Outside-in or Inside-out?

By Anonymous -

Hand print of a bacteria culture. Link is to common germs however, I'm using it to connect to the Saberi section on human cultures


After reading the Saberi piece, one of the most interesting concepts that arose was that human cultures and the cultures of our own biology: an interesting dualism I wouldn't have ever thought of. The premise of the article itself is interesting: the intersection of where religion and biology meet.The fact that the bacteria involved with making cheese can be found on some people's skin is so unheard of. It makes me think more about the culture of microbes. 

Over the winter break I read a book on the significance of microbes and bacteria in our lives and it supports the concept of a human culture's culture, and actually takes it a step further. Each individual has a unique microbial makeup inside and out of our bodies, from birth, if naturally delivered we receive our mother's microbes preparing us for life. Another interesting factoid from that book that Saberi reminded me of how if someone's diet changes significant, for example, the decision to become a vegetarian, then the microbial colonies within us adapt over time to sustain us. If that's the case - then where does the argument of internal superiority originate from? How can wine transcend Jews to the "others" while no unto others? If it's simply biology then there is a flaw. 

At this point it seems like I'm just talking about the scientific aspect of this concept, but the concept of microbes and science could be likened to God's presence. He is always around us and within us, however we cannot see him or feel him. He's present in food rich in aged decadence; if thinking about the food we ingest akin to faithfulness: the more we labor into our food and the more time and dedication could connect to the time and faithfulness to God and the labor his followers put into their devotion of him. 

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausMarch 7, 2018 at 12:04 PM

    Nice. I especially like and agree with your last sentence. Preparing, serving, and eating food can be a labor of love, a devotional act - which is why Rabbenu Bahya says that eating meals with the right intention is a kind of divine service or worship, equivalent to the holy work the priests did in the Temple.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 9, 2018 at 2:33 PM

    I particularly like your comment about how infants receive their mother's microbes through birth. That is something I had never heard of but it makes sense that after being protected for nine months that the mother would still be protecting her infant by passing on important microbes to protect the immune system. This also reminded me of how in most whale species, there are species of whale lice that are species specific because they are passed down from mother to calf during birth. By passing the same species of whale lice down, the mother protects her calf from other whale lice species and also is able to benefit the lice as it's genes also get passed down. This relationship continues to be passed down and repeats its cycle just like in humans.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirping, f
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was
Read more