Sean Dwyer

WC: 360

5/20

“Years of living in the city had convinced Stark that the food-savvy citizens of Gotham would be eager to embrace his off-beat harvest.” (Estabrook 171/172)

“Nosebleed – catch the blood on a piece of brown paper and burn the paper to stop the nosebleed.” (Smart-Grosvenor 136)

“Stark says that paying by the amount picked is simply illogical. Different varieties of tomatoes yield different quantities of fruit.” (Estabrook 176)

“They said they went to each grower and asked for his best. Well, they certainly didn’t come to me. I would have never given them a Cherokee Purple. So who did they go to? I don’t know. At least it didn’t do any harm to my business. My customers still like my tomatoes.” (Estabrook 178)

“Cigar ashes – a dental tip from an eighty-five-year-old lady who uses them to brush her teeth.” (Smart-Grosvenor 136)

“…food had become a very scary subject in our house; we worried that ‘eating the wrong food’ might ‘bring the cancer back’.” (Esquibel 1)

“The bright, sweet pop of taste was followed by a lingering, pleasant tartness – that essential balance that defines a great tomato.” (Estabrook 187)

The arctic seed bank that was going to save us all is flooding

This week’s texts had a theme of beautiful people living their own beautiful lives. The quote about the food-savvy inhabitants of Gotham was written with such elegance it caught my eye and not until reflecting did I understand why. Stark lived it, and knew it. As written in Vibration Cooking, you can stop a nosebleed by catching the blood on a piece of paper and then burning the piece of paper. Some things you can only try to see if they work for you. The following quote from Stark describes how different varieties of tomatoes yield different quantities of fruit, so even if the farmer is willing to create unhealthy competition and stress for the farm workers, the crops would all have to be the same. If you aren’t willing to try new varieties, you might end up clinging to your one remedy; running around bleeding everywhere looking for a brown paper bag and a lighter is a good way to get smoke in your eyes. The following quote suggests that if you do focus on one variety, you best be willing to accept that journalists will be journalists and sometimes there won’t be the opportunity to show your best tomato. Does it matter what a journalist thinks? No. Stark’s customers still like his tomatoes. This had me thinking about page 176 when Stark says he still has a gardener’s mentality. That is why Stark’s customers still likes his tomatoes, not because he doesn’t listen to anyone. The final quote from Vibration Cooking about the eighty-five-year old lady who suggests using cigar ashes made me smile when I looked up if it was possible. It destroys your teeth over time, but the chemistry shows that it will make them whiter. Does that work for an eighty-five-year-old lady? Yes. Does that work for you? Maybe in the moment. The listed quote from Food First #7 describes my inner turmoil over the last few months. I was too busy looking at how white the eighty-five-year old grandma’s teeth were and forgot to show mine with a smile. A culmination of instinct, drive, grit, and little bit of luck through quite the journey is encapsulated in the final quote.