Blog 7 – Frustration and Nonsense

Frus·tra·tion

noun

“The feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.”

This week’s material reminded me of my frustration growing up. I think I say it every blog, but in case you didn’t know, I am from Oaxaca. Oaxaca is one of the states in Mexico with the lowest GDP per capita. My house is downtown, and I remember asking my parents why couldn’t we give money to people (very often children) on the streets? They told me that giving them money was not the solution, that it only created negative loops and that we didn’t know what they would use the money for and that helping was more complicated, etc… However, nobody was able to tell me what the solution was.

Frustration

La Hija de la Laguna movie reminded me of the nonsense we live in. I knew many resources are being used for gold extraction, but I haven’t reflected on the fact that we are using resources to take gold out of the ground to store it back on the ground. The only difference is that the second time is probably under the security chambers of a fancy bank in Switzerland.

Nonsense

I could keep going, but I am going to stop. Please let me know if you also felt frustrated engaging with this week’s material.

“Indeed, Garret Hardin could not have written his ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ had he studied how Swiss cheese came to his refrigerator (Netting, 1981). ” cited in this week’s reading.

References

Caffentzis, G., & Federici, S. (2014). Commons against and beyond capitalism. Community Development Journal, 49(suppl_1), i92-i105.

Netting, R. (1981) Balancing on an Alp: Ecological Change and Continuity in a Swiss Mountain Village, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

November 2, 2020November 3, 2020

Blog 6 – Oaxaca my love <3

Oaxaquita my love

This unit’s material was very special to me, I smiled and I cried. Chef Olvera’s Netflix episode made me feel proud to be Mexican. He made me proud and grateful to be born in Oaxaca. After the episode, I watched Rigoberta Menchu’s film, I got frustrated and sad about the injustices she had to experience. The reading about Brocolli (Benson & Fischer, 2007) made me think about the word desire differently.

When Chef Olvera says ” I want to retire to Oaxaca” or “If it were for me, I would have moved to Oaxaca already”. I got goosebumps. I realized how much I miss my family, my food and my culture. The fact that it was Día de Muertos did not help with my nostalgia.

I miss sharing a dish of chapulines (picture 1), I miss drinking a cup of hot chocolate with pan de Muertos, I miss visiting my grandma and eating her frijoles de olla. I miss sharing food with my family. I miss my Sunday enmoladas, and having mezcalinis with my friends.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, in my home city we have endless issues. Social inequality, poverty, educational backwardness, gender violence, and corruption do not surprise anyone anymore. As citizens, we are always disagreeing. However, no matter your social status, your political view, or your religion, we can all bond over food.

To be honest, I just want more people to know about Oaxaca.

If you are thinking about a trip post-quarantine to Mexico, you should definitely consider visiting Oaxaca. I can assure you, you won’t regret it, and your palate would thank you.

Picture 1: Chapulines, Los Pacos, Oaxaca 2019

Picture 2: Mi maleta antes de volver a Vancouver, Oaxaca 2019

Picture 3: Gusanitos de Maguey, Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Oaxaca 2019

References

Benson, P., & Fischer, E. F. (2007). Broccoli and desire. Antipode, 39(5), 800-820.

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