Dining and Opining

Thanks to all of you who have stopped by to check out Organic, Schmorganic? , my rebuttal to Roger Cohen's New York Times editorial. I have really appreciated all the comments, challenges, and positive feedback. It feels good to know that simple, thoughtful, well-researched commentary can still bring readership! (I guess it's easier when you've got colleagues and friends like mine). While we're in the mood to think about agriculture around the world, let's check out this amazing new pictorial article from The Boston Globe featuring beautiful, thought-provoking images from the harvest. Be sure to check out the full set of images here , but let me share a few of my favorites [for aesthetic reasons], to whet your appetite: I think it would be really instructive to share the whole series with students, reading each caption slowly, while projecting each image onto the board, in turn, and have them write observations and questions about what...

I have to apologize. Earlier in the semester, I solicited your help with a seminar I was going to be teaching, and then never followed up to let you know how it went! (The short answer: it was wonderful). But now that the semester is over, I'm back with a recap of the seminar's final event: cooking dinner for about 40 other dorm-mates and friends during an End-of-Semester Seminar Showcase. In the weeks before the event, the students prepared a menu that captured all the food values we'd discussed throughout the semester: home cooking, the importance of family meal traditions, ethical meat consumption, honoring seasonal and local foods, labor practices oriented toward justice, and more. The menu: Appetizer: Crostini with Feta-Spinach Dip and Hummus Side Dish: Winter Cabbage Salad Entree: Vegetarian and Meat Jambalaya Dessert: Golden Cinnamon Pumpkin Bars The students, in teams, made the shopping lists and planned the execution of their dishes. And it all ...