Week 4/5: Teff Conservation of Ecologial communities continued

Here is another blog post for the remaining questions; 3 and 4. I will continue to write about the journal project soon.

Week 4/5 questions continued:

3) Try a new type of food-maybe a grain other than wheat, rice or corn. Did you like it? How does eating different grains maintain biodiversity?

I have always been curious about trying different foods, but I have been skeptical in the past, since I'm not really sure whether I will like them. Just very recently, I have been 'going against the grain,' to say- I am trying Teff, which is a grain from Etheopia. The size is miniscule, one would wonder how a minute grain could be 'food?' When you cook it, it looks almost like soil because of its' dark color and size, and it creates lumps (this is what I observed when I cooked it). After a while, the mixture can solidify (it's edible and soft) almost like polenta, which was how I ate it. The smell is almost smoky, almost like the smell of freshly cut tree or when I've been in a barn full of hay. The taste-hard to describe but I read somewhere that someone thought it tasted a little like chocolate-but when I tried it-it's taste was deeper than chocolate...like wood? Though it may not be the number one grain on my list, its' one I would refer back to. However, I may try Teff flour sometime. There are so many other grains such as:

• Kamut
• Amaranth
• Farro
• Millet

I have also tried Kiwi berries, which look like mini kiwi fruits but without the requirement of peeling the skin. Personally, I thought they were a little too sweet for my taste. They have them at PCC Natural Market.
Trying new grains, or any variety of foods is exciting-and interesting. It is crucial to maintain the biodiversity of food produces since species diversity plays a role in the biodiversity by providing a range of produces for consumers. Without diversity, there would not be an ecology, which could not function with just one species. Also, different species of foods can help maintain soils and habitats, and helps stabilize the ecological community.

4) What are the pros and cons of keepign animals in a zoo? What is your opinion of zoos?


When I was young, I went to zoos-and saw animals. Zoos provide children (and adults) with an experience of seeing an animal they might have never seen. One of my cousins didn't like going to zoos because the animals were behind bars, in cages. The more I thought about this, the more I agreed with her. However, I agree and support zoos who are very much in favor of conserving, researching and helping protect species. They would also have to have certain large area of land for animals and recreate habitats. Many are now pros, and there are few cons:
Pros:

• Zoos are helping and trying new ways to breed endangered species, research, conserve and protect species from being threatened
• Zoos try to recreate a species ecological niche
• They provide children with a learning experience to not only appreciate, but maybe move future generations to protect species
• zoos are learning more about species and their habits

Cons:

• Species could be in small cages; the area of the cage is relatively small due to lack of funds, or even lack of space for zoos to provide enough space
• Animals are fed by zoo keepers
• There may be a lot of noise by onlookers
• Animals may be suspectible to diseases, and they may also seem depressed at times
• The caged environment doesn't make up for their own habitats

If I was in a cage and I was looking at the onlookers, I would wonder why they were staring at me-but I'm not in a cage-I probably wouldn't like people looking at me...anyway, I have to say I would support zoos solely for their move to protect species, but not when I see animals in a caged environment. And I would gladly support zoos since they could provide children with an experience solely for seeing a fascinating animal and they would becomewide- eyed with fascination.

5) About the Marine Biodiversity Discussion...

I don't really mean to be accusatory when I say this, but I believe the discussion though interesting-veered from the subject couple of times to discussions. Many of what I heard was interesting-especially when I hear about other students' and their expericences and careers in restaurants. However, not everything didn't seem (to me) to correspond with the topic of Marine biodiversit. I was hoping to cover more topics such as pollution, and how climate chage effected seas. Seafood consumption is an important topic of choice, I know because it deals with population and insustainable fishing. I was also wanting to discuss more about what should be done to lessen polllution in seas, unfortunately I don't quite recall everything that was discussed.

I will write about the journal activity soon.
Ciao!