Author Archives: Isabella

Smorgasburg Blog- Isabella Velasquez

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On Sunday November 6, I attended the Smorgasburg festival in Brooklyn, Ny. When I first arrived i felt the environment as packed and a bit stuffy, however i also felt the wonderful essence from all the different kinds of food. It was overwhelming at first considering the fact that this was my first time attending, yet i had no idea what item to eat first. I first took a look around before i decided to buy anything. I remember as i walked i saw how much diversity this exact festival had to offer, and it was amazing. It had been a great experience watching all the different nationalities brought together by food. As i continued walking i came across a little table not too far from the entrance. It was decorated in beautiful Asian patterning. The drapes behind the table tied in nicely with the aroma of a fresh fruit smell. This presentation immediately caught my eye, so i knew i had to stop and see what this mysterious table had to offer. I take a look inside this small booth and i see a small Asian Woman with a sweet smile. I had complimented her on her decorations and she smiled back. As i kept looking around i see these small apple looking plates. I asked the woman what it was and she said “Apple KImchi”. First bite into this and it had a sweet yet spicy taste, however while chewing the sweetness from the apple kicks in adding a flavorful blend. As of result i enjoyed it so much i ended up buying two pieces.
As the festival came to an end, i realized all that i missed out on over the years. This whole time living in this city and had no idea of this festival. This was by far an excellent idea to come and experience great food. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to spend a day exploring new things, come to Smorgasburg and enjoy some great food.

Field Trip Blog- Isabella Velasquez

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Sustainability can be best defined as the process to continue a defined behavior indefinitely. In other words to continue the definite works of nature without causing harm to the environment. On October 21, 2016 our class observed this by traveling to the roof top garden at the Brooklyn Navy Yards. We observed the many crops that were grown. As a class we learned how sustainability works and how to prevent harm to the environment.This was trip was both entertaining and educational. Many of the ideas Professor Krondl’s colleague explained and demonstrated, were also discussed in Michael Pollan’s article,”Big food strikes back”. Pollan primarily discusses the idea that it has been brought to the public’s attention, that our agricultural system is experiencing many defaults causing harm for the environment and potential economic risks. For instance Pollan illustrates that our current agricultural system is consequently causing various greenhouses to produce harm in our society. Not only is it causing the environment it is also causing a decline in our economy. This is demonstrated in the article when Pollan states “it’s creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices”. This evidence suggests that with these risks we as community should work together to prevent greenhouse gasses from harming our society.
Consequently, greenhouse gasses are causing harm, but with the knowledge our class acquired from the trip we can work together to help this environment. I believe that sustainability in our crops and farmland can be possible.