Kintsugi Farm

Aluminum leaf and contemporary Kintsugi methods. Sold as a set. Not food safe. 

First Thoughts:  I didn’t realize the way I grew up was unique till I moved away for college. We had a huge garden and my father hunted deer so the vast majority of our food came off of the property. Gardening though is no joke in terms of time. There is just a little gap between November and February, the end of harvest and the beginning of seed mapping, when the garden isn’t a major focus so I really get why humanity went from for the time saving features of farming. And we have farmers all around the world to thank for the variety of foods available today. However, I’m quite certain that some farming has gone to extremes which are not mutually beneficial. Pesticides, GMO’s, labor treatment, small farms getting gobbled up by larger ones and fresh foods not being made equally accessible to everyone all come to mind as just some issues within the food industry. One thing that surprised me a lot when I moved to Japan was how much people were still gardening. I lived in a town of about 30k so expected maybe one community garden where a few people would participate but actually the case was that on the edge of town, there was a massive area divided up into lots and families with business and full time jobs would have their little veritable gardens they would tend to. I also saw a tiny watermelon for $25 in the grocery store. I never asked if the reason people had gardens was to be in contact with nature or to save money but I remember how my boss would beam telling me the fig or daikon radish she would share with me sometimes came from the family garden. The relationship to food at how it shapes society is certainly worthy of repair. I feel very luck to be from the Moscow, Idaho area where we have an incredible farmers market and so many community oriented local farmers who really care about providing nutrition and goodness.

Second Thoughts:  Thank you to all the growers and makers out there who swim against the tide to make fresh and nutritious food available.

Last Thoughts:  Another thing I recall from living briefly in Japan is that before any meal, my bosses would say a phrase that they said was meant to thank all the hands worked for us to have the meal like the farmers etc. I looked it up and Wikipedia’ gave me “Itadakimasu (いただきます) is a Japanese phrase that translates ‘to humbly receive’. Often said before eating a meal, the phrase is used as a way of showing gratitude and respect for everyone and everything that made the meal in front of you possible.” It’s such a nice sentiment.