Issue 5: Spring/Summer 2007 Unnatural Eating
Essays
Gluten and Guilt
We don't preach. We don't lecture those around us about the evils of trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. We simply make other choices; but, since we also choose to interact socially, the two often collide...
— by Frank S. Spinelli
Slow Eating
We live in a society that is highly structured when it comes to time. Nowhere is this structure felt more acutely than at mealtimes...
Unnatural Eating
A Social and Political Look at Food Consumption
Food is not a neutral topic and it is no longer the natural activity it once was. Now, food is complicated by politics, policies, attitudes and, consequently, practices....
— by Elizabeth Barry
The Pessimistic Chef
I have read of an era when people took time to eat; I have rarely experienced this in public...
— by Michael Blau-Shane
Fasting
The Ultimate Pollution Solution
The typical American diet, together with environmental pollution, has resulted in a never-before-seen burden of toxins in our bodies. Can therapeutic fasting help us to heal?...
— by Robyn Cornwell
Hegemonic Freedom through Sustainable Agriculture
While there is no easy solution to the problem of hegemony and sustainability, there is an alternative way of living that holds hope for the future: permaculture...
— by Alex Middleton, Alisa Eddy, Eric Schiller, Amanda Knutzen and Guy Smith (The Sustainability Club of Whatcom Community College)
Art as Activism
Visuals and Victuals
Paintings by Loetitia S. Lilot
Inspired by Ahimsa, the Sanskrit term meaning "do no harm to any living creature," these paintings explore the food we eat and the impact our diets have on ourselves and on others...
Poster Art
by Doug Minkler
Prints inspired by the collective humor, defiance, & lust for life exhibited by those on the margins...
Book, Film & Product Reviews
Fast Food Nation
Arguably a modern day "The Jungle", "Fast Food Nation" exposes ill-treated immigrants, corporate cover-ups and facts that will make you think twice about eating mass-produced meat or stopping at the drive-thru after work...
— by Michelle Tooker
In Season
Nettle Cream Sauce
Nettles grow in most states in the US, though not in all parts of those states. Look for them growing in rich, moist ground, in woods with some sunlight, and on the edge of fields, roads and paths.
recipe adapted from Healing Wise by Susun Weed
Ingredients:
- 2/3 plastic grocery bag of fresh nettles, not packed tightly (probably about 10-15 cups loosely packed, though much more can be used depending on how strong you want the green nettle flavor to be)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- olive oil
- 1-2 cups yogurt, sourcream or silken tofu
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2-1 cup mushrooms (optional)
- 1/4-3/4 cups walnuts, pinenuts or other nuts (optional)
Instructions:
- Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil.
- Cook the nettles over low-medium heat in a pot with an inch or more of water in the bottom.
- In a blender, put strained nettles (save the water), sautéd onions and garlic, creamy stuff, and mushrooms and nuts (optional). Add 1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste.
- Blend until it is a smooth, delicious sauce. If needed, you can add a little of the cooking water from the nettles to make it blend more easily. (Note: be careful that the blender does not explode hot liquid on you when you turn it on).
- Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve it over pasta or rice or other grain.
Variations:
- Add mushrooms and/or nuts to make an even more buttery rich and earthier sauce.
- Add more water to make a creamy nettle soup.
— from Carolyn Cooley
San Francisco, CA
