Welcome to FERNs Friday Feed (#FFFHere are the stories that made us stop and reflect on this week’s events.
How to plant millions upon millions of oysters in a single day
Hakai Magazine
How can you inject 24 million baby oysters in a river in just one afternoon? Ally Hirschlag, a conservationist working on a Chesapeake Bay tributary, near Annapolis in Maryland, has a trick. They sluice the oysters from a boat deck with fire hoses. As the 22-meter-long buyboat captain reaches its first drop point on the Severn Rivers Tidal Estuary in August, he signals to the deckhand who holds the hose at his bow. The deckhand points the nozzle at an oyster pile as high as a Christmas tree, as water gushes out of the river. The undersides of each oyster shell are attached with the larvae of the next generation. They then shoot off the deck through several flap doors that were specifically made for this purpose.
The useful illusion that a national cuisine is a national dish
The Atlantic
Reem Kassis writes: My first daughter was delivered in London, but her surroundings quickly felt very Palestinian. My mother had brought me breakfast at 6 a.m. in the morning, after my daughter arrived. ijjehA herb frittata, often made for new mothers, that is stuffed inside a pita and slathered in honey. labneh She stayed by my side. In the afternoon, she returned to my bedside. hilbehA fenugreek and semolina cake, purportedly to increase milk supply. After we returned home, the feast continued: maghlee To celebrate the birth of Jesus, a Caraway Rice Pudding is a good option. Hashweh (a cinnamon-and-nutmeg-infused rice-and-lamb pilaf) for dinner, and TaboonBread on weekends. My childhood meals provided me comfort and also gave me access to my heritage. I was not the only person in my new role of a parent in my adopted country. Six weeks later my mother flew home to Jerusalem, and I found myself in a new home with a newborn. I panicked.
What we write when we write food
T: The New York Times Style Magazine
[W]What is the difference between a food writer and someone who writes about food? Ligaya Mishan writes that the title implies a reduction, as with any genre-separating. [W]Contemporary food writers, and I think I am one, hen a tendency to ignore the bigger issues surrounding the parade on our tables. They focus on the celebration of flavors, but also the exploitation of labor, animal abuse, climate change, homogenization of cuisines and cultures under globalization, and systemic injustices that allow millions to go hungry each year. They insist that food shouldn’t be politicized. Food is universal, food unites us. Let us eat our cake in peace.
The stunning Japanese citrus that is everywhere!
Atlas Obscura
Florentyna Lee writes that the tachibana is only one of two native citruses to Japan. The other is the Okinawan Shequasar. Officially listed as an endangered species by the Ministry of the Environment the tachibana is almost invisible and yet is everywhere. It is often found on 500-yen coins or as a miniature tree at the Girls Festival dolls displays. Many Japanese have never had the pleasure of tasting a tachibana.
Is it possible to inherit taste?
Taste
I was born in Korea, the exact date and year are unknown. I was raised for two years in an orphanage, most likely Seoul, by Kate Telfeyan. My first memories of food and the years before my adoption and my arrival in America are now lost. I had no way to know the origins of my taste preferences so this discovery of my affinity for spice was a small clue to help me solve the puzzle: How much of my palate is my own and how much is an outside influence. Is this a reactivation or a new discovery in my taste buds?