Gleaning comes to Oxy!
Student run Food Forward brach?
Look for it in May!
email sittig@oxy.edu if interested!
3/29/12
3/28/12
1500 Food Carts?
Food Deserts in New York, prepare to get a slap in the face!
May 2012 Food Justice goes to the big screen.
Mark the date! May 15th
3/27/12
What does FOOD JUSTICE, LA mean in the Post-Ironic Era?
The post-ironic era* -- that is, the epoch that has arisen in the wake of Elizabeth Grant's, a.k.a. Lana Del Rey's, landmark work Born To Die -- has changed the way we as participants in culture appreciate and interact with the media which makes up our perception of human existence, that is, Being. Grant's album introduces the technique of oblivious revelation, that is, a seemingly unaware revelation of a will that exists beyond the teleology of the artistic project. She accomplishes this by creating an unblinking persona which she embraces without commentary, and melds herself with said persona unconditionally, despite the criticism of the intellectual and critical establishment, and despite the seeming systemic contradictions which such a melding brings about. In essence, she has created the episteme of the cringe, an episteme greater in its transgressive and disruptive qualities than Bataille's horror or even Derrida's sabotage. Entirely unremarkable (in the most literal sense), Grant's cringe eliminates the possibility of critical commentary, and even destroys the concept of Grant herself. In Born To Die there is nothing but the cringe, that is, the LDR persona. Deconstructionism is defeated, and postmodernity's greatest tool, irony, is bested. The post-ironic era rises from the ashes of Elizabeth Grant's self-immolation.
Without the episteme of irony, modern youth culture, and the community of the internet as a whole, is all but undone. What then is the purpose of FOOD JUSTICE, LA? Irony, now meaningless, has no place in the discussion of FOOD JUSTICE issues or cultural critiques. Without irony, postmodern humor (indeed, perhaps, all humor) is destroyed. Our only tools are now the embrace and the cringe. The embrace cannot survive through the emotionlessness of the digital space, and the cringe, yet to be fully understood, may not yet have a place in the discussions that FOOD JUSTICE, LA wishes to inspire. We have entered a dark age of the internet in which the blog has lost the relevance that it never seemed to have. Perhaps, like the artist of the cringe, the internet must collapse on itself. Perhaps out of that space will arise a new form which can flourish, like the crown of roses atop LDR's head, into a new arena of intellectualism and experience. It is yet to be seen. Until then, FOOD JUSTICE, LA has lost both its techniques and its centralized meaning, and until then, the only essence of FOOD JUSTICE must be FOOD JUSTICE in itself.
-Ben "The Best" Tuthill
*See MateLover, Yerba, Will and Representation in the Post-Ironic Era (2012).
Without the episteme of irony, modern youth culture, and the community of the internet as a whole, is all but undone. What then is the purpose of FOOD JUSTICE, LA? Irony, now meaningless, has no place in the discussion of FOOD JUSTICE issues or cultural critiques. Without irony, postmodern humor (indeed, perhaps, all humor) is destroyed. Our only tools are now the embrace and the cringe. The embrace cannot survive through the emotionlessness of the digital space, and the cringe, yet to be fully understood, may not yet have a place in the discussions that FOOD JUSTICE, LA wishes to inspire. We have entered a dark age of the internet in which the blog has lost the relevance that it never seemed to have. Perhaps, like the artist of the cringe, the internet must collapse on itself. Perhaps out of that space will arise a new form which can flourish, like the crown of roses atop LDR's head, into a new arena of intellectualism and experience. It is yet to be seen. Until then, FOOD JUSTICE, LA has lost both its techniques and its centralized meaning, and until then, the only essence of FOOD JUSTICE must be FOOD JUSTICE in itself.
-Ben "The Best" Tuthill
*See MateLover, Yerba, Will and Representation in the Post-Ironic Era (2012).
3/26/12
Pink Slime
As Dan mentioned in the prior post we have to watch out for, "the torrential downpour of genetically modified burger meat." You know, he's right.
The LA Times Editorial published an article about the state of the meat industry showing how little consumers know today about what meat they are actually eating and where it came from on the cow(s).
After laying out the issue this generic food safety article turns into a commentary on America's society of fear and how many Americans let irrational fears and rumors take control of their lives! WHAT?
However, the larger point is not lost--people are shocked at many of the practices of the modern food industry but they only freak out about them once they know what is happening. If there was more transparency in the food industry people would demand more natural products with clearly labeled fresh, homogeneous, and natural products.
Here is Jamie Oliver's take on the Pink Slime issue:
The LA Times Editorial published an article about the state of the meat industry showing how little consumers know today about what meat they are actually eating and where it came from on the cow(s).
The questionable ingredient -- PINK SLIME! The sketchy soundingness of this substance has motivated Albertsons, Safeway, and many schools districts to no longer allow meat with pink slime in it.*
v Chicken McNugget Pink Slime v
After laying out the issue this generic food safety article turns into a commentary on America's society of fear and how many Americans let irrational fears and rumors take control of their lives! WHAT?
However, the larger point is not lost--people are shocked at many of the practices of the modern food industry but they only freak out about them once they know what is happening. If there was more transparency in the food industry people would demand more natural products with clearly labeled fresh, homogeneous, and natural products.
Here is Jamie Oliver's take on the Pink Slime issue:
* This is in large part due to Jamie's stunt, which convinced the LA School District and McDonald's to scrap Pink Slime from their Patties.
3/25/12
What Food Justice Means to me in the Post Occupy Era
I should start this blog entry by informing those of you who are uninformed that we as a society are currently living in the Post Occupy Era (P.O.E.). As the foremost scholar of Post Occupy Era, many followers of our blog have emailed me searching for guidance for their semi-cooperative food justice orientated societies/houses/lifestyles.
Fear and anxiety in this POE is a natural emotion for many whose involvement in the #buylocal movements started from some sort of #OCCUPY epiphany. Locally grown produce is after all the left atrium through which the blood of food justice most accessibly flows. However, one's devotion to food justice does not need to cease post #OCCUPY rally. In fact for me, food justice is more than a movement, it is an unwavering reflection of what it is to be a consumer. Against the torrential downpour of genetically modified burger meat and the Monsanto controlled seed lobby, food justice is testament to the enduring power of a community's will. I recommend any semi-sustainable semi cooperative house to build walls against the ever pressing tide of subsidized soy bean derivatives (just an example!) and to humble themselves in the eternal grace a single pinyon pine seed.
-more to come.
Fear and anxiety in this POE is a natural emotion for many whose involvement in the #buylocal movements started from some sort of #OCCUPY epiphany. Locally grown produce is after all the left atrium through which the blood of food justice most accessibly flows. However, one's devotion to food justice does not need to cease post #OCCUPY rally. In fact for me, food justice is more than a movement, it is an unwavering reflection of what it is to be a consumer. Against the torrential downpour of genetically modified burger meat and the Monsanto controlled seed lobby, food justice is testament to the enduring power of a community's will. I recommend any semi-sustainable semi cooperative house to build walls against the ever pressing tide of subsidized soy bean derivatives (just an example!) and to humble themselves in the eternal grace a single pinyon pine seed.
-more to come.
3/23/12
PRESERVATION JUSTICE!
Learn how to make cheese, and preserve, jam, and can produce with this awesome looking classes part of the 2012 Foodsteaders Tour, brought to us by our buddies at Food Forward!
DON'T WASTE FOOD!
(Here is a full article with more info!)
3/22/12
3/19/12
Beer of the Week Stone Brewery: Old Gaurdian #BrendanFraser
Spring Break is coming to a close in Food Justice House and with that comes Beer of the Week. This weeks beer is dedicated to Brendan Fraser, to whom we owe many laughs this break. But, there is an umbrella hanging over me so without further ado let us begin our review.
This week Noah and Dan will be reviewing our first beer from Stone Brewery. This San Diego brewery is known for its frighting logos and obsession with Gargoyles. I assume they all have some sort of weird Hunch back of Notre Dame thing going on. However, if history has proven anything good posture is no predictability of brewing skill, just look at Brendan Fraser*!
We came upon this beer when Noah took a trip to the Stone Brewery. I assume he had a wonderful time there and met a kind-hearted cripple who he originally feared, but grew to understand on a personal and sensitive level. I hope they fall in love!
Appearance:
Dan: Quite red! What I imagine some whiskeys might look like.
Ben: Almost like an orange liqueur.
Noah: Like watered down root beer.
Smell:
Dan: A crisp light smells
Noah: Fruity
Ben: I'm in the other room. oh wait I'm back, like wine kinda!
Taste:
Dan: Unlike the Lagunitas Gnarly Wine, I can really tell that this has a high alcohol percentage. It has an intense, but pleasant burn.
Dan: Unlike the Lagunitas Gnarly Wine, I can really tell that this has a high alcohol percentage. It has an intense, but pleasant burn.
Noah: Bitter, with an after burn.
Ben: That's fun. It tastes like hard licka.
Overall:
Dan: I enjoyed this beer, however I'm not sure if I could drink a whole bottle. I really think this could only be enjoyed sipping.
Ben: The most fun beer I've ever tasted.
Noah: I enjoyed it, but the burn at the end was a really nice touch. I'm really glad I went to the brewery.
Krunkability is going to be a difficult task this week, so we turn to the former math wiz, Noah. Disclaimer: we understand this is a somewhat flawed system, because not everything comes in 6 pack, but this is just a way to get you thinking about how good a beverage is at getting krunk. That being said, Old Guardian comes in only 22 oz bottles. To figure out the 6 pack, I divided 72 oz (the volume of a standard 6er) by the 22 oz in the bomber(bigger bottle) for 3.27 bombers in a 6 pack. Stay with me here it's not that complicated. I believe I paid $7 for the bottle sooo that is a whopping $22.91 per six pack! This brew packs quite a punch with 11% ABV(Alcohol by Volume). Based on our "flawed" metrics, the krunkability is a measly 0.480139677! QUE SOPRESA!!
*#humanjuggernaut
3/12/12
WORM FARM II
I've been getting a lot of flack for not following through with my WORM FARM creation. This is because every one is jealous that it is the most viewed post on the food justice blog. Well, since it's spring break, I've decided to deliver. Here it is: How To Build Your Own Worm Farm (maybe, because I don't know if the worms are going to live or not.)
First, you have to get a container for the farm. You can do this in a big plastic tub, or anything else. I used this weird old wooden shelf that was in our back yard. Previously, it was full of dirt, so I dug it out.
Next, you have to put a top on it, to keep the moisture in and the heat out. I just used some cardboard and rocks.
After this, you just leave your worms to stew, occasionally putting in more food and adding a little bit of water. Worms eat about half of their body weight in a day, and reproduce pretty quickly, doubling their population in a month, so as time goes on, make sure you keep adding food. I don't know what to do with the worms once they're ready to be farmed, or how to gather their waste, but when I get to that point, I'll let you know what goes down.
Hopefully you are now prepared to make a worm farm of your own. If not, just use google. There are plenty of sites with advice much more expertise than my own.
First, you have to get a container for the farm. You can do this in a big plastic tub, or anything else. I used this weird old wooden shelf that was in our back yard. Previously, it was full of dirt, so I dug it out.
Then, for no real reason, I put some cardboard on the bottom. I think it was because I was afraid the worms were going to try and escape.
Then, because I thought the cardboard would be harsh and scary for the worms, I put some dirt on top of that.
Apparently worms really like newspaper. I don't know why worms like newspaper. But I ran over to The Cooler to get a stack of old New York Times to accomodate them. We had recently taken out the recycling and didn't have any just lying around.
So then you have to to tear the paper in to strips. About one inch thick, but no one is measuring, so don't be exact about it. In the beginning, I tried cutting with scissors, but that was too hard and made my hand cramp, so I would definitely recommend tearing.
Wet those paper puppies down. They need to be damp, so the worms' little bodies don't dry up, but you don't want them to be too too wet, either. That could attract gross smells and maybe kill the worms. I don't know, but they're just not supposed to be super wet according to what I read. When putting them down, make sure they're fluffed up and not just a big mush of last friday's top news stories.
Concerned that the worms might get homesick for their previous lives, I put a little bit more dirt in. This is also supposed to be good because it puts a bit of grit in to the worm's system, makes them tough.
Once again, I added some more newspaper. In all, it took me about nine New York Times, so if you plan on doing this at home, start saving your papers more than a week in advance.
And now, I reveal to you; The Worms:
I spent about two hours digging these suckers up. I'm not a worm expert, nor do I pretend to be, but I think there are three different types of worms in the FEAST garden, at least that I saw. The first are red and when you pick them up they squirm like crazy. The second are really gross looking, like a yellow/green color and just curled up. And then the third are standard earthworms, some of which were incredibly massive. I heard the red ones are supposed to be the best at composting, but I also thought that it would be nice to have a diverse worm population, so I just threw the whole bunch in a wished them luck.
The worms need food, and the best way to do this is to add your food scraps. Be mindful, however, that worms really do not like onions, citrus, or anything else that is sting-y, since their whole bodies are very sensitive. Also, don't put meat in with the worms. Meat is universally agreed to be something you don't put in compost. As you can see in the picture, there are some carrot peelings, but later I threw in some gross blueberries after making a pie.
Next, you have to put a top on it, to keep the moisture in and the heat out. I just used some cardboard and rocks.
After this, you just leave your worms to stew, occasionally putting in more food and adding a little bit of water. Worms eat about half of their body weight in a day, and reproduce pretty quickly, doubling their population in a month, so as time goes on, make sure you keep adding food. I don't know what to do with the worms once they're ready to be farmed, or how to gather their waste, but when I get to that point, I'll let you know what goes down.
Hopefully you are now prepared to make a worm farm of your own. If not, just use google. There are plenty of sites with advice much more expertise than my own.
3/10/12
What is Happening to Our World?
Thank you AverageBetty for being so average and excited about this most ridiculous 24 Hour Cupcake Vending Machine in Beverly Hills. Excuse me, Vending Machine is too low class, it is a Cup Cake ATM.
Here is how we see it in terms of Food Justice...
Pros:
-You can stuff your self with these delicious products any time of day.
-Your dog's need for cup cakes can finally be fulfilled
-It opens up a world of possibilities for expansion
Cons:
-It's in Beverly Hills
-It limits knowledge on methods of food production (You can't ask a machine about where the flour came from)
-It eliminates any human interaction
-It opens up a world of possibilities for expansion
Is this Food Just? You decide!
UPDATE: This is somehow a raging sucess!
http://laist.com/2012/03/09/sprinkles_cupcake_atm_has_been_disp.php
UPDATE: This is somehow a raging sucess!
http://laist.com/2012/03/09/sprinkles_cupcake_atm_has_been_disp.php
3/9/12
3/4/12
Beer of the Week: Newcastle Brown Ale. Brought to you by Lindsay Lohan
Another week another beer for Dan and Noah. This week we have guest review Larqueen Grant. With her 6 months of experience working at the Beach Chalet Restaurant and Brewery she is the regional expert on all things alcohol related. We shall not escalate any further, let us sample this beverage. Nothing on the Newcastle website mentions a commitment to Food Justice or sustainability, which is a disappointing start. Let's see if they can win us over with taste and krunk!
Appearance:
Dan: A dark rose red.
Larkin: Hombr, it is a word, I swear
Ben: Brown!
Noah: Red!
Smell:
Dan: A mix between Natty and IPA
Ben: Smells like sparkling apple juice
Larkin: Ah yeah Ben is right it smells like apple cider plus beer*
Noah: like beer
Taste:
Ben: Tastes like more than Natty, but not much more.
Larkin: Natty+Spice.
Noah: Lacking in the taste category.
Dan: Some dumb philosophical b*******. Cherries and dark oak with an aftertaste of Keystone Ice.
Overall:
Dan: I would not pay for this beer, but if it was at a party, I would say something like "hey that is a lot better than natty ice!"
Noah: I would only get it in mini-Keg form
Ben: I find it very refreshing. It is also cold.
Larkin: Not impressed. It is hard to impress a queen.
Krunkability: 4.7%/ 9.25 = 0.508108108 krunkability
Wow, a really low krunkability. There is 0.0 reason to ever buy this.
*fun fact as a child Dan called apple cider apple spider!
Appearance:
Dan: A dark rose red.
Larkin: Hombr, it is a word, I swear
Ben: Brown!
Noah: Red!
Smell:
Dan: A mix between Natty and IPA
Ben: Smells like sparkling apple juice
Larkin: Ah yeah Ben is right it smells like apple cider plus beer*
Noah: like beer
Taste:
Ben: Tastes like more than Natty, but not much more.
Larkin: Natty+Spice.
Noah: Lacking in the taste category.
Dan: Some dumb philosophical b*******. Cherries and dark oak with an aftertaste of Keystone Ice.
Overall:
Dan: I would not pay for this beer, but if it was at a party, I would say something like "hey that is a lot better than natty ice!"
Noah: I would only get it in mini-Keg form
Ben: I find it very refreshing. It is also cold.
Larkin: Not impressed. It is hard to impress a queen.
Krunkability: 4.7%/ 9.25 = 0.508108108 krunkability
Wow, a really low krunkability. There is 0.0 reason to ever buy this.
^LINDSAY!!!!*fun fact as a child Dan called apple cider apple spider!
3/1/12
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