A collection of random thoughts that popped up during my power walks, accompanied by more structured reflections and brain flare-ups caused by, or at least correlated to, the ridiculous amount of media we are consuming these days (well, at least I am). As graffiti seen in Hong Kong read, “We can’t return to normal, because the normal that we had was precisely the problem.”
Where have the snacks gone? Both my local 4th-generation Italian store and the delivery service I have been using for years seem to have run out of the usual brands of tortilla chips, potato chips, and chocolate treats we munch on while watching TV. Only the red bean or sweet potato chips are still available in decent quantities. They are good, don’t get me wrong, but it makes me think about our eating habits. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and protein are readily available, while fun stuff disappears from shelves. Maybe it is not that surprising, with fear comes regression…
Food waste. We have all seen pictures of people walking away from supermarkets with carts full of perishable items such as milk. Unless those shoppers are really good at making ice-cream and they want to launch a post-recession business, that milk will spoil. Or maybe they were scalping, hoping in milk scarcity to extort good dollars from passersby? We are all anxious, so panicky grocery shopping is understandable, but I am afraid that down the line there will be a lot of food waste. In general (and I know there are lots of great jam makers, picklers, and fermenters), as Americans we are not that great at making sure at salvaging food that is going bad. Maybe the pandemic (and the fact we are bored out of our minds) will stimulate us to rediscover skills that many home-makers (mostly women) had until a few generations ago?
Baking bread. Talking about generations, my mother is so bored that she is trying new stuff in the kitchen (also as tests for when she will be able to cook for others again). For instance, she has tried her hand at baking bread. With some difficulty, because flour and yeasts are hard to get by, at least in Rome. The other day she was very excited that a store near her gave her some sourdough starter. She packaged it in small batches to keep it longer… Apparently lots of people have been baking and making pasta by hand. Boredom or desire for comfort? And I have heard anecdotically that flour is not easy to find in the US either.
Corn syrup. The other day I finished binge-watching the series Hunters on Amazon Prime. Spoiler alert: I am going to discuss a major narrative twist. It turns out that some of the Nazis that the US government relocated States-side after WWII to be employed as scientists and engineers etched an evil plan to disperse a new devastating virus in the US (how timely) by adding it to corn syrup. The story takes place in the 1970s, when the new substance was actually becoming more common in all kinds of food products. A cartoon commercial (whose jingle was absentmindedly hummed by the Nazi in chief) touts the sweetness of corn syrup and its affordability. A metaphor for the excessive (and destructive) presence of sugars in the US diet?
Guns, not cans. Talking about catastrophic outlooks, it turns out that as the US was slowly shutting down, a considerable number of law-abiding citizens rushed to buy guns and weapons. Survivalism has always been alive and well in America: people may dig bunkers, stock on food provisions that could last them for months, and learn how to hunt and start a fire without a lighter. Nothing wrong with being prepared. You never know what may happen next. But this is next-level, walking-dead, dare-to-pry-my-toilet-paper-roll-from-my-dead-cold-hands preparedness. Luckily, it seems to be a not-to-common attitude, but it would be interesting to get to know more about this kind of psychology and how it affects one’s relationship with food and eating.
Welfare for restaurant workers. Darden (of Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze fame) will start to provide paid sick leave to its employees. Apparently, also companies like Publix and Kroger’s have introduced changes in terms of employee benefits. We can only hope the current emergency will change the way food companies and restaurant chains deal with their workforce in terms of insurance and other protections. It is more difficult for smaller or family-owned restaurants to provide sick benefits, as these costs would directly be reflected onto prices to costumers. But something’s gotta give. Organizations like ROC United have been lobbying to change this state of things for years. The earthquake that has shaken the industry may be forcing it to come to terms with these issues.
What kind of design do we need for the food system? Continuing the reflection started in my last blog post, I do think that designers can play a strategic role in introducing innovation and change in the food system. However, there are different ways for this to happen, even when designers have their heart in the right place and they are trying to contribute positively, free from the influence of the food industry and political lobbies. An example that in my opinion presents an interesting approach is the Seeding initiative, spearheaded Liu KunShan, a young designer I met during my recent trip in Shanghai. Neighbors are looking for new ways to interact with each other while maintaining social distancing. As a solution, eggs shells with sprouting eggs are made available to anybody who want to grow plants at home. In exchange, they should leave an egg for other to take. Or people can take eggs and then replace them sprouting seeds in eggs shells. The social experiment is just at the beginning, and I am curious to see how it develops, It is not about large transformations, but its aim is rather to introduce small changes that people can decide to embrace or not. Other designers favor a more directive approach, figuring out how, as experts, they can modify the behaviors of whole populations. For instance, the current situation could be leveraged to push people to eat less meat. Although I happen to agree with the overall goal, I am not sure that having designers creating new models for the food industry without the participation of all the stakeholders involved (which may have different values, priorities, and needs) is the best way to move ahead..
The food system is a (largely invisible) infrastructure. Even the federal Coronavirus Task-Force acknowledged it, specifying that the food supply chain is critical and its workers need to continue operating as usual. And they are doing so, from farmers to cashiers, without forgetting those in charge of stocking shelves and making food deliveries (who are now asking for more protection and higher pay). Precisely because of this critical role, it is urgent and relevant to us systemic perspectives to assess all the intricate, interconnected, and overlapping networks that allow us to get food. The recent events have revealed important fault lines, showing that no change in the food system can only be dependent on consumers’ personal choices and preferences. Connecting dots that are not normally connected can help identifying those invisible nodes that may become weakness and stress points during an event like a pandemic (but it could be a natural disaster or a terrorist attack). Policy experts, economists, administrators, agronomists, ethnographers, and designers should find ways to collaborate and really look at the big picture. But a different kind of political leadership would be necessary to get all these people to collaborate…
Looking for comfort. I thought I’d have more time (and desire) to experiment with new dishes. As a matter of fact, times is not passing as slow as I thought it would. I am busy, mostly with work, but also taking the time to exercise, read, and rest. So I end up cooking stuff I am familiar with and provide some sense of stability. That said, we have also been ordering in several times to support local businesses. We always end up getting more than we need, so I have taken up the challenge of using leftovers creatively to prepare quick lunches. Most of the time successfully. Not always, though. Try to be inventive with egg drop soup…