Category Archives: Cornell University

by | April 15, 2012 · 12:22 pm

Foreign Hospitality

by Andrew Luzmore, Cornell University

Following an arduous eight days in the south of Italy characterized by numerous misbooked accommodations and non-functioning credit cards, my friend and I found ourselves in Amsterdam on the final day of our summer trip. Content to never hear another “Grazie” or “Prego” again in our lives, we walked across the tarmac to the terminal of Schiphol Airport. It was cold and wet outside, and although we were still wearing shorts and t-shirts, the inclement Amsterdam weather provided a welcome respite from the intense Italian sun, as rain drizzled down and hit our tired, sunburnt legs. Continue reading →

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by | February 16, 2012 · 9:07 pm

The Nasty Bits

by Andrew Luzmore, Cornell University

It is a central irony in high-end restaurants that those who prepare the food often never taste the fruits of their labor. With the exception of those involved in conceptualizing and creating the menu, the majority of the work force, consisting mainly those of Latin American, West African or Southeast Asian extraction, rarely have the means to dine at the restaurants in which they devote their lives. Instead, daily sustenance in the restaurant in which I spent my summer was taken from the quotidian tradition of the family meal: a meal made by a single cook on a rotational basis for the entire staff using whatever is lying around, and more importantly, cheap. Although considered a necessary evil by some because of the rushed and sometimes careless fashion in which it is put together, for most the family meal serves as a mechanism to share in the culinary traditions of others and a much-needed outlet to unwind after a long shift. Continue reading →

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by | February 1, 2012 · 8:43 pm

On Eating Alone

Andrew Luzmore, Cornell University

Feeding oneself is a topic that often stirs anxiety among college students. For many, it is a question of what they will eat. Will there be a vegetarian option? They expect me to eat that? However, for most it is a question of with whom. Logistically speaking, we college students tend to eat 3-4 meals a day and taking into account varying schedules and the limited Rolodex of potential dining companions a first-semester freshman can have, chances are every now and then you’re going to be eating some of your meals alone. Continue reading →

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by | January 17, 2012 · 5:31 pm

Food Matters

Andrew Luzmore, Cornell University

Does it?

Four months ago I sat in my first lecture of college listening to a man proudly sporting a necktie covered with images of corn. ”It always comes down to food,” he said, pointing to a portrait of a family gathered around a dinner table.

In my coursework this first semester as an Agricultural Sciences student here at Cornell, I have participated in a series of events and experiences dedicated to exploring the many of the fundamentals of food and agriculture. As a self-professed “city kid” with little farm experience, the subsequent trips to animal and vegetable farms, processing plants, CSAs and Farmers’ Markets have reshaped much of my understanding of the system by which food gets from farm to table. Aside from becoming the eventual impetus to begin writing this column, this exposure caused me to reconsider and question many of the basic perceptions I have about food, the main one being, “Why do we eat?” Continue reading →

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