ten things i'm into this week:

10 things I’m into this week: in no particular rank or order

Apricots. They are juicy and perfect right now and I think they are so amazing.

Pinterest.com: A really great visual bookmarking website that is full of inspiration and ideas for organization and style. I particularly love the gardening section!

8tracks and music in general. As always.

Painting with watercolors, even though I’m not very experienced there is something really rewarding about transforming all that white paper into something colorful. Just add water…

the masterpieces of Josh, Nicole, and Ryan

Spanish verbs. Yes, it’s true, here in Korea Josh and I are both plugging away at our Spanish skills. I’ve been going through my flashcards like a diligent college student (oh I remember those days), and Josh is glued to Rosetta Stone. Josh made a good point that learning a language feels a lot easier now that we are teaching it. We clearly can see the results in our students, and all it takes is practice and repetition and some commitment. And how nice it will be to speak in the native tongue if we find ourselves in Spain next year….

Planning trips. This is so fun, of course it is! I have been reading and researching all that I can about Vietnam and Beijing and searching for airfare, how to get our visas, places to stay, and what section of the Mekong Delta to take a river cruise up! Pretty exciting stuff.

M*A*S*H. yes the old TV show. We have watched a couple old episodes from this show in the past few days. It is funny, it is goofy, it takes place near Seoul, and so a lot of names of places are referenced.

Silly you tube videos.  Like this one and this and also this. I think that by teaching middle school students I am slowly adopting their love for silly viral internet videos. I want to find the funniest, stupidest, most entertaining thing I can to show my classes and I always laugh the first few times I watch them. By the end of the week I’ve usually seen each video 20 times, so it does lose a little of it’s luster…

Bulgarian food at Zelen. This is an incredible restaurant in Iteawon, just north of the Han River. Josh and I shared a stellar dinner with Mr. Ryan McCoy and Cat (in town from Portland! Yay!) . It was by far the nicest night all summer, it had rained for a few days then cleared up, so the air was clean and the humidity was low, we sat outside on their garden terrace on top of a hill and drank sparkling wine and ate like royalty. I had pork-something-amazing with smoked cheese and veggies and stuffed tomatoes. Delicious. I love long dinners that last for hours into the night, full of good conversation, good food, good drinks and good energy.

Chess. The games are getting more intense and more frequent and I can tell we are learning a lot. I am glad that I began to play at such an early age, against my dad and my brother. My brother can kick my ass in about five minutes, but he could do that to probably almost anybody. I still enjoy playing him and usually get to do so a few games a week. Josh and I are a closer match, but he’s got far more wins against me than I do him (I move to hastily I think, or some other excuse…).

What are you into this week?

you are what you eat... know what you are eating!

Food. It’s always on my mind. When’s my next meal? What will I cook? Where will I dine? Thoughts about how wonderful something tastes or how strange it looks or how much work went into it, but lately I have been really consumed with some greater questions revolving around food. What is in my food? How does this effect my body? Who is really benefiting most from me eating this?

Everywhere I look I see that there are ever rising health problems in America.  This is undeniable. In addition to this major issue of health and wellness, upon recent research I am finding a shocking and complicated relationship between farms and politics and major corporations.

I believe so greatly that what we eat matters. Where it comes from, what it is treated with, how it is produced and distributed, who is making major decisions, and how we, as people can maintain control over it. We are what we eat, literally! That which goes in us fuels us and in turn, shapes our minds and bodies, and often action and behavior. What we choose to eat can also say a great deal about what we are willing to support. 

There is a reality that the conversation about food has shifted dramatically in the past decade, and even more so in the past few years, and this is great. If this current conversation gives rise to an overall greater knowledge about food, and these complex questions around it, then it will have done some good. But I have a hope that it will do more.

I have been spending a lot of time reading and researching this topic, and it just so happens that I live in Korea! They have not adopted some of the beliefs that pockets of America have about eating locally and without lots of added mysterious stuff (like awesome Portland, from which I came). Reading food labels is impossible for me here. In February the strawberries are all about the size of a bell pepper and perfectly red and all the same size and shape, exactly. No joke. In June, overnight, literally, the strawberries all went away. Out of season? In the summer? Oh no…. it’s watermelon season now. Perfect watermelons. No seeds, all sweet and juicy and exactly the same size. It’s not a secret that the produce here is made from chemicals. So with this knowledge and also the new information that I have grown so passionate about, I have found myself frustrated! Not only are my feelings about genetically modified food and artificial sweeteners and MSG all becoming more heightened, but also I can’t avoid them!

I take the most basic steps I can, but the frustration is still there. So I decided the other day, in an Ah-Ha moment that I would allow myself to stop being so mad about this and stop channeling all this anger towards Koreans for being so non health-conscious. There are seasons in life, or chapters (to call upon the reoccurring metaphor in emails to my friends these days), and this is a season to educate myself even more, to learn a lot and do what I can, and not feel bad about what I can NOT do in terms of the food world.

I have chosen to take up full time education (via the internet) on organic urban farming so that I may be an expert when I do return to the states. I am taking the time now to sift through the myths and realities of the politics of farming and food and find what is best for me, for my body and mind. And while I can not avoid the food now, I can prepare myself for a time, not so far from now, when I can.

I have chosen to add a few selected readings and resourses for anyone who wants to know for themselves some of the things that have been on my mind and in my conversations.

Industrial Tomatoes - this is an eye opening article about tomatoes. years ago I made a personal decision to pretty much avoid tomatoes when they are not in season. They taste so good when they are fresh and ripe! I will wait all winter for those yummy summer gems. This article not only solidifies that decision in a nutritional sense, but also in a serious social sense. 

The Ethicurean - a resource for finding news and funny stories and ideas for cooking and keeping the food in your life healthy and fair. 

Improving School Food - and article by the Environmental Working Group that clearly states the cost and benefit of implementing healthy and natural school lunches for public school kids in order to combat health issues and boost mental growth. I loved this article, I urge you to read it! 

Michael Pollan's daily link - selected articles from news or other sources that caught the eye of food activist and writer Michael Pollan. Usually good stuff here. 

Do you trust Monsanto? - this is one woman's eloquent analysis of the giant corporation Monsanto, the makers of agent orange and DDT, who have a heavy hand in policy making for food.

Civil Eats - another all around information and ideas website for all things green and food related.