COLORS MAGAZINE - ISSUE #69 BACK TO EARTH:
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lives slowly. He tells us that we should exist in the moment, take our time, handle conflict with calm and when we brush our teeth in the morning, we should just brush our teeth. He also blames war on impatience. The frustration that lies in not getting something fast creates situations of conflict and strife. Logically, 'fast' furthers our panic to produce quickly and make ourselves more efficient in the interest of monetary gain. The microwave zaps dinner in a flash so that we can keep working. Kids get the one-minute bedtime story because their parents are busy. Cars look more like airplanes. The Internet delivers instantly. And food production follows market pressures to make standard, average goods that are cheap and easy to distribute. Health and nutrition are not priorities. But slowness survives in initiatives such as Terra Madre — a network of local producers who are a counter-force to the world of furious mass production. Here we find people concerned about the shrinking varieties of apples grown in North America or the fate of the wild fish they work so hard to catch. They are patient and wait for years to make an ancient type of liquor, and they journey far into the mountains so their goats can eat fresh, clean grass rather than processed feed. They travel across the planet to save tropical plants from extinction. And take the time to grow healthy food without greedy chemicals or damaging fertilizers. Slowing down has benefits valuable far beyond money. The dust and soil run through our hands. The sun and rain receive special notice. We watch out for the seasonal influences that affect paddies of rice, the blood of grasshoppers, the habits of the sardine and the temperament of trees. We begin to treat our food the way we should treat ourselves. Fast has one great advantage, it has made slowness more special and more precious. As some produce becomes more expensive, it now demands purchasers’ money as well as their time. COLORS 69: Back to Earth asks you to slow down and meet a few people and the food they produce. After all, you and your choices at mealtime will decide what we will all eat in the future.
Colorsmagazine.com is the online presence of COLORS a quarterly magazine that focuses on cultural topics from around the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who lives slowly. He tells us that we should exist in the moment, take our time, handle conflict with calm and when we brush our teeth in the morning, we should just brush our teeth. He also blames war on impatience. The frustration that lies in not getting something fast creates situations of conflict and strife. Logically, 'fast' furthers our panic to produce quickly and make ourselves more efficient in the interest of monetary gain. The microwave zaps dinner in a flash so that we can keep working. Kids get the one-minute bedtime story because their parents are busy. Cars look more like airplanes. The Internet delivers instantly. And food production follows market pressures to make standard, average goods that are cheap and easy to distribute. Health and nutrition are not priorities. But slowness survives in initiatives such as Terra Madre — a network of local producers who are a counter-force to the world of furious mass production. Here we find people concerned about the shrinking varieties of apples grown in North America or the fate of the wild fish they work so hard to catch. They are patient and wait for years to make an ancient type of liquor, and they journey far into the mountains so their goats can eat fresh, clean grass rather than processed feed. They travel across the planet to save tropical plants from extinction. And take the time to grow healthy food without greedy chemicals or damaging fertilizers. Slowing down has benefits valuable far beyond money. The dust and soil run through our hands. The sun and rain receive special notice. We watch out for the seasonal influences that affect paddies of rice, the blood of grasshoppers, the habits of the sardine and the temperament of trees. We begin to treat our food the way we should treat ourselves. Fast has one great advantage, it has made slowness more special and more precious. As some produce becomes more expensive, it now demands purchasers’ money as well as their time. COLORS 69: Back to Earth asks you to slow down and meet a few people and the food they produce. After all, you and your choices at mealtime will decide what we will all eat in the future.
Colorsmagazine.com is the online presence of COLORS a quarterly magazine that focuses on cultural topics from around the world.
Be a Zapatista wherever you are –
PAGE 1
“When the Zapatistas found out the corn was genetically contaminated, they took a stand to defend it. Corn can&rsq...read more
No one told the reindeer how much you charge for eating your grass – PAGE 2
For the best smoked reindeer meat in Mittädalen in northern Sweden look up Lars Gunnar Thom...read more
No one told the reindeer how much you charge for eating your grass – PAGE 3
"I started my business in 1994. We’re the biggest reindeer meat provider within a range of 600 km. Every wint...read more
Your wallet decides what kind of salmon the world will eat – PAGE 4
Once upon a time, those fillets of salmon you enjoyed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chive...read more
Grow rice on that land, then we’ll believe you – PAGE 5
Shortsighted government rules are being shown up by farmers in the Himalayan foothills of northern India. The Navdanya m...read more
We won’t leave the sea until you buy us – PAGE 6
“I fish about 100 days a year. In the old days it was about 160. The sea is a thing that is indispensable to life....read more
Only pure mezcal is safe for caterpillars – PAGE 7
“I never used to give mezcal to the workers. They’d buy it anyway, the cheap kind, which is 51 percent mague...read more
Track your goat cheese by satellite – PAGE 8
“Each sheepherd’s method is unique,” says Brigitte Touyet, 47, herder and cheese maker in the Ossau Va...read more
Save an endangered tropical plant and share it with friends – PAGE 9
Tropical plant rescue team Susan and Alan Carle scout the globe’s rainforests on a mission...read more
Make oil and learn to read – PAGE 10
“We want the people to profit from living in this area so they will invest in preserving it.
It seem...read more
Milk a camel for a great maziwa lala – PAGE 11
In the pastoral communities of northeast Kenya, animals are the most precious possession. &ldquo...read more
Brooklyn, a great place to pick up a fresh Lycopersicon exculentum – PAGE 12
Welcome to Red Hook in Brooklyn, USA, with a population of 11,000 and one farm. Some 8,700 of Re...read more
You have to really know and understand a tree before you make it bleed – PAGE 13
“I once went to Gambia, where people grow peanuts on 70 percent of the land. They have no idea what the peanuts ar...read more
Cow urine works much better than chemicals – PAGE 14
The Navdanya movement’s mustard project knows all about market forces. It just isn’t...read more
Someone explain ‘residential zoning’ to the plums – PAGE 15
“My father brought me here when I was a young boy. I saw the richness of the area. I was e...read more
There’s just no telling what this cheese will taste like – PAGE 16
“We produce a unique farmhouse cheese that I originally learned to make at home. Now we produce about 200 tons a y...read more
Sell nine tons of chapulín for an American wheelchair – PAGE 17
“We have developed a range of products, including salt, hot sauce and dehydrated chapulín with high protein...read more
You can’t regulate nature – PAGE 18
“We produce wines on the edge of taste standards. Our distribution people have to explain the complexity of our wi...read more
Buy yak cheese and pay for school in Tibet – PAGE 19
Sunset over Sem Long Valley, 5,000 m above sea level in Qinghai province, China: “We used ...read more
Buy yak cheese and pay for school in Tibet – PAGE 20
“There are many plants and flowers in our valley that you can’t find anywhere else. We know this plant is go...read more
Credits and Thanks – PAGE 21
“When the Zapatistas found out the corn was genetically contaminated, they took a stand to defend it. Corn can&rsq...read more
No one told the reindeer how much you charge for eating your grass – PAGE 2
For the best smoked reindeer meat in Mittädalen in northern Sweden look up Lars Gunnar Thom...read more
No one told the reindeer how much you charge for eating your grass – PAGE 3
"I started my business in 1994. We’re the biggest reindeer meat provider within a range of 600 km. Every wint...read more
Your wallet decides what kind of salmon the world will eat – PAGE 4
Once upon a time, those fillets of salmon you enjoyed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chive...read more
Grow rice on that land, then we’ll believe you – PAGE 5
Shortsighted government rules are being shown up by farmers in the Himalayan foothills of northern India. The Navdanya m...read more
We won’t leave the sea until you buy us – PAGE 6
“I fish about 100 days a year. In the old days it was about 160. The sea is a thing that is indispensable to life....read more
Only pure mezcal is safe for caterpillars – PAGE 7
“I never used to give mezcal to the workers. They’d buy it anyway, the cheap kind, which is 51 percent mague...read more
Track your goat cheese by satellite – PAGE 8
“Each sheepherd’s method is unique,” says Brigitte Touyet, 47, herder and cheese maker in the Ossau Va...read more
Save an endangered tropical plant and share it with friends – PAGE 9
Tropical plant rescue team Susan and Alan Carle scout the globe’s rainforests on a mission...read more
Make oil and learn to read – PAGE 10
“We want the people to profit from living in this area so they will invest in preserving it.
It seem...read more
Milk a camel for a great maziwa lala – PAGE 11
In the pastoral communities of northeast Kenya, animals are the most precious possession. &ldquo...read more
Brooklyn, a great place to pick up a fresh Lycopersicon exculentum – PAGE 12
Welcome to Red Hook in Brooklyn, USA, with a population of 11,000 and one farm. Some 8,700 of Re...read more
You have to really know and understand a tree before you make it bleed – PAGE 13
“I once went to Gambia, where people grow peanuts on 70 percent of the land. They have no idea what the peanuts ar...read more
Cow urine works much better than chemicals – PAGE 14
The Navdanya movement’s mustard project knows all about market forces. It just isn’t...read more
Someone explain ‘residential zoning’ to the plums – PAGE 15
“My father brought me here when I was a young boy. I saw the richness of the area. I was e...read more
There’s just no telling what this cheese will taste like – PAGE 16
“We produce a unique farmhouse cheese that I originally learned to make at home. Now we produce about 200 tons a y...read more
Sell nine tons of chapulín for an American wheelchair – PAGE 17
“We have developed a range of products, including salt, hot sauce and dehydrated chapulín with high protein...read more
You can’t regulate nature – PAGE 18
“We produce wines on the edge of taste standards. Our distribution people have to explain the complexity of our wi...read more
Buy yak cheese and pay for school in Tibet – PAGE 19
Sunset over Sem Long Valley, 5,000 m above sea level in Qinghai province, China: “We used ...read more
Buy yak cheese and pay for school in Tibet – PAGE 20
“There are many plants and flowers in our valley that you can’t find anywhere else. We know this plant is go...read more
Credits and Thanks – PAGE 21
Colorsmagazine.com
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