Deputy Director, Cornell Institute for Behavioral Economics and Consumer Choice
In Good Taste
A TEALEAVES FOOD SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
Foreword by Michiel Bakker
LEADER OF GOOGLE'S FOOD @ WORK PROGRAM
We sometimes make them thoughtfully, intentionally, based on our food beliefs and we will go out of our way to get what we want, need or crave. At other times, it might truly just be an impulsive or unconscious pick. Food choices do matter however as they make an impact on our own personal health, vitality and happiness as well as the health of the planet we share with each other.
We, the consumers are becoming increasingly more interested in and knowledgeable about the various dimensions of our food, food systems and the impact of our food choices. Think about health considerations, macro and micro nutrients, sustainability, equity questions, biodiversity and food cultures just to name a few: there are so many elements to consider these days. But the key drivers of our food choices are actually price, convenience (including accessibility) and most importantly, taste. What and who is driving and influencing taste? That is what this documentary is all about. Hear from a diverse group of experts on the complexity of taste. Bon appétit.
“I feel like the Western diet has never come to terms with this land space and has never really been accepting of all this wonderful biodiversity.”
CHEF SEAN SHERMAN
In Good Taste illuminates the unsustainable consequences of our monoculturalistic desires, including the homogenization of food, diet, and thought.
In a world where we celebrate caviar and foie gras as the pinnacle of luxury and forego the goodness that sprouts up at our feet, the hidden costs are more than the price itself. The solution to reclaiming our own tastes points to biodiversity (and more generally, diversity) as a solution, celebrating the complexity of diversity.
Roots of the Project
Six years ago, we decided to take a deep dive into palate and explore the importance of each facet of the palate experience. To us, as blenders, we have always defined palate as color, aroma and taste, always looking to balance and optimize each element to create the ultimate tea drinking experience.
When we began this exploration, we anticipated that we would develop new learnings that would alter our current methods and refine our perception of palate, but we did not estimate just how much our mindset would shift and change. Following Color, where we investigated color strategy in design, then Aroma, that sought to promote inclusive design through the sense of smell, In Good TASTE examines the role that we can play as tastemakers to redefine what eating and living ‘in good taste’ truly means.
Good taste is a super-metaphor for a good life."
DR. DORI TUNSTALL
This comes back to the idea of diversity, the power we all have, and the resilience we create for each other by allowing diversity to flourish."
DR. AOIFE MAC NAMARA
Contributors
PHYSICIAN, AUTHOR, ASSOCIATE CLINICAL PROFESSOR (UCSF), RESEARCH SCIENTIST (UC BERKELEY)
Glossary
Food Biodiversity
Food biodiversity is defined as "the diversity of plants, animals and other organisms used for food, covering the genetic resources within species, between species and provided by ecosystems." Food biodiversity can be considered from two main perspectives: production and consumption.
Climate Recipe
Climate recipes are downloadable computer scripts containing particular environmental conditions – water, temperature and light intensity, among other things – that have been coded by others. This allows users to replicate successful environmental conditions that optimise the growth of foodstuff anywhere in the world.
Planetary Health Plate
A planetary health plate should consist by volume of approximately half a plate of vegetables and fruits; the other half, displayed by contribution to calories, should consist of primarily whole grains, plant protein sources, unsaturated plant oils, and (optionally) modest amounts of animal sources of protein.
Planetary Health Diet
It emphasizes a plant-forward diet where whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed. Meat and dairy constitute important parts of the diet but in significantly smaller proportions than whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
Climate Cuisine
Cuisine derived from climate farming, and growing resilient and restorative species.
Seagreens
Seagreens or seaweed. There are over 500 varieties of seaweed such as dulce, kelp and nori, for food and a host of other uses.
Zero Input Food
A food source that requires no freshwater, no fertilizer, no feed, and no land, making it hands-down the most sustainable form of food production on the planet.
Blue Carbon
Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognised for their role in mitigating climate change.
Climavore
Different from carnivore, omnivore, locavore, vegetarian, or vegan diets, Climavore is a form of devouring that reacts to anthropogenic landscapes and uses ingredients as infrastructural responses to man-induced climatic events.
A TEALEAVES Documentary
Directed and Edited by Nathalie Attallah and Carly Williams
Executive Produced by Ezgi Emiroglu
Produced & Project Managed by Madeline Macdonald
Art Direction by Nathalie Attallah
Graphic Design by Joyce Aquino
Related Readings
In Good Taste - The Series
The In Good Taste documentary is a well balanced entrée. The film brings together ideas as ingredients to serve an overall message of diversifying your food, and your thoughts.
However, smaller portions are sometimes easier to digest.
In Good Taste - The Series will help you dig into the major topics of the film. From urban foraging to ocean farming, these delectable ideas can expand your palate and offer sound choices for planetary and personal wellness.
Created in support of the UN SDG’s in order to foster positive behavior change across disciplines.
Amuse-bouche
A tantalizing, little bit of delight, stimulating your palate journey. Elegantly served by three iconic designers and tastemakers.
"...the real good taste is the taste that's based on your own authentic sense of sense, the things that you're connected to - the things that nourish you.
DR. ELIZABETH TUNSTALL
Appetizer
The first plate presented should excite diners with something new. Ours offers insights into the question: Why do we like what we like?
"I think most people just are lost, and they don't know who to trust, because the media as an enterprise makes money by focusing on the controversies.."
DR. DAVID EISENBERG
Entrée
To be truly motivated to change, we must understand the impact of our choices.
Our main course is served by seasoned experts from multiple areas of the food chain, each teaching us why we must change our diets.
"How do you help people change behaviors when they feel utterly stuck in bad habits? ...The why trumps the how, I was never taught that in medical school."
DR. DAVID EISENBERG
Dessert
The sweet ending to our meal is the knowledge that while changing our food habits is not always easy, it can be delicious. Diversifying our plates can offer new flavors to explore and biodiversity presents health benefits.
Hear from cookbook award-winning author Chef Sean Sherman on finding food with story for the benefit of ourselves and our planet.
Take Out
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We invite you to explore our partners, apply to become an ambassador, or sign up for a future event to keep this important conversation going.
"We're surrounded by unbelievable plans and policies that seldom translate into action. The action part is the hard part. It's the people part. It's the uncomfortable part. The getting out of our comfort zone and and making things happen"
DR. ODETTE CURTIS-SCOTT
