Relearning-Food

From H&D Publishing Wiki

Reading Food

Alice Strete, Santiago Pinyol, and Luke Murphy

An exercise in tracing the journeys our food makes before it reaches our plates, with a focus on material processes, which are often concealed from us or difficult to unravel.

Duration: 2.5-3 hours

Materials needed:

  • Shopping bags
  • Paper
  • Pens
  • Phones or computers with Internet access

Other things:

  • Some cash (for food)
  • One or more nearby shops

The Script:

Introduction (10 minutes)

"Reading food also has important implications for how we understand different modes of spatial production. By thinking of space through our mouths (and all the ways food ends up in them) researchers, practitioners, professionals, activists, and denizens across the world have been able to make profound changes to the way we live with food and the spaces in which we live with it. Reading foods to understand space and politics can seed (pun intended) immediate, albeit often small-scale changes in our personal and collective food politics. Whether it’s by dissuading the purchase of certain products, encouraging the cultivation of others, prompting conversations about recipes, rituals, histories, and identities, or merely providing the sustenance for those conversations and others, framing space through food posits change at the tip of our tongues."[1]

The Reading food workshop and methodology was connected to the subject of Relearn 2021: the materialities of the everyday. In Relearn we applied materialism as a methodology to think through different topics and places, tracing and mapping the routes of items, substances, and material agencies that run through us in the everyday. We were ultimately looking to engage with modes of doing that deviate from the predominant Western tendency toistance the human from the material world.

15 minutes: Discuss and plan a meal together that can be made up of one or multiple dishes

The meal should:

  • not take more than 30 min to cook/assemble
  • be able to be enjoyed by everyone in the group
  • take into consideration the conditions of the space in which you're meeting (i.e.is there a source of heat, is there water, etc.)

30 minutes: Split the grocery list among the participants and shop for the ingredients at the closest shop/supermarket

Note: Keep the grocery list to a reasonable number of ingredients, depending on the time you want to allocate to this exercise (5-6 ingredients, and no more than 10).

While shopping:

  • take note of each ingredient you buy and write down/take a photo of its country of origin, brand and any other information available.
  • ask the shop owner or an employee for information on the origin of that product if not available.

30 minutes:

After returning to the gathering space, the group splits into two: one half prepares the ingredients together according to your agreed upon recipe, while the other half documents each separate ingredient that was purchased, along with any information already available on the packaging (country of origin, supplier, distributor, etc).

Participants can also switch between tasks.

1 hour: Eating and Researching

  • Leave the food to rest for a few minutes.
  • Split the ingredients among yourselves however you wish.
  • Using your phone or computer, check for the country of origin, and note the exact location the product is sourced.
  • Trace the route to your current location, going via the shop/market that provided the ingredient. Make note of other details you find along the way—shipping routes and duration, farming conditions, packaging, regional/national distribution centers, or even specific people who may have come in contact with the food along the way.
  • If not enough information can be found, feel free to speculate in order to fill in the gaps.
  • Serve the food and eat. During the meal, share, and discuss your findings.
  • If necessary, more research can be done after the meal.

45 min-1.5 hours

  • Take paper and a few pens and share them among the participants.
  • Based on your research, work together on a map of all the routes of each ingredient that has reached your table.
  • After the map is done, discuss together.
  • Participants can then present their findings and discuss with other groups following this exercise.
  • Take a photo of the map and add it to the Anarchive of Relearn 2021 - https://relearn2021.vvvvvvaria.org/ (more info on relearn and how to contribute to the Anarchive here: http://relearn.be/2021/)

Recipes created during H&D summer academy

Vegan Bowl

All products are purchased at the Albert Heijn on MS van Riemsdijkweg 186 and cooked at Hackers & Designers.

Resources: https://www.ah.nl/suppliers/map

The fruit and vegetables sold in Albert Heijn carry the GLOBAL-GAP certificate, which has a database for finding producers and products: https://database.globalgap.org/globalgap/search/SearchMain.faces?init=1 Another certificate to look into is the SIVAF: https://www.idhsustainabletrade.com/initiative/sifav2025/

  • Cauliflower
  • Dates
  • Lemons
    • come from South Africa
    • Harvested April to August
    • possibly from Citrusdal, distributed by Mouton Citrus Pty Ltd
  • Almonds
    • 80% of all almonds come from California (are the AH ones from california?)
  • Cucumber
  • Grilled Paprika (jarred)
  • Avocado 2 pieces
    • packed in Zaandam
    • comes from Columbia C.I. FLP COLOMBIA S.A.S. Caldas, Chinchiná, Columbia
  • Olive oil Iliada
  • Parsley
    • comes from Netherlands
    • packed in Zaandam
  • Basmati rice
    • unknown origin - probably from India or Pakistan
  • Black pepper (drogheria)
    • "produced in Italy with imported resources" >> says packaging
    • Pepper comes from Vietnam


Crazy goat toasties with salad

  • Avocado eat ripe - one not edible - Hass
  • Cucumber
    • AH komkommer
    • Country of origin: Netherlands
    • 0.55g per piece
    • barcode: 8710400200833
    • not wrapped in plastic
  • Lemon
    • South Africa
    • Cherry tomatoes - red desire
    • mini plum tomatoes trosttomaatje
    • oorsprong Nederland E-29
    • 200g klaas 1
    • packaged by NL KCB 1027
    • black cardboard tray and plastic over it
    • Barcode: 8718907362108
    • Not for fridge
    • geen PMD
    • plastic 1
  • Meerzaden sourdough bread
    • Groningen: the factory that produces the flower
    • Baked in Amsterdam
    • Ingrediënten: wheat flour, rye flour, sunflower pits, lupine Gries
  • Feta Dodoni with PDO from Greece
    • No1 feta in Greece
    • Superior taste award - awarded by the International Taste and Quality Institute based in Brussels 2018 3 stars
    • PDO
    • Agrocert
    • Pasteurized sheep and goat milk
    • POC/683-10443.06
    • QR code that goes to dodoni.nl
    • Epirus
    • Kostaki str 41500 Ioannina Greece
    • Fresh milk from farmers arrives every day in Ioannina, even from the most distant and isolated parts of Epirus. From there, the taste of Epirus travels through its products to 46 countries around the world.
  • Goats cheese
    • "Van Nederlandse Bodem" = "from dutch soil"
  • Lemon balm (citroenmelisse) from Zuid-Oost Amsterdam
    • plant passport number: NL479577870
    • tuinoptafel.nl
    • NL-BIO-01
    • NL landbouw
    • barcode 8713024011397
  • Broccoli
  • Soy sauce
    • Made in Chiang Rai, north Thailand
    • Barcode: 871174135479
  • Vierge Sesame oil
    • not wrapped in plastic
  • Lemon
    • Produced in California
    • Barcode: 3245270000665
  • Pepper
  • Walnuts (not roasted)
    • walnuts, in general, grow mainly in France, India, and the U.S.
    • they are on the bonus: from 2.85 to 2.69
    • trees are around 30m high
    • barcode: 8718906502222
    • Notification: little children can choke in nuts
    • they are on the bonus: from 2.85 to 2,.9
    • recommended to consume in a bowl with a wine/beer + the evening can begin
    • https://www.ah.nl/producten/product/wi397907/ah-ongebrande-walnoten
  • Amandelen, pecannoten, pistachenoten, macadamianoten, walnoten:
    • Sommige noten blijken waterverslinders te zijn, terwijl ze groeien in gebiedenwaar relatief minder water beschikbaar is. Uiterlijk in 2020 zullen wij samen met onze leveranciers van eigen merk amandelen, pecannoten, pistachenoten, macadamianoten en walnoten- producten de water-gerelateerde risico’s geïnventariseerd hebben en waar nodig vervolgstappen gedefinieerd hebben.
    • Alle noten verwerkt in hoger risico landen:
    • Bovendien moeten vanaf 2020 alle noten afkomstig uit hoog risico landen (als gedefinieerd door de Business Social Compliance Initative – BSCI) een social compliance audit hebben.
    • the “okkernoot,” that's the same thing. By the way, the word walnut means “strange nut.” The Gauls got to know the nut species through the Celts, and we still use the name they gave it today.
    • Bij Albert Heijn staat er geen land van herkomst op. Maar het zou wel eens China kunnen zijn, wereldwijd de grootste producent van walnoten.”
    • Common walnut was part of the ancient Chinese flora too; 14C-dated leaf fossils and carbonized nuts found in Shandong and Hebei provinces were ca. 7,335 ± 100 years old.
  • Spinach bio/organic van biologische oorsprong
    • 200g
    • expires on 26-07-2021
    • Barcode: 8718906111097
    • packaged in plastic
    • NL-Bio-01


Fake and smoked chicken wraps https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/wraps-ingredients-origins

Item name - Packaging location - Brand - Country - Information number

  • Smoked chicken - Zaandam - AH - the Netherlands - ?
  • Vegetarian pulled chicken - Zaandam - AH - ? - ?
  • Black beans - (Eindhoven) - Bonduelle


ReLearn Disclaimer: The format of Relearn allowed for spontaneous and non-guided exercises that were not necessarily directed by the organizers. During Relearn, we did not strictly follow the above script. Instead, we cooked together and shared many meals, while drawing attention to conversations around the source of our ingredients and the journey they make to arrive on our plates. Below is one example or a recipe that we followed together, accompanied by photos of the meal we shared in two different locations in Rotterdam: Ook Huis and Bollenpandje. All the ingredients for the recipe were bought from the supermarket Amazing Oriental, with the exception of the vegan chorizos that are from Albert Heijn.


Vegan Tamales

FFor 20 tamales you will need:

For the dough:

  • 4 cups of pandan rice, origin: Thailand brand: Dynasty Jasmine Rice
  • 4 cloves of garlic (if you want more you can add), origin: China brand: X
  • 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, origin: Packed in Liverpool brand: KTC Coconut Oil
  • Salt to taste, origin: Netherlands,Danish brand: Jozo

For the filling:

  • 12 tomatoes, peeled and diced, origin: Netherlands, brand: AO
  • 2 red onions chopped, origin: Netherlands, brand: AO
  • 2 or 3 bunches of green onions or long onions (approximately 1 and 1/2 cups), origin: Netherlands, brand: AO
  • 2 teaspoons cumin or to taste, origin: India, brand: TRS
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric, origin: India, brand: TRS
  • Salt to taste, origin: Netherlands,Danish brand: Jozo
  • 6 sliced ​​potatoes (approximately) I have previously cooked them with salt but not completely. origin: Netherlands, brand: AO
  • 5 carrots, sliced, origin: Netherlands, brand: AO
  • Green olives to taste, origin: Italy, brand: Castellino
  • Vegan chorizos (we used six chorizos), origin: Krupka, Czech Republic or Haifa, Israel (according to their website) brand: Garden Gourmet
  • 1 1/2 cups of previously cooked chickpeas, origin: U.S., brand: Goya
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil for the sauce, origin: Italy and Spain, brand: Sansa

For the wrapping:

  • 3 packages of frozen banana leaves, origin: Thailand, brand: City fresh
  1. ↑ Akil Scafe-Smith, “Going Banana, Becoming Plantain,” THE FUNAMBULUST, August 27, 2020, https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/politics-of-food/going-banana-becoming-plantain-by-akil-scafe-smith
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