To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Grapple, kids and artificial flavour [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:12:38 -0500
Karl wrote:
From my kids perspective, a lot of the joy in eating fruits and
vegetables is in the "hunt".
It is my belief that we still defer to our hunter-gatherer instincts for
such things and that this tickles a very particular part of the
primitive brain. It is my pessimistic that believes the corporate world
spends a great deal of money subverting this instinct
My conclusion from a conversation re shoplifters is that they are really no
different from me in my foraging: humans are designed to look for ways to
get something for nothing. That makes foraging really a lot of fun, even if
it takes time. After all, if you do it with your friends, it's socializing
and getting something for nothing. And in the garden, despite the work that
went into starting peas (not that much work anyway), when it comes time to
pick them it still gives that thrill. Wow, look at all this great stuff I
just went out and picked to eat. Plus there is the great beauty of all
these plants and their fruits. They are works of art. I do think a kid can
learn to appreciate that, maybe faster than their food value. I had a blind
child in my office one fall shortly after bringing in all sorts of squashes.
I thought the squashes were very beautiful, and suggested she explore them
while I gave her mother a massage. It was interesting that she liked best
the one with the rough knobbly places on it, like a landscape. It was more
interesting to her than the simple curved forms that gave me such pleasure.
Donna