The Trough

I’ve been looking at places to live. Most new builds I’ve visited are being designed without defined eating spaces. Lounge and dinning room homogenized into a space for the sofa and the one way conversation of the television. The Table is the western tool used to catalyse communal eating, providing personal space, distance and a plinth for the daily feast. Of course no table is complete without chairs.

The kitchen table

It was hardly surprising that the humble table was mentioned in the introduction to a day of talks about food. I had got up at 6am to travel to Oxford, the title of the talks was instantly captivating, ‘Thought for Food: the Ethics of Eating’.
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Dinner for your enemy

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A law? What a way to get us thinking about the meat we eat.

I’m really interested to see how this project, by John O’Shea, will develop.  When I’ve bought it up in conversation it has initially sparked agreement, and then, on further consideration, worry of what that actually means for each of us.  I can’t help but think of of the scenes from ‘Our Daily Bread’ depicting mass production of animals for meat and how that would be changed if we took responsibility for even one.

Quoted from http://www.meatlicence.org.uk/?q=node/1

*DRAFT Meat Licencing Act*

It is against the law to purchase or consume meat, in the UK, without an appropriate licence.

Every citizen in the U.K., wishing to purchase or consume meat, is required, by law, to obtain an appropriate licence.

It is through a specific and supervised engagement in the act of killing an animal, that citizens will obtain their meat licence.

Licences are available in 3 categories:

1. Seafood & Fish, 2. Poultry and Game, 3. Quadrapeds

17.4.2009 (Beta Version 1.6)

Aside from the there are a great selection of videos and conversation going on. I’ve learnt about what a prokarytarian is, but struggle to believe it’s possible but… I like this video about automatic pizza.

After years of interest I decided to take the plunge and go find out about wild England. We stayed in Hooke park in Dorset. I first heard about it through The Architectural Association who own the space. Building all sorts of interesting floating building and timber framed havens.

Building me a shelter.

We built shelters and mad fire with sticks. Slept amongst the stars and wondered around the forest. In terms of food I was sad not to be able to cook everyday, and seriously missed being able to create things. They used a collection of pans and pots that they had collected around the world. Some of which looked very similar to those used in old English cookery. Like the pojkie ( forgot to get an image of it but here is one from http://www.hark.com.au/SmallPojkiePot.html)

pojkie

They also had dutch ovens, which are similar looking heavy iron pots that sit over embers. They also have a lid with a rim that you can stack embers on top of giving a surrounding heat that cooks the contents.  It’s much harder to control the temperature so it’s best just to cook things quite slowly this way.  most pots have a cauldron style handle that you can use to hang over a fire to speed up the process. Very practical things.
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Goodness it’s magic. Nature easily brings London to a stand still.

Regents Canal