{"id":64,"date":"2023-09-26T20:04:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T20:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/?page_id=64"},"modified":"2023-12-04T02:31:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T02:31:22","slug":"nose-dives-whats-your-grouse","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/nose-dives-whats-your-grouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Nose Dives + What’s Your Grouse?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sketch of our Gravenstein Tree<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I am in awe of the complexity of the connection of smell and emotion. I am especially interested in food smells, to me they evoke memories and places. Why is this so, why does the smell of a Gravenstein apple stick with me so strongly. I grew up with a huge and very old Gravenstein apple tree, it was in the center of coming and going from our house. Planted around 100 years before we moved onto that land, it was the largest apple tree I had ever seen. I played under that tree, begrudgingly weeded the bed under neath when I was assigned the task, I planted 100 daffodils underneath. The soil at the base was dark and dank, constantly in the shade of the huge tree. The light brown bark gnarled with time. It was a stalwart in our family, always the center of our lives. One winter a huge limb cracked off and fell during a storm we worried we might loose the tree. One year my sister left the car in neutral and it crashed into the large trunk leaving a huge gash – we were all furious with her, luckily it survived that too. During spring it was awash in apple blossoms, sweet and pungent in the warming sun, the daffodils popping yellow, covered with the snowing blossoms. Summer was deep green leaves with chartreuse apples beginning to plump. Fall came painting the apples with red striping; picked to make warm applesauce full of cinnamon for an after school snack. When it was time we canned – apple pie filling, applesauce, cider – the kitchen full of white flesh oxidizing to caramel brown, sticky fingers from peeling, warm apples and cinnamon and the distinctly citrus sweet smell of a Gravenstein. There is no better pie on earth than one made from the apples of that tree. My whole family still talks about the tree and it’s apples. We can all recognize the smell and taste with our eyes closed. We crave those apples every fall. Why? How can a smell dig it’s way into you so deeply you could never loose it? Why does a smell attach to memories so visceral you can smell it with just a thought? How do ancient smells effect memory, ones that aren’t necessarily memory evoking like my tree but life giving like salt? This is my Grouse – memory<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Food and drink are the bits of the world we savor most intimately.” <\/p>Nose Dive: A field guide to the world’s smells, Harold McGee, pg 486<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Week 1 – September 28 – SAL <\/mark><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Green Sauce and Roasted Georgia Candy Roaster Squash<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Ezra’s Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Red Cabbage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Italian Dandelion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Reflection of tasting: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Sauce: I picked a bunch of bolting and end of line vegetables and herbs from the garden on The Evergreen Farm; Italian dandelion, green lettuce, escarole, basil, parsley, purslane, radichio, leeks, green onion and many others. I blended them with salt, olive oil and a bit of red wine vinegar to make a sauce. Being that these are all either naturally bitter plants and the ones that are bolting at this time of year are as well, it was a strong bitter note that took over the more delicate green and herby flavors. I split the green sauce into two portions and added palm sugar to one, it needed sweetness to balance the bitter and I wish I would have added more to balance it fully but I wanted the class to really taste what good bitter tastes like. The smell was green, herbacious, bitter, citrus peel, bright and acidic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geaorgia Candy Roaster: What a beautiful squash, warm orange crescents were cut and we roasted them with salt and olive oil. They were sweet and earthy with a creamy texture. The roasting brought out sweetness and a little bit of caramel flavor. The smell was wonderful, warm, fall leaves, crisp wind and caramel. When the Green Sauce was added on top of the squash it gave the sauce even more balance, the sauce bright, bitter, herb with the warm creamy sweet caramel of the squash was delicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Georgia Candy Roaster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Our reliance on experience means that what we smell and how we talk about it both depend on the happenstance of our individual lives. . . How we register and name and think about smells depends on where we’ve happened to encounter them first.”<\/p>McGee, pg xxix<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Memory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fall air crisp, my kids running around collecting chestnuts for treasures while I pull the bolting plants and herbs in my garden making way for a winter bed. The smell of the task is what the green sauce tastes like; earthy, herby and fresh cut green. The oven with sweet, caramel roasting squash warming the kitchen, the door open as we come in and out of the from the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGee talks about how our ability to name or describe a smell relies on our experiences. We can not identify the smell of strawberry if we have not in fact smelled or tasted a strawberry. In the context of smell and taste in relation to memory, how do we talk about taste and smell in regards to land? I know a Gravenstein apples smells and tastes, how do I explain that to someone who has not tasted an apple at all? How do taste, smell and perception change when one does not have the same memory attached to it? How does the passing on of memory affect the taste and smell perception of the food – my kids know what a gravenstien apple is and what it tastes like because of me, not a tree in their yard but through my words and cooking. The chemical makeup of the apple is the same in every scenario. The same goes for the green sauce and squash, how would they taste or smell if I did not have those wonderful memories they evoke? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Italian Dandelion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Week 6 Flora Farms<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Jose del Cabo, MX<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

November 9, 2023 Dinner at Flora Farms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aged Pork Meatballs, Whipped Ricotta, Heirloom Tomato Pesto , Chicharr\u00f3n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was lucky to be able to take a trip to San Jose del Cabo to celebrate a friends birthday during week 6. Mexico! Mexican cuisine, as it is for so many around the world, is my favorite cuisine. The country is ripe with diversity, the food is delicious and has contributed to a number of the most important and influential foods in the world – think corn – just one among so many. In fact Mexican Cuisine is the only cuisine designated by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity<\/em>. (read more here<\/a> and here<\/a>) There are a list of foods and traditions that have this designation; tea culture in China, the baguette in France, Hawker food culture in Singapore, pizza from Naples, Joumou soup in Haiti that we learned about this year and it’s significance of freedom and reclamation for the Haitian people. The entirety of Mexican cuisine has contributed so deeply to the foodways of the world they designated the whole entire thing. For reference some famous UNESCO heritage sites include; the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flora Farms Kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Back to Flora Farms and Cabo. I knew going into this trip that I was landing in a place in Mexico where I would be shuttled through tourist areas that are closer to life in California than Mexico – everything in this area, at least the only places I would visit are designed for predominately white wealthy tourists. And I knew staying in an all inclusive resort would mean I was eating food dumbed down for the American palette. This is just the way it is, for example I didn’t even eat a taco while I was there. That being said there are a few spots serving amazing food, even if it’s not Mexican Cuisine. So I dove in. We made a reservation at a world renowned award winning restaurant, Flora Farms. It is a 25 acre farm, restaurant, shops, spa, real estate and market. You can read more about it here<\/a>. It was a rocky drive on some dirt roads out of town into the foothills, when we arrived we were transfixed, it was stunning. Beautiful lighting, walkways with fragrant flowers, beautiful shops with curated goods from local artists, twinkling lights everywhere, live music, and the aroma, oh the smells from the kitchen were so delicious. They were my first taste of what would be one of the top 5 meals of my life! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eggplant and Hibiscus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Farm Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Calabeza and Okra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At Flora farms 90% of the food on the menu comes from their farm and the rest is provided by local farmers in the area. They raise and process their own meat. Grow vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and herbs and forage. Every menu is seasonal and reflects what was harvested that day. And though their menu is a combination of different cuisines from around the world with some Mexican influence, everything they serve reflects the quality of the products they use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canellini Cabeza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cheers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Smoked Hibiscus Marg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We were seated at our table, outside, under the warm lights, live music gently serenading us, palms, citrus and mango trees lining the walkways. The warm night air was sweet and perfect, I can not express enough my love of wearing a flowy summer dress into the night and being perfectly warm, heaven. We ordered some cocktails, I had a mezcal guava concoction, my favorite was the hibiscus smoked salt margarita. They were all delicious. It was difficult to decide what to order, everything on the menu sounded so good. We ended up ordering appetizers and few main dishes to share, Yellowtail Crudo, Farro Risotto, Pork Meatballs, Cannaloni Calabeza with lemon pesto, Housemade Burrata with heirloom tomatoes, Cheese tortalinni and an arugula pizza. I don’t have the room to go into each dish – they were all fresh, complex in a perfect way and very well prepared. My favorites were the cannalonni calabeza, squash stuffed homemade pasta with lemon pesto – the minute it hit our taste buds we promptly ordered another serving. It was silky smooth, sweet, bright, comforting, light and airy. The one that really blew my mind was the cheese tortellini – unfortunatly I did not get a picture of it. It was simple; a plate with 6 handmade cheese tortellini’s in a white cheese sauce. If you haven’t noticed I love food. And I can usually taste, smell and decipher the elements of a dish – like the squash – it had thyme, honey, basil, white pepper, lemon and so on. I am fairly confident I could re-create that dish. The tortellini stumped me. It was as you would expect, creamy, mild cheese, pepper, salt, fresh pasta and floral – FLORAL! What? Like the best lavender and thyme flower and rosemary flower sweet gentle warm breeze in your mouth. I would never had thought if you told me cheese tortellini would be good with a floral note, that it could actually work and not taste weird. It was heaven, I couldn’t get enough and I could not figure out where the flavor was coming from. It was so light and gentle – how did they do this? My hat is off to Chef Guillermo Tellez who you can read more about here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Dining Party!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was going to concentrate my Nose Dive on the tortellini until I went down a rabbit hole of research into this farm. The reason for the research stemmed from my questions about the owners and the connection with land. The owners, Gloria and Patrick Greene are Americans who moved to Cabo in the 90’s and have created this wonderful farm which does serve the community and support local agriculture, jobs etc. I had questions about their involvement with local peoples and the land. Let’s be clear the average Mexican income of someone living in Baja del Sur (a local person without income from a wealthy country – income information for Mexico here)<\/a> can not afford most products or services that Flora Farms provides. Our waitstaff was 90% American. As with most situations like this, it is complicated and nuanced. Does a white, wealthy American couple that buys land in Mexico contribute to the health, equality and wellbeing of the people, economy and land? Or does the situation create more inequality? I would love to share more of my findings and explore this question deeper and will throughout my studies – and it won’t all fit onto this page. I do feel it is important to note that there are considerations and acknowledgements to make about the narratives of this story, they were not lost on me. Traveling within this dynamic had me questioning everything about how I spent my money and time while there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about the tortellni, if it was so mind-blowing, and fit so perfectly with McGee’s grouse experience why choose another dish? Well my excitement and full on geek brain did somersaults when I cam upon this information and connection!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dry Aged Pork Meatballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Aged Pork Meatballs – they were so good, set atop whipped house made ricotta, heirloom tomato pesto and chicharr\u00f3n. The crunch of the chcharr\u00f3n (what is that? find out here<\/a>) with the salty meatball and creamy ricotta, and bright tomato was wonderful. The meat was tender with a slighly cured and smokey smell, the oil from the fried skin and pungent vinegar and citrus smell from the tomato pesto balanced every flavor. It was delicious. They did have a whole entire selection of cerdo (pork) cuts on the menu. They were very expensive and only 3 people in our group eat pork so I passed. I remember wondering why they were so expensive, like $65 – $300 USD for a pork chop! I realized they raised and processed all of their pork so I figured a small operation like this would be costly and moved on to the other choices. I really did want one, I am sure they were amazing and I love pork! I am sorry vegans but I do and I do make sure I eat humanely raised pork so this was a chance to try a very good one. Forward to my research on the Greene’s and the history of the farm. I was reading about their journey, this farm has been built over 20 plus years of hard work and ups and downs. I came to the years where they decided to raise and breed hogs. Turns out they hiked up to the foothills of the Baja Sur Mountain range to catch some of the Black Iberian Pigs that roam wild through the oak forests, fattening themselves on acorns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wild Black Iberian Pig with Flora Farms Owners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WHAT?? Black Iberian Pigs are from the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and are famous for the best jam\u00f3n in the world. I spent quite a bit of time studying them and eating jam\u00f3n thorough southern Spain. Why are they running wild in Mexico? Turns out the Spaniards brought them to Mexico during colonization and they have been here for hundreds of years munching on the acorns dropping from native oak tree’s in the mountains. What a connection that I didn’t expect but now makes sense. I loved discovering the history of this foodway that I was able to experience firsthand. No wonder the pork at Flora Farms is so expensive, Black Iberian pigs are considered the best quality and are very costly. There are different versions of the breed that aren’t as prized, Black Iberian Pigs in particular are prized as being the best you can get. I can say now I would have splurged for a pork chop if I had known, just so I could compare. (More information on Black Iberian Pigs in Mexico and the Caribbean here<\/a>.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is so much more to dive into here and I will cut myself off here. It was a lovely experience that left me (as usual) with more questions than answers as well as wonderfully fed and relaxed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am in awe of the complexity of the connection of smell and emotion. I am especially interested in food smells, to me they evoke memories and places. Why is this so, why does the smell of a Gravenstein apple stick with me so strongly. I grew up with a huge and very old Gravenstein … Continue reading Nose Dives + What’s Your Grouse?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64\/revisions\/198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodways-ca-f23-ball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}