Hello

It isn’t easy to get cool enough to sleep, which leads to a fair amount of time during which my thoughts spiral down. Sorry, not sorry, to share here.

We’re Doomed

I don’t want to be a downer, but a report from IGD, entitled Thriving in a Volatile World, reminded me I am one.

The report’s headline conclusion is that 91 per cent of respondents to a survey “thought food system risk had risen during the previous 12 months”. No shit, Sherlock.

The IGD is the Institute of Grocery Distribution, “an education and training charity for the food and grocery industry undertaking research for the benefit of the public,” with a budget of almost £20 million in 2024. It is basically a lobbying organisation for the food industry in the UK. Its alarming survey identified 10 major risks, ranging from Geopolitics at no. 1 to Opaque supply chain at no. 10. And it comes with insightful advice:

“For food businesses, reacting to disruption is no longer enough. Organisations must anticipate change, invest in capability, and build supply chains that can withstand shocks, adapt quickly and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

There isn’t time. Let me just mention a few things.

• Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb are still closed.
• Oil prices have remained remarkably steady as countries draw down on strategic reserves. In the US, reserves are less than half their peak. That cannot last.
• Fertilisers and the raw materials to make fertilisers are not being traded and prices are high.
• A record-breaking El Niño is forecast for next year.
• Food production will drop, no doubt about it. Prices are already high. They will rise further.

So yes, by all means organisations (and maybe governments too), go ahead and anticipate change. You’ve had at least 50 years notice.

Not That Lotus

Plant names are often a mystery, and of course with The Odyssey on my mind I wanted the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) to be the lotus (or λωτός if you prefer). It isn’t, of course, and Botany One, stronger than me, resists the temptation to ride the current wave in its Plant of the Week.

In fact, sacred lotus probably has more right to be in this newsletter than any possibly mythical plant that has never been positively identified. For one thing, the entire plant is edible, from root to nuts; not actually nuts but seeds. I’m told fresh lotus root is especially tasty. Botany One’s map suggests I might possibly be able to rectify that, which would be a relief from the heat.

Why the common name in English is lotus remains a mystery. All the sources are happy to explain that Nelumbo is derived from the Sinhalese name while nucifera is simply nut-bearing. Sacred acknowledges its role in ancient cultures and religions. But lotus? No clue.

Biryani in Depth

Another day, another dish examined in detail. This time, The Shared Culinary History of Biryani by Maryam Ahmad in Goya magazine.

I’ve always been partial to a biryani myself, and have even ventured to make a version a few times, though not lately. Having read the piece, I might never attempt it again. A rapid-fire history of South Asian cooking, rather than solely the biryani, because as the piece acknowledges the dishes that go by that name are many and various. As a result, you will not find anything like a recipe to make even one kind of biryani. I do have questions. For example, are paella and risotto really mutations of biryani, or might they rather be examples of parallel evolution? Answers please, if you have them.

A Love Letter to August in Italy

Jess Fanzo has written a lovely piece celebrating the quiet of ferragosto: “not just a holiday here … a cultural instruction to stop”.

She goes back into the history, starting with Augustus in 18 BCE, and comes forward through the fascist era to today, when “cities empty out and the familiar noise recedes”. More than that, though, Jess thinks about what rest means, especially in a world that seems to value only “productivity, optimization, improvement, momentum. Initiative!”.

I think that is why Ferragosto feels so beautiful to me. It is not only because it is old, or because it is Italian, or because it comes with delicious meals and long afternoons. It is because it honors a truth we keep trying to outrun in that our bodies need recovery, that seasons need pause, and that life is not made better by constant striving.

Amen to that. And if you too are fetching around in the heat, or trying to get cool enough to sleep, here, again, is my meditation on ferragosto.

Take care