledge the ways that I have contributed to the gluttonous corruption of the production and consumption of food. The turtle straddling my chest in the painting has a dumpling shell, and a cabbage man points a sriracha bottle at me with hands made of scallions as a tofu monster jumps at me in the foreground. In a way, this is a pleasant reminder to me of some of the mindfulness that I have had when making my food choices. The plant-based beings attacking me are representative of a meatless meal and my vegan diet. Though it isn’t for everybody, my diet is one of the ways that I am mindful when I eat. Though my illustration is a confession that “I have been reckless in my omnivorousness” (Dunlop, 2008, p. 286), it is also a reminder of how I have contributed to progress. After referring to the engraving, Dunlop explains that it makes her think of something her friend once told her: that “All the animals I’d eaten in the course of my life would sit in judgement over me after I was dead” (Dunlop, 2008, p. 284). If this is true, I certainly would not want to have eaten shark. Should people should only eat what they could fight off with their hands? For me, that leaves only plants.

In many ways, food itself can be the very thing to heal the harmful effects of the corruption of food. As food brings people together and breaks down barriers, it naturally encourages thoughtfulness. It is the people who have corrupted it. But as long as there are cultures to identify with food and share it, there will be hope for resistance against reckless consumption. Dunlop explains on the subject of trying new foods, that “of course, once eaten, the deed is done, the taboo broken, and it’s really not so bad after all” (2008, p. 310). In the right hands, food can be a tool for breaking taboos and resisting manipulation. This is more important than ever today. Our awareness is under attack as the media runs rampant with narratives obscuring the truth and justifying doing so. As Immigrants are being shut out of the US, it seems very possibly that we are approaching a nail in the coffin for the deceased, so called “information age.” And though narratives in the media may say otherwise, we have lost touch with our food, and it isn’t natural to be that way.

Food Lab

I love dumplings, so I was very excited for this week’s food lab. I had never made them before, and I was eager to learn and become a little more culinarily informed. They tasted incredible, but didn’t turn out looking like the perfectly shaped dumplings that I had pictured, and that I have pictured below. Yes, that technically means that I myself am guilty of obscuring the truth, but it’s one little drawing of a dumpling and my pride is on the line. I followed the recipe exactly, but substituted meat with beefless grounds and tofu. Though they didn’t look perfect, it was still very rewarding to accomplish this meal, and I am excited to be able to in the future.

Recipe for Chinese New Year Dumplings

For the dough:

4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup warm water.

An illustration I made of the protein used for the filling.

For the filling:

1 head Napa cabbage
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup (60 g) minced soft tofu
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce, plus more for serving
2 tbsp white wine

An illustration I made of the vegetables used for the filling.

For serving:

Soy sauce
Hot chili oil*

This is a progress shot of the drawing of the engraving.