Off the Beaten Palate!

Do you Know What Your Eating?
An exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History explains that and so much more as you walk through, "Our Global Kitchen".
I read and I paused, I read and I paused.
An exhibit to see and absorb.  There is much to think about. 
The subtext of Food, Culture, Nature is displayed cleverly as you make your way through "how food grows'; "how it is traded"; "how food is cooked', includes preservation methods, techniques and tools; "how food tastes", and "how we eat", reflecting who we are, and finally, "how food is celebrated, where culture and religious ritual come into play.
More than pictures on a wall, this exhibit is thought provoking and can stir your emotions.
As I stood and read about how foods have been genetically modified to feed the masses- its an eye-opener.  Agricultural growers have adapted to world population-there is no doubt.
Ask yourself when was the last time you saw a 'real strawberry'.  Its a round table conversation that can last for hours.
A good test is visiting your local green market where local farmers have harvested 'real strawberries' and compare that to your local grocers; the look, smell and taste! And the feel.
I am thankful for New York's green markets and local markets anywhere!
Whether its Subsistence farming and urban agriculture, acquaculture, or large scale farming, they have their own pros and cons.
Grow your own local garden is also a message and is something we are seeing much more we the 'older &b hopefully wiser generation' tries to instill the nostalgia of a garden- wow!  Now that's a revelation!
Its like a revival of the 'good ole days' bringing back what some see as a 'time warped' idea, but for the x, y & z's generation, its all new to them!  Thus we do have something new to share.  Another meaningful installation at this exhibit, and one that might infactuate you, are Window Farms.  You can do this at home!  A made for those tiny little New York studio apartments in mind!  Love this.
reliving what their grandfolks once did- farming!  Quit a concept and something they have identified at the exhibit as Sistainable farming; growing for your family and probably your neighbors.   That's what I try to advocate on "Off the Beaten Palate"; an awareness of where food comes from and an appreciation for what is now come upon us; sistainable growers.
The reason for this is largely displayed at this exhibit.
When we learn more about food, culture and nature, the way it is displayed here, you will get a better understanding of the food chain, and helpfully a better understanding of the very hands that have cultivated the foods that land on our plate.

I will be back