Cornelis Van Leeuwen and Gerard Seguin: “The Concept of Terroir in Viticulture"

Soil, climate, process, culture...what are the environmental and human impacts on the ultimate quality of wine?

--Brent W.

Charles L. Sullivan: Napa Wine: A History from Mission Days to the Present

Missionaries established a system north along the west coast. San Diego was established in 1769; San Francisco in 1823 (click here for a timeline). With them came the first grape designated for wine making in California: the Mission grape.

--Brent W.

Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson: The World Atlas of Wine

Call me a geek, but this is one of my favorite books. It features amazingly detailed cartography and highlights a handful of the world's top producers.

--Brent W.

Stephen Rannekleiv: “Review of the Industry: Future of the California Wine Industry"

What is the future of the wine industry in California? Is it in the famous Napa Valley, or in the expansive vineyards that stretch across the irrigated fields of the Central Valley? What becomes of inexpensive California wine in a world flooded with inexpensive wine from vigorous competitors like Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Chile?

--Brent W.

Amy B. Trubek: “Chapter Three: California Dreaming" in The Taste of Place

Trubek introduces the cultural phenomena that surround the concept of terroir. Is it strictly French, or can the United States also achieve this elusive marker of quality? What is that quality, anyway? Note: On the left is a quote from Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon (Santa Cruz Mountains), where we will travel in August.

--Brent W.

Cesar Chavez: "The Organizer's Tale"

Chavez is a significant leader for farmworker rights.

--Brent W.

J. V. Palerm: "A season in the life of a migrant farm worker in California"

This is a harrowing story of personal challenge. Immigrant labor is key to the success of California agriculture. Click here to hear a song by Tom Russell focusing on some aspects of the Mexican immigrant experience.

--Brent W.

Sydney Mintz: “Food and Diaspora”

How do you compare Lucy Long and Sydney Mintz' approaches to food as representations and products of culture? What is the significance of geography for Mintz?

--Brent W.

Pacific Fishery Management Council: Readings on Fish Types

It is important to recognize the stringent controls the Pacific Fishery Management Council places on the harvest of fish--really the hunting of fish.

--Brent W.

Marcia Gagliardi: “The Abalone Rangers”

Abalone is one of the most treacherous sea creatures to harvest. Due to extensive overfishing, it is also one of the most protected fisheries in California.

--Brent W.

John Steinbeck: Cannery Row.

“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” Now it is also a tourist attraction and home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

--Brent W.

Greig Tor Guthey, Lauren Gwin, and Sally Fairfax: “Creative Preservation in California's Dairy Industry"

Land conservation, agricultural community, and food quality intersect in this article. The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) is a leader in the effort to preserve open agricultural space through the purchase of development rights. Link to MALT's website here.

--Brent W.

Lucy Long: “Culinary Tourism: A Folkloristic Perspective on Eating and Otherness,” from Culinary Tourism.

We do not have to travel far to find the foreign, or "other," expressed in food. Long lays out a system of definitions that describe the experience of culinary tourism and notes the methods of negotiation a person may employ to navigate difference.

Brent W.

Erving Goffman: "On Fieldwork."

Goffman's ideas on participant observation serve as a model for our note taking as we visit sites during this class and later in California.

Brent W.

Marcel Mazoyer and Laurence Roudart: A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis.

How about those production disparity ratios? It is amazing to note how much agricultural technology has accelerated in just a brief amount of time, and how vastly different systems now operate alongside each other.

Brent W.

Gail Feenstra and Christopher Lewis: “Farmers’ markets offer new business opportunities for farmers.” California Agriculture.

One of the most important concerns farmers have is how to get their products to market. Farmers' markets are one option, but the model doesn't work for everyone.

Brent W.

David Vaught: “More than Manufacturing,” in Cultivating California

The horticultural possibilities in California are amazing--the state has a strong history of agricultural diversity and specialized produce.

Brent W.

Alex F. McCalla and Warren E. Johnston: “Whither California Agriculture: Up, Down, or Out? Some Thoughts about the Future.”

California agriculture has a lot in its favor, but limited natural resources and pressure from growing urban centers make the future uncertain. Behold, the mighty San Joaquin Valley!

Brent W.

Paul Roberts: Chapter Two in The End of Food

This is a fascinating picture of R&D and marketing on a global scale.

Brent W.

Paul Roberts: Prologue in The End of Food

The End of Food? That's quite an ominous title! Is it appropriate to talk about the food system with such heavy language? What do you think?

Brent W.

Blog Comment Assignment

Hello Class,

This blog is a means for us to share ideas about the readings. Your participation by way of posting comments following a specific format (a description of the format follows) will be evaluated as part of your final grade. Of course, you are welcome to go beyond the required number of comments. Hopefully you will find this to be a creative and fun way to communicate!

ASSIGNMENT
The blog comment assignment is worth a total of ten points.

Over the duration of the class you are expected to post a minimum of five comments; each comment is worth up to two points.

Each comment you post must refer to one specific reading from class. You may not make multiple comments concerning one reading. Your comment should follow a particular format:

1) Select a quote from the reading that you believe captures an important idea from the piece. Enter this quote, indicating the author, the source, and the page number (if a page number is available).

2) Explain in three to five sentences how this quote represents the reading.

3) Explain your impression of the entire reading in five to seven sentences. Do you agree or disagree with the author? What did you find to be provoking or challenging about the piece?

4) Sign your name in the comment, using your first name and last initial.

You are welcome to post more free-form comments as long as you post five following this format.

Brent W.

[Link to the course website here.]