FERN’s Friday Feed: China, the coronavirus, and the ‘barbaric other’
Welcome to FERN’s Friday Feed (#FFF), where we share the stories from this week that made us stop and think.
Eater
“The outbreak has had a decidedly dehumanizing effect,” writes Jenny G. Zhang, “reigniting old strains of racism and xenophobia that frame Chinese people as uncivilized, barbaric ‘others’ who bring with them dangerous, contagious diseases and an appetite for dogs, cats, and other animals outside the norms of Occidental diets.”
Does taste develop in utero? Eh, it’s complicated.
The Atlantic
“Some people’s fondness for the foods their mother craved during pregnancy can to them seem predestined, taking on an almost sacred status in the mother-child relationship,” writes Joe Pinsker. “Research hasn’t identified a direct causal link between the diets of pregnant women and the lifelong food preferences of their children, but exposure to certain flavors in the womb is one factor, among many, that can shape what people like to eat.”
FERN Talks & Eats NYC – Surf ‘n’ Turf
Panel: Can our seafood survive Big Ag and climate change?
As oceans warm, our major fisheries are shifting. At the same time, farm runoff is contributing to dead zones from the Gulf of Mexico to Long Island. Both of these issues – climate change and farming practices – affect the health of ocean ecosystems and, ultimately, the seafood that winds up on our plates.
Come to our panel discussion Feb. 10, 2020, 7:30 p.m., at Subculture in New York City. VIP reception with drinks and bites beforehand. Information here.
The New York Times
The concept of cooking in the nude may evoke the spectre of painful burns or splatters. “But many nudists balk at any suggestion that cooking — or vacationing, or living in general — is more fraught for them than for the clothed,” writes Priya Krishna. “In fact, when it comes to cooking and dining, many nudists are unequivocal: It’s better naked. They feel less inhibited, more creative.”
USDA’s data problems
Politico
“Many of USDA’s recent actions have been marred by missing pieces of critical data, assertions challenged by outside experts or other struggles to demonstrate the reasons for major shifts in federal food and farm policy,” writes Ryan McCrimmon. “The trend has raised questions from critics about how USDA leaders are making decisions with huge implications for struggling farmers, food stamp recipients and workers in dangerous meatpacking jobs, among other aspects of America’s food system.”
What climate change could mean for global food scarcity
Scientific American
“The global food system is under increasing strain from climate change, water scarcity, and soil and biodiversity loss. History shows that lack of food leads to war,” writes Jeff Masters. A new book on the topic “offers a sobering view of our impending future if we continue our business-as-usual approach to climate change and agriculture, but offers creative solutions on how we can avoid a desperate Soylent Green-like future where civilization breaks down due to food scarcity.”