Buy and built

Building makes hungry. But there is more resemblance between the build and food profession.

This article is also published on IL CAMBIAMENTO

Nowadays people have to make many decisions during a day; what to wear, where to go on holiday, which friend to meet, what movie to see, and so on. It all seems so nice to have many options to choose from but it also could make life more limited than one would guess.

While studying architectureone of my teachers used to tell us that designing architecture is like cooking; first you go to the market to buy your ingredients. What you buy depends on the season, the weather, your mood and the reason you are cooking. It is all related to the context. When you’ve arrived in your kitchen you cut all the ingredients and prepare them. Some of the ingredients will be mixed in a pot, some in higher quantities than others. You will stir, add some spices and fry until you’ve found the right mix for a well balanced dish. This is like the architect putting together the program given by his client therefore using his own skills and the tools he could find. When everything is done the dish is delivered to the one you cooked for. The building is ready to use.

So there is a big match in the way these professions work. But there are more resemblances. Both architect and the cook are in competition with others. They compete of course with colleagues but they also have to compete with companies offering the same product. The architect competes with the contractor who thinks he can design himself. The cook competes with supermarkets who offers clients ready-to-eat meals for very reasonable prices. And both architect and cook seem to get an even harder time.

Many people seem to strive for their own home which is unique. Not only because they live in it or because they have taken care of the interior, but also because they were able to choose the ingredients of their own house. In Holland this is known as a catalogus woning(house choosen from a catalogue). As you could already guess by the name of it you can pick your ingredients from a catalogue and the contractor will make sure he puts them together. There you got your home.

Dutch supermarkets seem to have stolen this idea and translated this to a meal catalogue. They have different ingredients on offer; four vegetable mixes, two sorts of meat, a couple of grains like rice or pasta and different types and flavors of sauces. All you need to do is choose what you want to eat and prepare them like explained on the package. There you have your meal.

A lot of us think they live in a world in which they can do whatever they like. This seems not as true as we think it is. And we should actually blame ourselves for making it worse. We let others choose for us (they decide what’s put in the catalogue). These options are actually much smaller than there would be if the options are all open. The options on offer in a catalogue are those best for the one selling them (he makes high profits), but maybe not for the one buying and using it. We should start to think for ourselves again. If help is needed call the craftsmen who definitely knows what’s best for us.

Even animals could be chosen from a catalogue. Check episode 27 (Creation of the fittest) of the Beagle trip in which an Australian farmer explains how he choose his cattle.

Harvest

Many villages and regions celebrate in September and October. Munich celebrates the harvest of hop and grain in their yearly Octoberfest, Austrian farmers bring back their cattle from the higher alps to the warm and save stables, French winegrowers pick the first grapes and release fresh bottles of their Beaujolais primeur. Is there anything to celebrate for those living in the city?

Now more people start to realize that good food (grown at a slow pace using the energy of the earth, sunlight and rain) is very important for ourself and those around us, it becomes more popular to organize events in which food is the leading character. One of those events is the Rotterdamse Oogstfeest.

The organization invites farmers, producers and traders based within a ring of 50 km around the city centre. They bring products of the season like fruits and vegetables, cheeses and different types of sausages, but also tenable products like jams, chutneys, fruit juices and wines. All is presented in such a way to convince costumers to buy. And for those who got hungry seeing all the stuff they also made a food court where prepared food is on sale: pizza’s made on wood fire, rolls dressed with local cheeses or hams and much more. It seems you can’t go home hungry.

Well you can. And if not you will probably leave with an empty wallet. Where this kind of events in other European countries are most of the time visited by every inhabitant of a village or region - no matter what background or income he or she has- in Rotterdam the majority of visitors was in his or her thirties or early forties, had at least one but most of a time two or three young kids and – concluding from their appearance - seem to have a well paid job. This group already knows our relation towards food needs to change. It is more important now to also convince the rest of the world. Those who do think fresh food is too expensive.

Celebrating harvest is the perfect opportunity to show people how affordable fresh food can be. When output is at its peak flavors are at its best and prices as low as they could get. Everyone with a big freezer or with the knowledge how to conserve fruit and vegetables should grab this opportunity and fills up his storage room for winter.

I can’t tell you why the Rotterdamse Oogstfeest only attracted this specific kind of people. Maybe it had to do with the location, maybe it was a result of their advertising strategy. At least I hope for next year they manage to make it a party for everyone and set a new agricultural tradition in an urban environment.

Wine, wein, vin, vino

The landscape changes constantly when travelling from Holland to a south European holiday destination. This year I travelled to Italy. From the flat Dutch polders we entered the rough industrial landscape in the German border states. After a day or so the hills became higher until we reached high peaks on the road from Switzerland to Italy. Although we drove almost 1200 km trough this variety of landscapes one thing seemed constantly part of the landscape.

It seems wine could grow everywhere. These days the alcoholic grape drink is not only made in warmer South European countries but could also be bought from Switzerland, Germany and even from the Netherlands. Since the ingredients of wine usually are made in nature each wine is different. The flavor is amongst others influenced by the type of the grape, the soil it grows on, the climate, the barrel it ripens in and so on. You can image the difference between wines grown in warmer climates and those which are grown in countries like the Netherlands where temperatures are more moderate.

Wine growers also use different techniques to grow their grapevines. Some grow parallel others follow the slopes of the mountains. Some wine grows in very steep hills where pickers need special lifts to pick the grapes. In other areas terraces are made not only to make picking easier but also to profit from the daily warmth during the night.

Besides all the different types of wines and the different countries it grows in it is also drunken by a whole variety of people. Although wine used to be for the rich or religious people, it is now available to almost everyone, bottles already available from less than two Euros each.

As politicians now have hard times to come to an agreement on economic help, military actions and environmental issues there is at least one thing we all seem to have in common. Cheers!

It takes two to tango

This tekst is also available on IL CAMBIAMENTO

A farmer needs rain and sunshine for his food to grow. He loves his job and wants to deliver a good product. It is also important for him to receive a good price for his products so he can fill his and his family’s stomachs. The same goes for a consumer. He wants to find a good product in the supermarket but is even more interested to pay the best price possible. In the middle of these is the entrepreneur who also wants what best for him; low prices for the products he buys, good gaining on that what he sells. Efficiency is the key word! How to leave everyone satisfied?

It wasn’t a long time ago when I read this lecture. A chief executive of a big international supermarket explains what they do to make the world a little bit better. He works at a company selling products all over the world. Therefore their influence on the worlds’ welfare and well-being could be enormous. That’s why it is so good  to hear him talking about the effort his company makes to contribute to a better world.

After WW II the Western world was almost constantly in economic prosperity. Everything needed to be bigger, faster and better. Travelling became very easy and factories could produce all kinds of products easy and cheap. Most of us still life in this flow, but I guess we need to realize this growth will come to an end or at least needs to slow down.
The lecturer named above somehow understands something needs to change but he does not really understand what needs to change and, more important, how his company could contribute to this.

For those who haven’t read the lecture yet, the chief executive explains that his company is trying hard to create jobs for those who need them, reduce transport distances and produce less waste. All kind of efforts we should appreciate. But to me it seems he is missing the other side of his story. The company sells local products to enable local producers to continue their businesses. By doing this they also reduce transport distances which has a good impact on the environment. As I said I cannot complain about these advantages.  Thereby he gives the client an easy job. The client doesn’t have to make any effort to change his or her behavior. By the way, possible advantages for the producers aren’t named at all.

And maybe these last things are where I object. It should not be just one person or company deciding what is best for him and for others. People should become conscious themselves. They have to consider the consequences of their behavior. When one is able to understand what happens after we drinking too much alcohol (and then decides to stop drinking before getting drunk or to continue), why can’t the person think about the consequences of his shopping behavior?

I guess that if you want the world to be cleaner, more peaceful and happier you now have to check if your current behavior contributes to the preservation of this earth. You think that your influence as a single person is negligible? Of course it isn’t! Sure you can’t do it all by yourself (after all It takes two to tango)but you better be a good example and soon others will follow!

Want to know more about how to attract or be a follower? Check the TedTalk by Derek Sivers.