Material Innovations

Over the course of this semester I have been researching nomadic tribes and populations. Much of this research has led me to the realization that many of these populations, share plights similar to those of people who are migrating into cities and building makeshift cities usually referred to slums or favelas.  Currently in the United States the homeless population is on the increase as well. In many cases nomadic and pastoral people are moving away from their way of life and into more sedentary and urban areas. Traditional techniques of culture and survival are abandoned out of economic neccessity. Desertification and other environmental disasters are placing extra strain on already fragile communities.

As a designer and someone who has been personally involved with a variety of sustainable living communities I am interested in issues regarding land use, community development and craft traditions. Fringe populations including nomads, climate,political and economic refugees are disconnected from the societies they share geography and resources with. In both emerging economies and developed nations these populations face issues from meeting basic sustenance, hygienic, safety, and education needs to disembodiment from cultural heritage. Traditional nomadic populations of Africa, the Middle East and Asia have long faced similar threats and challenges in these arenas. Although many nomads now choose more sedentary lifestyles there are benefits to understanding techniques and traditions that sustained them for centuries. These various techniques may be useful to similarly marginalized populations in other parts of the world. A vehicle for dialogue between these groups and organizations working with these populations may lead to new design solutions as the world faces issues surrounding climate change, growing population and increased pressure on natural resources. Open dialouge between these citizens on the periphery could enable new design solutions and moral support.

Through my research I have found many organizations both governmental, NGO’s and non-profits that are tackling these issues and working within these populations to make life better. Some of these organizations are already set up to network with similar organizations, others are taking on specific environmental problems such as desertification and water contamination.  It is the intention of this project to initiate a response and perhaps cultivate a discussion around the diverse issues these organizations face and, in the end, perhaps develop a more permanent network or mode of communication which can disseminate design ideas and support for these growing fringe populations.

Allan Savory : 2010 Winner of the Buckminster Fuller Design Challenge

“Allan Savory argued that while livestock may be part of the problem, they can also be an important part of the solution. He has demonstrated time and again in Africa, Australia and North and South America that, properly managed, they are essential to land restoration. With the right techniques, plant growth is lush, the water table is higher, wildlife thrives, soil carbon increases and, surprisingly, perhaps four times as many cattle can be kept.”

Allan Savory uses methods derived from natural systems to transform arid land into fertile eco-systems.  These methods are similar to ancient techniques used by some nomadic people to produce cereal grains.  He works with many nomadic communities to develop sustainable land use practices.  He is the founder of the Savory Institute whose mission is “

…to restore the vast grasslands of the world through the teaching and practice of Holistic Management and Holistic Decision Making. The Institute’s Consulting and Training activities are turning deserts into thriving grasslands, restoring biodiversity, bringing streams, rivers and water sources back to life, combating poverty and hunger, and increasing sustainable food production, all while putting an end to global climate change.”  He was recently awarded the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Prize

For a ful explanation watch this informative lecture about his process!

“Allan Savory-Keeping Cattle: cause of cure for climate crisis?” (Trinity College, Dublin Ireland: Vimeo, December 2009),http://vimeo.com/8239427.

National Coalition for The Homeless

“ The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission. That mission, our common bond, is to end homelessness. We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, we work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. We take as our first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of our work. Toward this end, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) engages in public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing. We focus our work in the following 4 areas: housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights.”

This site provides links to programs, statistics and articles about homelessness in the US.  They would be a valuable contributor to a dialogue on homeless coping methods as well as providing experience and first-hand knowledge.  They may also be a powerful method of disseminating a proposal for a Global Nomad Network.

OxFam

“Oxfam is an international confederation of 14 organizations working together in 99 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.We work directly with communities and we seek to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them.

Oxfam direct relationships with the citizens experiencing hardships could provide valuable insight into the needs and wants and knowledge of these populations.

UNHCR:

“The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country.”

THe UNHCR’s extensive knowledge on the needs of displaced citizens would provide valuable insight and exchange with many of these other organizations.

Pastoralist Communication Initiative

“The Pastoralist Communication Initiative is the collective name for a series of projects working with pastoralists in the Horn of Africa and implemented and managed by Pastoralists Consultants International. The projects involve pastoralists in the Horn of Africa and beyond and focus on new knowledge and innovation. We connect pastoralists in the Horn with pastoralists all over the world and we promote productive conversation between pastoralists, governments and others. We promote an appreciation of the potential of pastoral economies and societies with official institutions, the media and the public.”

This site provides a fantastic model of a network site.  There is also information available to the public and other pastoral/nomadic communities regarding resettlement, agriculture,  and cultural issues.  Members of this site could contribute greatly to the discussion and dissemination of knowledge to and from the groups it works with.

Dr. John Todd : Inventor of the Eco-Machine and Winner of the 2008 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

“In 1989 Dr. John Todd, an internationally recognized inventor and a pioneer in the design and construction of ecological wastewater treatment systems, decided it was time to offer a cost-effective, renewable or what is now commonly referred to as “green” solution to the growing global wastewater crisis.”

By utilizing algae, plankton, fish and plants at specific stages in the treatment of wastewater, Dr. John Todd has developed a system to clean water without the use of toxic chemicals.  The result is a beautiful and bountiful system that can exist in a variety of settings and climates.

Dr. John Todd’s contributions on the topic of resource management and in relation to unregulated populations would be invaluable.  A combination of these methods with Allen Savory’s techniques dispersed through a bare-foot design model could be a possible approach in lifting these populations out of squalor.

Dignity Village , Portland Oregon

On December 16th of the year 2000, a group of eight homeless men and women pitched five tents on public land and Camp Dignity, later to become Dignity Village, was born. We came out of the doorways of Portland’s streets, out from under the bridges, from under the bushes of public parks, we came openly with nothing and no longer a need to hide as Portland’s inhumane and Draconian camping ban had just been overturned on two constitutional grounds. We came armed with a vision of a better future for ourselves and for all of Portland, a vision of a green, sustainable urban village where we can live in peace and improve not only the condition of our own lives but the quality of life in Portland in general.

Dignity village is an example of a self-governing informal community that has become more formal over time but has maintained freedom from building codes and other formal strictures.  Dignity village may provide valuable inspiration and contributions about small scale organization tactics. They  may provide advice to peripheral communities around the globe as well as benefiting from information from a wider global network.

Most Livable Slum | A blog to promote dialog on development in South Asia

This blog is maintained by the South Asia Region of the World Bank Group. Its goal is to exchange ideas on how to end poverty in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

This Blog, developed by the World Bank, exhibits an interesting perspective on slum living and the suggestion that improvement by the communities will lead to greater inclusion to the societies they exist around.  The network that might provide education for these communities does not yet exist.  The problem of providing access to this info via the web is a massive issue.  An analog paper zine may provide a temporary answer until these communities can develop there own internet Hubs.  The input of the World Bank on this research and in the dissemination of information would be invaluable.

Joshua Hirshberg:  Half Nomad Blog

“A photo blog telling poetic stories of non-hierarchal praxis and the social relations that are formed in the process.  Some content is less obviously about horizontal practices, and more about creatively navigating life in the midst of late capitalism while keeping these ideas in mind.  The blog is a space to test out content for a future book/zine project.”

This blog project is a good model of disparate ideas finding a mode of connection and communication.  Joshua Hirschberg may provide insight into producing content on this topic as well as being a possible contributor.

Big Town Sandwich

On the topic of obesity in America, here are a few observations from an outsider from the East.  I am shocked at the size of your portions which are way too large.  Even half of a half sandwich is so big, I can’t finish it and have to throw the rest away.  I ate a sandwich from Big Town Hero yesterday.  I ordered the half sandwich (8″), which was no less than twelve inches.  There was the full-sized sandwich listed as twelve inches – how big is that one in reality, eighteen inches?  I couldn’t finish the “half” sized eight inch item.  Sure, I could have taken the remains home and stored them in the refrigerator; but how appetizing is a day-old sandwich with soggy bread and limp lettuce?  I felt forced to throw the rest away.
At a restaurant, even when I think food is a small portion on the menu, it comes as SO MUCH.  Why don’t they print quantities on the menus here like in Belarus where the menus specify weight or volume of items?  But it’s not just the quantity of food that seem problematic.  Besides portions being too big here, the content of the food is not nutritious, there are too many modified ingredients, too much corn syrup, and too many chemicals.  This is the difference between obesity in Eastern Europe and obesity in the West – in Belarus, people who eat too much are eating too much real and natural food so in spite of their large appearance, they still look somewhat healthy, unlike the obese population here which eats too much junk and has health problems way beyond just obesity (if that’s not enough of a problem on its own).

Though there is a larger diversity of foods here which look more visually appealing, their ripeness is questionable.  Why is it common here to use nitrogen gas to artificially accelerate ripening when nature has that process refined to perfection already?  As a result of artificial ripening which doesn’t allow sugars and other compounds to form properly the taste is flat and the nutritional content questionable.  In a related example, the meat looks SUPER red (I’ve never seen meat so red) but when you open the package, inside the meat is grey and lifeless.  What’s that about?

Village House and Garden - Illustration by Mo Morales

Where you Americans have useless lawns, Belorussians have gardens in which they grow their own staples (potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, etc) on their property if they live outside the city.  For city dwellers there are rent-free plots available outside the city which are serviced by buses provided at no charge.  Here, there is a farmer’s market one day here, another day there, but in the East there’s an open-style market in every micro-district, open everyday, and the inventory is in large part generated by the overages of common folk’s gardens.

We walk to the market in Belarus, we do it everyday or every other day.  It’s healthy to take a short walk each day for fresh food.  In America, the markets are centralized and so far apart, so I’m forced to buy food for a week which will sit in a refrigerator slowly losing flavor and freshness (decomposing) until consumed.  And getting that week’s amount of food is difficult, especially without a car.  The bus isn’t an attractive option since it creeps along, stopping at every block.  This may be a factor in why people are so overweight since no one walks more than one block here.  I heard that the regional transportation standard specifies a bus stop every 300 feet or something ridiculous like that.

I think you Americans should wake up and realize that the food you depend on is out of your control – a situation that is killing you.

American Diet

I have been reading “Deep Economy” by Bill McKibben and am fascinated by his main theory that for all of human existence the basis for society has been either “more” or “better”, that is technology and the foundations of society have required either more resources for communities like farming or better technology to make work easier and maximize efficiency like the cotton gin.   He notes that after the invention of the steam engine in the 18^th century and especially after WWII the western model of economics has become that of more and better.  We are constantly in need of growth of the economy to satiate this demand.  We have arrived at a point where a TV is not good enough but more TVs and better TVs have us convinced that they will improve the quality of our lives.  Unfortunately, what this does is create a Catch-22 cycle where we work harder to keep a economy going that if stalled (like we are experiencing now) means lay offs and a loss of all we have materially.

If I were anyone from a developing country meeting me for the first time and visiting my home I would see the following technology AS SOON as I walked into my house: 11 sources of light including lamps and fixtures, stove, oven, microwave, fridge, electric can opener, 6-pack of coke, jar with dog cookies, electric piano, 2 guitars, 2 violins, a TV, a laptop, printer/scanner/fax, DVD’s, 20 cook books, fish tank, sewing machine, couch, triple-paned windows with krypton gas (no superman in here!), gas fireplace, family pictures, dining table with table cloth, dishwasher, in-sink water filter, cupboard with bread on top, 8 light switches, carpet, forced-air vent, pictures, paintings, CD’s, in-wall speakers, copies of “Vegetarian times” and “Newsweek”, a daily newspaper (crossword finished!), DVD player.  The list could go on, and remember we have just stepped into the house.  Also keep in mind I don’t have that much compared to many US citizens and my house is 60 years old, and half the items above came from Goodwill.  But what does it all mean?  I have more and I have better that most in the world and yet I’m stressed because there is always a work deadline so I can pay the car bill and the mortgage, and the life insurance, and the health insurance, and the new sports car.

I want to provide a safe, happy world for my family.  I recycle everything. I have completely weatherized my house and upgraded to energy efficient appliances.  Am I green-washed? If I sold everything in the house I would probably make $5000. Then what? Do we each keep one bowl to eat from?  This is a fundamental problem because I have a government that will barter away my child’s future to Chinese bond holders so we can keep growing right now, so that my TV can get more and better everything even though it still broadcasts the same shit.

Oh, and don’t forget, Christmas is just around the corner.  Were you naughty or nice this year?  I would love to get you something new.

The diversity of Chilean people (from Wikipedia)

Chile has a long history of immigrants creating its diverse population.  Large numbers of Germans, Italians, Croations, Basque, Palestinians, and Native Americans make up the Santiago area population (where 40% of Chile’s population lives.) link

Santiago, Chile

Due to Chile’s recent political and economic stability, more immigrants are finding their way there.  Their tech industry is growing and entrepreneurship opportunities abound.  Chile has the fastest growing immigrant population in South America since 2000, the majority of whom are Peruvians, as well as Ecuadorians and Colombians. link

From 2002 to 2008, the migrant population in Chile grew from 184,500 to 317,000, a 71.9% increase. – IOM

Chile is actively working to ease the transitions with migration.  Some examples from the International  Organization for Migration include:

• IOM is addressing the need to develop health migration studies and health programs for resident migrants and guaranteeing the application of norms contained in the international instruments related to migrants’ rights.
• IOM has implemented several initiatives to support orderly and humane migration in Chile through information and training policies, such as participating in a Regional Seminar on Interculturalism and Migration for the academic community, civil society, NGOs and public officials
• IOM Chile continues its counter-trafficking efforts through research, information campaigns, and training.
• IOM focuses on building awareness campaigns on migration and integration.

The wall is intended to curtail illegal immigration across the border from Mexico into the United States. (Photo credit should read Luis Acosta / AFP-Getty Images) Click image for original source

Chileans particularly oppose the border wall between the US and Mexico.   According to Carlos Jimenez, Second Secretary of the Mexican Embassy in Chile, “Mexico and the United States have a very dynamic relationship.  They have the most dynamic border in the world. They have a large, growing amount of trade. The Mexican workforce isn’t a criminal workforce … In Mexico’s point of view, it shouldn’t be seen in a criminal way when all those people arrive not to commit crimes but to contribute with their work.”   In contrast with this situation, illegal immigrants in Chile were recently given the opportunity to legalize their status. (From Santiago Times)

“Chile has announced an amnesty for about 20,000 illegal immigrants from elsewhere in Latin America working in the country’s black economy.”

-BBC News

Chile seems to be doing some things right, such as educating their society about this influx of migrants.  Certainly there are still problems; however, I don’t believe they ever decided to build a wall.

If I were a native of Mali* and asked to address the issues of the aging population in the U.S., I might offer this strategy: treat your elders as we treat our beloved mud mosques, with great respect, continuous care and upkeep by the entire community. Consider how we care for our cultural heritage as a metaphor for how to approach your population challenges.

The Great Mosque in Djenné

Every spring we have a big festival to re-plaster the mud walls of our Great Mosque of Djenné, the largest mudbrick structure in the world, re-built in 1907 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We must spread new banco (mud mixed with rice husks) on the outer walls to repair cracks and replace what was washed away during the rainy season. Our annual maintenance festival has music, food and much activity that involves the whole community, including elderly people who are given a place of honor to sit and watch the proceedings.

Annual mud plastering of the Great Mosque of Djenné

These annual re-plastering events take place all over our country, for both mosques and domestic architecture. Our adobe structures can last for centuries if properly maintained. Similarly, the U.S. could sustain an increasing elderly population by maintaining a proper support system. I admit this may be easy for me to suggest because only 3% of the Malian population is over age 64, whereas in the U.S. almost 13% of your population is older than 64, and that percentage will increase sharply as your Baby Boomers age.

Dogon elders in Mali

The U.S. will need to invest more in healthcare and learn to better integrate the elderly population the way we do in Mali. Because your caretaking costs will increase over the coming years, you can save resources by living together in multi-generational households. We do this in Mali and believe it benefits everyone to involve our elders in the community, instead of putting them in secluded retirement homes like you do in the U.S. In Mali, we still have councils of elders who help make decisions for the communities where they reside; we respect their wisdom, and suggest you listen to your own elders.

Malian elders attending a ceremony for new construction

The U.S. also should try to provide your aging population with some kind of meaningful work. Keep them involved and active to help them stay physically and mentally healthy. If they’re living with you, involve them in childcare and housekeeping; give them creative outlets and ways to contribute to society. Consider your elders your cultural heritage and give them a seat of honor at the renovation of your society.

*I am not qualified in any way to represent a native of Mali and I apologize for this poor attempt.

Hello Americans,

What a diverse country you have!  Your expansive landscape shows it.  You have many different  climates which show this.  And many cultures have settled your country, as have ours.  My name is Joseph and I am Filipino.  I have been interested in your culture for a long time.

It seems that your country is so big that you have had to deal with many different peoples influences.  Possibly because the Philippines is a country of islands, there is always a flux in our cultural identity.

It is also much older than your country. But we have embraced these differences through a common language.  Like you America, our main language is English, but Spanish, Arabic and Chinese are also common.  As these cultures have all had an influence on our earlier indigenous culture.  Many of these peoples still are here in the Philippines.  For instance, the Igorot and the Bukidnons peoples have a variety of different tribal groups which originate from them.  Due to these circumstances a common language we call Tagalog was developed over time, which embraces all of our Filipino heritage as well as immigrate influences.  Here is a definition from the Internet.

Tagalog and Filipino

In 1937, Tagalog was selected as the basis of the national language of the Philippines by the National Language Institute. In 1939, Manuel L. Quezon named the national language “Wikang Pambansâ” (“National Language”). Twenty years later, in 1959, it was renamed by then Secretary of Education, José Romero, as Pilipino to give it a national rather than ethnic label and connotation. The changing of the name did not, however, result in acceptance among non-Tagalogs, especially Cebuanos who had not accepted the selection.

In 1971, the language issue was revived once more, and a compromise solution was worked out—a “universalist” approach to the national language, to be called Filipino rather than Pilipino. When a new constitution was drawn up in 1987, it named Filipino as the national language. The constitution specified that as the Filipino language evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.

As you can see, this unifying language developed over time as more people have influenced our country.  Instead of denying change and influence through homogenization of one standard of which all peoples have to follow, we have embraced it through a mixed language.  This has lead to an acceptance of our mixed culture.  In a way, we are more universal than America is.  Stop living in denial of what your landscape offers.  Learn from the difference of your landscape.  As our waters provide flow of people, ideas, and culture (admittedly not all good) so can your different climates symbolize a shared unity connected through a common language.  Your geography is one mass, let it unify not segregate.  Yours is a country connected through roads, similar to our water ways.  As we have created a language of the water, allow a language to develop which connects people like your roads.  A road language through a diverse cultural landscape. Your future, as it is a formation of your history, may depend on it.

Dearest First World Inhabitants,
I was deeply disturbed to learn of the obesity epidemic in your country.  Here, in Indonesia, we struggle mostly with hunger and malnutrition, but are also experiencing our own bout with obesity as of late.

While doing some ethnographic research in your country I noticed that many people purchase and eat mostly foods that come in boxes.  Packaged foods seem to be compounding our struggles to maintain healthy weights in a small portion of our population as well.  I wonder if these foods have something to do with your obesity epidemic.

Further investigation into these packaged foods revealed some startling facts.  To be honest, I’d never heard of most of the ingredients found in your packaged foods.  Admittedly, I struggled to pronounce their names and few Americans could help me or tell me what they were either.  They also didn’t seem concerned with their lack of knowledge around food they were ingesting.  I made a note to look into this further when I returned to my office as it would require some secondary research.
It also seems that people avoid foods that come in their own natural packaging like fruit, vegetables, or fish, essential sources of nourishment in my country.  We have efficient and beautiful ways of presenting and transporting these foods to open-air markets.  See an example below of the visually striking circular presentation of our fish along with paper wrappers for sanitary selection at the market.

I did find some interesting facts about those ingredients I observed in your packaged foods.  According to your government’s Food and Drug Administration website many of them fall under the GRAS category.  GRAS stands for generally recognized as safe.   This is concerning to me.  You might want to inquire about the definition of ‘general’ as it is a term that is usually frowned upon in scientific study.  I also wonder how the FDA accounts for all the potential combinations of ingredients in various food products that can be ingested at the same time.

In order to lessen obesity I would suggest you stop eating these packaged food-like substances and instead purchase and consume foods that can decompose.  Might I also suggest more physical activity.  I saw many people circling a supermarket parking lot in their cars hoping to save a few steps before entering.  Many couldn’t even be bothered to return their carts to the designated cart corrals a few spots over in the parking lot.

Wishing You Improved Health,
Laura
Ethnographic Research Impostor- Indonesia

I am a Hindu woman living in the state of Assam, India and would like offer suggestions based on my life experience to reduce the consumption rate of mass produced goods in the United States.  Although my country is becoming an important global economy and modern ways are affecting our life style, I am aspiring to live primarily by hundreds of years of tradition, ritual, and cultural heritage.  Our lives are enriched by less stuff, less work, less stress, less debt and, thus, enriched by a life of more time, satisfaction, more balance and security.  You Tube:  The Quest for Eternal Bliss (from The Happiness Project) was filmed in India.

The concept of reducing material things in one’s life, espoused by Bruce Sterling, makes good sense and I try to live this way in India.  He suggests living with only beautiful things; things with sentimental value and meaning; important tools, such as appliances to assist with living; and get rid of everything else.  This is a good place to begin and you can become your authentic selves without unnecessary possessions.

With scarcity looming, Americans need to JUST SAY NO to random purchasing of goods and buy only what you really need.  Write down every single purchase for three months and study your purchasing patterns.  Become part of the JUST SAY NO movement, influencing a paradigm shift, ultimately altering policy changes in government and corporate behavior.  A materialistic lifestyle is a depth-less world of mass produced goods.  JUST SAY NO to unnecessary goods and live a sustainable lifestyle by reducing consumption and waste.

A Steady-State Economy is one of zero population growth and consumption within the limits of that which can be regenerated and assimilated by the environment.  Pollution and resource depletion are driven by consumption.  http://www.steadystate.org.

Look at what others are saying about consumption:   Harvard Business Review http://blogs.hbr.org/es/2010/02/more_for_less_for_more_how_to.html. This discusses more value for less cost for more people.  You Tube: “The Most Important Video You Will Ever See” is Herman E. Daly educating about the growth factor and its exponential effect.

Dance, fairs, festivals, arts and crafts, agriculture and cuisine are some of the traditions and rituals we experience as a community in Assam.   Being engaged with these practices with my family and friends leads to a satisfying life.

Hey everyone, guess what? America is FAT! Ok, so this isn’t breaking news, but facts are facts. Over 72 million people in the United States and 16% of U.S. children are obese.  And it’s crazy to think that $117 billion was spent on obesity-related health care costs in 2009.  More specifically, the most over-weight region in the United States is in the South, with Mississippi leading the way as the fattest state.

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I traveled to Morocco while I was studying abroad in Spain for my last semester in college. Geographically, I went to college in North Carolina, which is located right in the heart of the fat-land. Where I was in Morocco, I never saw anything that resembled a McDonald’s, Long John Silvers, or Golden Corral. Instead, Moroccan’s approach their food that is not so dissimilar to that of early America. Families eating home-cooked meals together!

Today, many parents in the United States are busier than ever and are making fewer home-cooked meals with their kids. Because of this, snacking is now a normalcy in between meals and on average we are now eating 31% more calories than we did 40 years ago. When I think back to my short time in Morocco, I imagine what a native Moroccan might think of me (as an American). They would probably assume that I eat McDonald’s everyday and would hardly understand the value of a home-cooked meal. This is because in Morocco, time is much slower. Meals are prepared with care and with family. Since most native Moroccan’s live with extended family members, there is a heritage to teaching the younger generations how to prepare savory meals. Many Moroccan’s consider it to be poor hospitality to take a guest to a restaurant. Instead they prefer home-cooked meal gatherings. Great cuisine is reserved for the home.

Most of the meals I encountered over in Morocco were various soups and multiple salads with a lot of couscous. What I learned when I was there was that many of the salad “dressings” were just the leftover juices from roasted veggies with some added spices. No Ranch, no Cesar, no Italian dressings in sight. Spices are used extensively to add flavor to main meals of beef, chicken, lamb or fish. Anytime I had meat in Morocco it was mixed in with a soup. Desserts were small and mainly local fruits and were generally served with small cups of sweet mint tea. This was in sharp contrast to the amount of sweet tea that is served to people in the United States, namely the south. Also the children in Morocco ate the same thing as the adults. Forget Happy Meals, fish sticks, and hot dogs, those kids ate the same thing as everyone else.

Overall I feel as though that we American’s spend too much time in the fast lane, which has made us lose touch with centering ourselves around the dinner table and preparing meals together. Unlike the earlier days in America, kids and teenagers today are generally less interested in cooking and making their own food.  Health and culinary education is lacking in the younger population and what I propose, as a possible solution, is not earth shattering. In fact, this is being done in other places. These are culinary walks/food trails. The basic premise is to understand food culture through walking (yay exercise!) tours of where food is being sourced and prepared. I think this would be more conducive in city areas, but who’s to say you can’t put your own spin on it and make it a neighborhood event. The goal is for people to become more educated about where (possibly) food is coming from and how it’s being prepared in the hopes that they can make better decisions about how to eat.

***note. this is completely fictional.

It is seems redundant to say that in the USA mass produced goods are everywhere. It is a mass produced culture.

I recently left my home in Coimbatore, India for a brief trip to a souther part of North Carolina, where EVERYTHING, including the communities is mass produced.

And so, I come with at least one solution to this brutally habit. Throwing a sticker or label on something will not stop someone from buying it. This is evident with cigarette consumption, where money drives the pay of the label makers, and big bank corporations control the labeling, and branding of their product. So outsider labels are not affective because there is a gross convenience to large scale consumption that a small, practically un readable label does not expel.

My solution is a simple one of downsizing, starting with advertisement standards. In India, things are crowded, and fast. In the USA, things are fast, but vast. I propose that North Americans make billboards (a popular widespread form of advertisement) that are a smaller, simpler, and geared towards handmade or heirloom products. They could portray the maker with the product, or the processes and story that go into each product. They could decompose, or react with the environment or its potential user groups. This uncommon format will allude to diversity and an idiosyncratic individualism in the represented product that Americans crave. Billboards can shift the standards of mass advertisement and perhaps, overtime, this philosophy could trickle down into the greater purchasing patters of the US culture.