Then & Now

There is so much more to cooking than a bunch of ingredients, a cooking process or technique, and a final dish or meal. There are multiple stories behind each ingredient, each process and each meal. There also what I call the "tangents," which are the stories that do not seem to relate to cooking at first glance. However, when one digs into the story, the relationship becomes clear. 

As I am sure one could expect, most of the algorithms underlying my news timelines or my social media feeds provide some of these stories and tangents.  These do not necessarily lead to recipes and dishes; but, they make me think about the world around me. Often times, the thought process goes beyond cooking, bringing in issues relating to culture, environment and even politics. 

I have decided to write about these stories and tangents, as well as the issues that they raise in my mind. These posts are part of a new project that I am calling "Then and Now." Each post addresses a subject that I have come across and delves into it. At the end, I suggest some recipes that I have previously made that relate to the underlying issue. 

The posts are set forth below: 

1. Defending Against the Blue Crab Invasion: There has been an uptick in articles about how blue crabs - native to the eastern coast of the United States and the Chesapeake Bay - have been invading the Mediterranean Sea (being brought most likely in the ballast of ships). The article explores the "invasion."  Yet, blue crabs have few predators, other than humans. I share some of my favorite blue crab recipes to do my part in combatting the invasion.

2. The Long History Told by Bones: Researchers already knew that the Tsleil-Waututh had maintained a sustainable salmon fishery in the Pacific Northwest for well over 1,000 years. However, they discovered that this fishery is far older than previously known. Maybe the past can provide lessons for sustainability. The present includes recipes that I have made using salmon.

3. When Oysters Can't Sleep: Studies have been done on the effects of light pollution upon oysters. As you could probably expect, insomnia is not good for oysters, just as it is not good for humans. Nevertheless, it got me to thinking about some of my favorite oyster recipes. Another reason why oysters do not have a good night's sleep.

4. The Uyghur Connection: Non-profit organizations have been documenting the use of Uyghur people in forced labor to produce seafood that ends up in the food supply of the United States, including the lunch rooms of our schools. We need to be more vigilant in our food choices to discourage such violations of human rights.  

5. The Super Pigs are Coming: Canadian farmers bred boars with pigs to create a sturdier animal that would survive the harsh winter. When prices plummeted, the farmers released the pigs into the wild. Nothing bad could happen, unless one considers an ecological disaster to be bad. It got me to thinking about my favorite pork recipes.

6. The Blue Cat Apocalypse: When one adds a top level predator to a river ecosystem for sport, they create a game that they will only lose. The addition of blue catfish to a few Chesapeake tributaries  have created an ecological timebomb across the bay, which can only be avoided doing what people do best: namely, eating things. 

More posts to come. 

PEACE.