Creativity Lab Report #8: Plants on the table and in your mind
Hello, e-friends!! We've missed you over the past few weeks! We're on the last stretch with our latest cookbook and are also starting to "cook" our next creative venture!
This report is all about food, hard work and determination, and we'll start with one of the world's 50 best chefs and holder of three Michelin stars and four New York Times stars for his restaurant Eleven Madison Park, Daniel Humm.
One of the greatest chefs in America finds purpose in plants
We've never been too upscale in the way we eat, as we tend to gravitate towards raw ingredients and simple preparations. However, when a restaurant like Eleven Madison Park goes plantbased, you start saving money and making travel plans. We've only been to a 3-Michelin-star restaurant once, and it felt more like going to the theatre than going for dinner, as it is more a performance than it is a meal!
If you fall into the "foodie" category, you must listen to this conversation with Daniel Humm. It talks about excellence and how to achieve it, and explains how you can only reach the highest levels through hardship. Humm also mentions how to find enjoyment through those challenging times while acknowledging that "you need to achieve mastery in the traditional practices before you can attempt to break the rules."
Chef Humm explains in the podcast the reasoning behind his decision to go fully plantbased at Eleven Madison Park, against all odds. I have no doubt that this place will leave all attendees in awe, not only because of the food but also because of the pleasure of watching everyone move around the dining floor in perfect synchrony, hearing the hidden stories behind each course and slowing down to deconstruct the flavours in every bite!
Book: This Is Your Mind on Plants
We've been Michael Pollan fans for a while; we admire his curiosity and relate to his way of questioning the world around us. You probably remember him from his bestseller, "The Omnivores Dilemma" and the Netflix series "Cooked." His latest book, "This Is Your Mind on Plants," was so engaging that we couldn't put it down. It's intriguing, eye-opening and full of social and political conundrums!
As mentioned in the book's introduction, humans rely on plants for a wide range of things, including sustenance, beauty, medicine, flavour, fibre, and to stimulate or calm. Almost all cultures on Earth have discovered at least one plant or fungus in their environments, which alters consciousness in various ways. Yet nothing about drugs is straightforward, as our plant taboos are entirely arbitrary or politically established. For example, coffee and tea, which have demonstrated their value to capitalism in many ways, are far from being prohibited and currently consumed by around 90% of all adult humans, making it the most used psychoactive drug in the world. While certain psychedelics, which are no more toxic than caffeine and less addictive, have been regarded as a threat to social norms and institutions. The book also explores the many grey areas of the law regarding plants like poppies and peyote.
This book explores the three broad categories of psychoactive compounds: opium as the downer, caffeine as the upper and mescaline as the "outer." Scientifically speaking, a sedative, stimulant and hallucinogen; and how they can benefit us and our culture by treating or preventing various illnesses, stimulating the imagination and nourishing creativity. The obvious follow-up is Pollan's previous publication, "How to Change Your Mind. What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence."
Local biz
The Terroir Symposium is back! It is an excellent opportunity to connect with professionals in the culinary industry and stay on top of the food trends. The theme for this year is "Recovery and resilience," and it examines ways for building a better culinary industry model for the future!
The 2021 online program will take place on November 8-17th and includes 24 inspiring sessions, over 80 presenters, virtual cooking demos, workshops and a surprise Terroir box. Use this coupon code: TerroirTalk to get a special discount.
Live Well Collection update
Take a little peek at week #6 and week #7 of our cookbook photoshoots. At that point, the exhaustion started being more present, but as we got closer to the end, the excitement of seeing it all come to life kept us going! Those two weeks included our cover shot, vibrant salads and power bowls, all of my favourites! We also visited Loco Fields for an energizing farm tour, which definitely helped lift our spirits!
Quote
Meditation advises not getting attached to things or emotions, to just acknowledge them and let them go. Obviously, that is easier said than done. We're starting to believe that there are no good or bad experiences, only lessons that are easier or more difficult to understand but that we must go through to keep growing. Our current self is a collection of our previous experiences, the good and the bad, so let's just be thankful for our journeys! Remember that none of us know what we're doing or where we'll be tomorrow, so be kind!
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards" – Steve Jobs.
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