Blog 5 – Cosmology and “mal de ojo”

I would like to reflect on Cosmology. As an overthinker, I like questioning my purpose and existence. For that reason, I was surprised to learn what cosmology meant. “Cosmology is the union of all of these sciences, focused on understanding how the universe came to be, how it has evolved, and how it will continue to change in the future.” The analysis of how cosmology varies between Latin America and the West was eye-opening. Realizing that indigenous look at the universe from nature and spiritual perspective, while western societies tend to focus more on calculable science, made me reflect on my own life experiences.

My mom believes in energy. When we were little, she would use indigenous (Zapotec and Chatina) traditions (p.8) that she learned from my grandma to take away the “mal de ojo” (bad energies). She would do it by passing an egg over us and then breaking the egg on a glass of water. She has done it since we were babies. However, it was never a problem for me until I started growing up. I started getting very critical and skeptical about all of her methods. Honestly, it didn’t make sense to believe that passing an egg around someone’s body would have any real effect. I started to even get ashamed that my mom believed that, and I tried really hard to convince her that there was no way that her traditions worked.

This class made me rethink my own ideas and be more open to other ways of seeing life. Learning how western knowledge has been imposed and how indigenous knowledge is not always recognized made me do more research on the topic. I now feel ashamed of feeling ashamed about my mom’s traditions.

October 4, 2020November 30, 2020

Blog 4 – Is this authentic?

I am not from Peru, and I have never been to Peru. However, learning about shamans through the podcast and readings resonated with me. The material allowed me to reflect on how cultures have adapted first to the colonizers’ arrival and, more recently, to meet tourist demands.

I am from a city in which one of its principal economic activities is tourism. My family works in the hospitality sector, and without foreigners coming to “consume” our culture, I wouldn’t be taking this class at UBC.

I want to reflect on two things this week: the word “authentic” and the idea that our cultures change to meet tourists’ expectations.

Authentic?

Have you ever been to a restaurant that serves food from your country of origin with a group of international friends? Well, I bet you were asked if the food was “authentic.” But what does even authentic mean? In that situation, I would say that authenticity would be that food tastes like home. However, that is such a subjective definition. Who chooses what is authentic and what is not? Why do we care so much?

I like the food because it is constantly changing. Most of the Mexican cuisine is the explosion of indigenous and Spanish flavours. (e.g. Chiles en Nogada, buñuelos, Rosca de Reyes). So why are we so afraid of food changing?

I have tried food in Mexican restaurants abroad, and yes, most of the time, they do not taste exactly the same as what I am used home. However, most of the time, they are great! It is very unrealistic to expect every single restaurant to taste the same! There are many reasons why dishes taste different. Restaurant owners substitute the “authentic” ingredient that the “authentic” recipe calls for because either the ingredient is not available or it is too expensive. Are they attempting against the “authenticity” of the food? I don’t think so.

In my opinion, we should be open to change, not only in our ideas but also in our food preferences.

Meeting tourists’ expectations

I had the opportunity to go with a couple of friends to a medicinal centre in my state’s mountains. We wanted to have the “experience” of the temazcal and “una limpia.” The reading made me rethink my experience and my incentives to go there in the first place. With this type of tourism, are we helping the community, or are we just extracting their knowledge for our amusement? Should we promote this type of tourism? If it is local tourism, is it okay? Or is it the same as having Canadian or European tourists? What do the people working on the medicinal centre think about tourists? Do they want tourists to stop coming?

Let me know what you think…

Picture 1,2,3 – Capulalpan de Mendez, Oaxaca, Mexico. Summer 2017

September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

Blog 3 – Keyword Reflection (Food systems) – Oaxaca

This is not my first food-related class, and it would definitely not be the last one. It was hard for me to choose from all the words that were analyzed, but I decided to talk about “Food systems” as it can encompass all the other terms in one way or another.

I was first introduced to the Food Systems concept in my first year at university. I mean, I am in the Faculty of Land and FOOD SYSTEMS. You may or may not be surprised to learn that everyone in my faculty must take LFS 100, LFS 250, and LFS 350, classes that teach us about food systems in BC and worldwide. Dr. William Valley, my professor for two of those classes, challenged my way of thinking. He introduced me to system thinking, wicked problems and to approach food more holistically.

I used to think about food systems as a linear process. However, food systems are everything but linear. The more I study food, the more I realize how complex it can be. Reading the food systems definition, I was surprised to see that waste management was not included. I think that studying food waste is as important as analyzing food production and distribution. Mostly when 35% of our food is being wasted.

I could keep talking about food systems all night long, but instead of stating what I have learned in my previous classes. I started thinking as well about all the things I haven’t yet explore. I grew up in Oaxaca, which is one of the poorest states in Mexico, one with the highest numbers of Indigenous communities, and known in Mexico for its food. I have known these facts for a long time, but I haven’t taken the time to think about the connection between them. This is not my first food class, but my first Indigenous studies class, and I can’t wait to keep learning.

Picture 1 – Duo de moles – Zandunga, Oaxaca, Mexico

Picture 2 – Quesillo, Chapulines, y emoladas, El Coronita, Oaxaca, Mexico

Picture 3 – Esquite, La Calle, Oaxaca, Mexico

September 20, 2020September 20, 2020

Blog 2 – Why I study Food?

One of my favourite things to do when I am in a new place is visiting grocery stores. I like walking on the aisles, looking at different products and letting myself be amazed by the diversity (or in some areas, lack of diversity). I look at the prices and convert them to my home currency. If I understand the language, I sometimes look at the ingredients, especially those I have never seen before.

I enjoyed the three readings for this week, but Food: The Key Concepts (Belasco, 2008) really resonated with me. Telling people I am in the faculty of Land and Food Systems often comes with a couple of confused looks, and if the person is curious, a couple of questions.

Belasco helped me express why food systems should be studied and why I decided to study food. I liked how he talks about food and the optimism with which he addresses some of the current issues of our food systems, such as the “true cost” of food. I also liked how the author emphasizes the importance of academia towards better food systems instead of creating polarization between academics and grassroots movements. I will send him an email to see if he wants to grab virtual coffee with me (wish me luck)…

I also really enjoyed the media studies reading. Although I have been learning in a somatically and a symbolically way my entire life, it was nice to understand the difference between both types of learning.

Question from me to you: Do you visit grocery stores when you travel?

- Picture 1 – Chedraui supermercado, Oaxaca, 2019.
- Picture 2 – COOP, Switzerland, 2019.
- Picture 3 – My dad visiting grocery stores with me in Richmond, 2019.

Quotes that I found and liked on this week readings:

- ” Our daily life is a trip around the wo
  rld, yet the wonder of it gives us not a single thrill. We are oblivious” (East, 1994, as cited in Belasco, 2008).
- “Food identifies who we are, where we came from, and what we want to be.”(Belasco, 2008)
- “Food reveals our souls” (Fine, 2008, as cited in Belasco, 2008))

September 15, 2020September 20, 2020

Blog 1 – I am from

I am from

I am from beans

from a beautiful valley

and the summer rain tears.

I am from my used kettle –

chaotic, steamy,

ready to comfort.

From God’s garden.

From Jesus

and Celine.

From Belgian sage

and hierba santa.

I am from the molcajete

grinding the chiles,

mole,

blackberries,

and family dinners.

My name is Fernanda Díaz-Osorio (She/her/hers). I was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Growing up, I had lunch almost daily at my parents’ restaurants. I think that experience, without me realizing it, made me want to better understand the food systems.

In 8th grade, I lived in a boarding school in Switzerland and in 11th grade in Haute Normandie, France. One of the things I remember the most about both experiences is the food.

I am a senior student in the faculty of Land and Food Systems in the Global Resource Systems (GRS) program. I am a soil lover, and I enjoy Econ classes. My GRS program allowed me to learn first hand from different farmers. I love spending time at the UBC Farm and visiting farms in British Columbia. Two summers ago, I took an Agroecology program and worked on a lamb farm in Lyon, France. My time on the farm made me want to learn more about food systems directly from the producers. Last summer, to keep learning, I decided to do some volunteering on a farm-cooperative in Belgium.

I am in love with my GRS program. It has allowed me to acquire a solid scientific foundation while exploring my interests from a more holistic approach, taking classes from across all faculties. While I have studied European food systems for the last couple of years, I realized I had not taken the time to explore, academically, Latin American food systems. That is why I ended up here. I was browsing my SSC, and I found this class. I read the description and felt like it was written for me (obviously it wasn’t).

I am very excited to keep learning about food from Dr. Mitchell and from all of you.

Picture 1: Tomatoes, Las Quince Letras, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Picture 2: December 2018, Museo de Filatelia, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Picture 3: Summer 2019, Ferme de Froidefontaine, Barcy, Belgium.