Food, Science, Foodscience.

Okay, so food. Do you know who loves it? Everybody. Time for a supa-tiny science lesson.

This world we live in has the most beautiful, complex biosphere. And to survive, everything has pretty much evolved to eat or be eaten by the organisms surrounding it. And humans, I don't know, I kind of think we are the cleverest about our food. Vain, I know. Think about this. Pretty much every other animal/plant/bacteria/fungus/protist out there is a hunter, a gatherer, or a producer. Humans, though, decided somewhere along the line that agriculture was a really good idea. Hence, civilization as we know it. I'm betting that there are some other creatures out there who act like farmers.

(Probably crustaceans of some sort. They are always doing clever things, like wearing top hats and being delicious)

(And farming? Maybe.)

The point is, since eating is how surviving is done, we all have turned out to be rather fond of it. Humans, forever exploring and trying new things (like agriculture, and storytelling, and painting), have discovered this beautiful art of cooking. It is one of my favorite things on this planet.

Every culture adapts to and celebrates the foodstuffs that are available to them. Because of biodiversity, this leads to nigh endless possible combinations, especially now that we have a global market. (A possible topic for discussion: globalization - is the end worth the means? We get out-of-season food (among other things) from across the world, but we ruin entire ecosystems)

This is our next topic. Foods. Cooking. Growing. Eating. Our favorite memories and methods, things we want to try, how and why and when food brings us together. Hope you enjoy.

Artist: Dan Deacon and his new album, America

Dan Deacon is an electronic composer/musician from Baltimore, Maryland. And let me tell you, this guy's a genius. He's known for his crazy live shows with lots of audience participation and his dancy-fun electronic music. But, in my opinion his level of musicianship is something I can only hope to achieve one day. I've thought this for a while, but his new album America, has reaffirmed it to me. Previously his albums have had a less serious tone, and a more poppy feel such as Bromst and Spidernan Of The Rings. America, however, has more political lyrics and includes orchestration and acoustic instruments as well. I feel like Dan has come to a whole new level with this album. I personally think you should listen to all his music, but if nothing else at least listen to "America" It's got lyrical gold, and composition that is rarely matched with modern electronic musicians. One of my personal favorite lines is from True Thrush the second track on the album:

"Beast on the brain 

every thought is the same 

if the beast is controlled 

it'll never turn gold 

and that's just fine"

Another favorite of mine is USA I: Is A Monster, the mix of the orchestra and synthesizers is amazing. In all honestly it's practically impossible to describe the beauty of this album, sometimes it's complex and dark, other times it's simple and poppy with occasional themes of minimalism. So just go listen to it, and maybe read what Dan wrote about it on his website, and then turn into a better person because of it.

Love,
-Tess