I watched recently as Joy thumbed through her over-stuffed binder of recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines, and I found myself thinking that our new iPad would be a great way to store and catalog recipes in the future.
But Joy would never make that conversion to digital. Her binder works just fine. She likes clipping the recipes and physically flipping the pages. She prefers an analog lifestyle to a digital one.
The word analog in audio and photographic recording means there is a direct physical method of converting and storing data. Photographic film is analog. Vinyl records are analog. There is a direct transfer of data. Digital recording is different. It converts the information into zeros and ones and then recreates it later.
Having grown up with 45s and 33s, I distinctly remember when I first heard of the amazing new digital recording technology in the 1980s. The first digital recording I bought was “Bop til You Drop” by Ry Cooder.
After the digital novelty wore off, audiophiles realized that the old analog recordings were better. They had more depth. Classical music fans especially preferred records over cds for the quality of sound.
I think Joy believes that real food is analog. The nutrients are stored in the plant and then transferred directly to your analog body when you eat them. Simple.
Chemical re-creation of nature is more like digital technology trying to re-create something with zeros and ones. Pills don’t replace plants. Artificial sweeteners are just what they say – artificial.
As with digital recording, the chemical re-creation of nature seems appealing at first, but it can’t really replace or improve upon thousands of years of analog eating by our species.
"Better living through chemistry"? I don't think so. How about "better living through nature."
Hmm, there was a time that Better Living through Chemistry woudl have applied to me (but not in the food way!) Have been out of the blogshpere as Brian was in LA working on the oil spill stuff for work (lets talk abotu disaster of epic proportions) and he took my laptop. Which is where I read all my blogs from. So my sweet peas and sugar snap peas are slowly coming in - Liam and eat them before we can even make it inside, though! I have tomatoes and cukes and hopefully potatoes coming up. Tomatoes are seeded from last years!! My herbs are doing well - cilantro is seeding - want to make garam masala (sp)but a little intimated. My CSA is giving me lots of greens - got any ideas?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great garden! Our peas are almost done, but our green beans are coming along, and we have lots of green tomatoes. And yesterday we had our first black raspberries - I remember Liam thought they were rather good when you guys visited a couple of years back.
ReplyDeleteFor the greens, sauté an onion in olive oil, then add any combination of greens that you have washed and chopped - cook the chopped stems of chard with the onions first. Throw the greens in with just the water drops still on their leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir well, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes. I like them quite soft. You can stir in a little balsamic vinegar at the end if you like. Then stir them into rice or pasta, or serve them as a side dish. See the March post I Love Greens for more info.
"Bop 'Til You Drop" is on my desert island disc list. Remember? Arlington Arbiters rule!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't know where that puts me on the digital/analog divide. I like to think I will use technology when it is useful, not just because it is there.
Just got more greens this am from my CSA - will attempt this tomorrow! And maybe even try your potato and kale soup? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou could also see the May post on peanut sauce for another description on cooking greens (mustard and collard) and maybe try out the peanut sauce. It hides the flavor of the greens, but it's really good.
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