Rita Walker (Blog Five):  By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris

Food waste is both a moral and survival concern.  We need to remember where the food we consume comes from.

http://news.mit.edu/2014/engineers-design-living-materials

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/compost-pilot-downtown-kitchener-ontario-1.5225440

https://www.biogasworld.com/companies/bio-en-power-inc/

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kn8ew/the-ethics-of-hunting-seals

“You’re so good at anatomy,” Zsofia says as she looks at her posture in a mirror.  “I should have taken massage therapy like you did instead of that two weekend personal training course.”

“You were too busy with your Naturopathy course,” Rita replies.  “Draw in your lower abs by your pelvis to stabilize and stretch up.  You have fantastic posture as always.”

“Do you think Mother Earth will ever have perfect posture?”

Rita has to contemplate Zsofia’s question.  She realizes perfect posture represents the melding of nature with technology.  “Mother Earth is always changing, evolving.  Now technology is evolving closer to nature.  Engineers have started experimenting making computer parts with living material.”

“I agree with you, Nature will always find a way to return,” Zsofia says.  “What I’m interested in currently is the reuse of food we all waste at restaurants.”

“That’s true we waste so much of life on our dinner plates,” Rita says as they walk towards the change room.

“There’s some hope there,” Zsofia says with a smile.  “Years ago the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Area initiated a pilot program that sends waste food from restaurants to Bio En Power in Elmira.  Bio En Power turns the food waste into biogas that’s used for fertilizer.”

“We still need to decrease the waste.”  Rita opens her designated locker and passes Zsofia her duffel bag.   “Especially meat.  People need to respect that what they are eating used to be alive.”

“Dogs, cats, birds of prey, bears, and numerous other animals and mammals eat meat Rita.”

“I’m not suggesting people stop eating meat just respect it.  Perhaps the custom no longer exists but the Inuit used to pour water from their mouths into the mouth of a seal they killed—in thankfulness for the seal giving up its life.  Every part of the seal was used for either food or clothing.”

“It will be hard not to waste that much food,” Zsofia says as they walk to the parking lot.  “We inspect the food we eat, we choose what we want to eat, and if we’re no longer hungry at a restaurant we either take a doggy bag or it ends up as waste.”

“Someday we’ll just have to accept what’s available instead of demanding that everything be available at all times.”  Rita gives Zsofia a hug.  “I’m looking forward to you doing a guest lecture.”

“Soon,” Zsofia promises.

Rita contemplates their conversation as she watches Zsofia drive away.