Re: From Bacon - Picking the colonizers' vegetable in California: Brussels sprouts

[Guest guest]

Hi Tom, and members of the list-serve. I've been to Bacon's website in the past, before this notice. He has great pictures of workers both " at work " and " at leisure. " Most are outdoors and some are indoors. His photo-work highlights communities isolated by geography and language, as well as occupational distance.

I missed reading text (some photos have captions). He lets his camera lens answer most the questions the viewer might have.

V Bletzer

 

On 22 November 2010 15:23, Painter, (CDC/OID/NCHHSTP) <tcp2@...> wrote:

FYI….

Does anyone know if the list routinely received Bacon’s materials?

Thanks,

Tom

 

From: Bacon [mailto:dbacon@...] Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 10:31 AM

dbacon@...Subject: picking the colonizers' vegetable

 

The People of ville 1 -- Picking the Colonizers' VegetableBy Baconville, CA  11/19/10The California coast, from Davenport south through Santa Cruz, ville and Castroville, is brussels sprouts country.  Most of this vegetable in north America comes from these fields, although a growing harvest now takes place in Baja California, in northern Mexico.

In both California and Baja California, the vast majority of the people who harvest brussels sprouts, like those who pick other crops, are Mexican.  In Baja they're migrants from the states of southern Mexico.  In California, they're immigrant workers who've crossed the border to labor in these fields.  On a cold November day, this crew of Mexican migrant workers picks brussels sprouts on a ranch outside of ville. 

Many people love this vegetable, and serve it for dinner on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.  Native people in the U.S. point out that Thanksgiving celebrates the beginning of the European colonization of north America, which drove them from the lands where they lived historically.  The brussels sprouts came with the colonizers.  While the Romans probably grew and ate them, the first plants came to this continent with the French to the colonies of Quebec and the Atlantic seaboard.

Today the people picking in this field may be immigrants to the U.S., but in a longer historical view, they are the descendents of indigenous people whose presence in north America predated Columbus and the arrival of the brussels sprouts by thousands of years.  Now they cross the border between Mexico and the U.S. as migrant workers, many speaking indigenous languages as old, or even older, than those of the colonizers - Mixteco, Triqui or Nahuatl.  In the soft conversations among the workers of this picking crew, and other crews harvesting the sprouts, you can hear those languages mi xed with that of the Spaniards.

Brussels sprouts may be a colonizers' vegetable, but it has many healthy properties.  It contains  sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, both of which are believed to play a role in blocking the growth of cancer.  In yet another irony, in non-organic fields, picking crews often get exposed to the agricultural chemicals that are one important cause of the explosion of cancer in the U.S.  Farm workers get much higher doses than the supermarket patrons who buy the produce they pick.

But it's a job.  Putting the food on the table is really one of the most important jobs people do, and one that gets the least acknowledgement and respect.  So the next time you decide on brussels sprouts for dinner, first, don't boil them.  It removes those healthy anti-cancer chemicals.  And don't overcook them either - that's what produces the sulfur taste many people don't like.  But then, when they're out th ere on the table, remember who got them there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more articles and images, see  http://dbacon.igc.org

 

See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migratio n and Criminalizes Immigrants  (Beacon Press, 2008)

Recipient: C.L.R. Award, best book of 2007-2008

http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002

 

See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the US

Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)

http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575

 

See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html--

__________________________________ Bacon, Photographs and Storieshttp://dbacon.igc.org__________________________________

[Guest guest]

Thanks .I asked because I receive his releases on a regular basis and can forward them to the list, but do not want to overload folks. But, as you say, the pix are generally great (and there is text!).Be well!Best,Tom M. Painter PhD, Behavioral Scientist (Sociologist) Prevention Research Branch Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS E-37 Atlanta, Georgia 30333 USA Tel. 1-404-639-6113 Fax 1-404-639-1950 E-mail: tcp2@... From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of BletzerSent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 1:13 PM Subject: Re: [ ] From Bacon - Picking the colonizers' vegetable in California: Brussels sprouts Hi Tom, and members of the list-serve. I've been to Bacon's website in the past, before this notice. He has great pictures of workers both " at work " and " at leisure. " Most are outdoors and some are indoors. His photo-work highlights communities isolated by geography and language, as well as occupational distance.I missed reading text (some photos have captions). He lets his camera lens answer most the questions the viewer might have. V Bletzer On 22 November 2010 15:23, Painter, (CDC/OID/NCHHSTP) <tcp2@...> wrote:FYI…. Does anyone know if the list routinely received Bacon’s materials?Thanks,Tom From: Bacon [mailto:dbacon@...] Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 10:31 AMdbacon@...Subject: picking the colonizers' vegetable The People of ville 1 -- Picking the Colonizers' VegetableBy Baconville, CA 11/19/10The California coast, from Davenport south through Santa Cruz, ville and Castroville, is brussels sprouts country. Most of this vegetable in north America comes from these fields, although a growing harvest now takes place in Baja California, in northern Mexico.In both California and Baja California, the vast majority of the people who harvest brussels sprouts, like those who pick other crops, are Mexican. In Baja they're migrants from the states of southern Mexico. In California, they're immigrant workers who've crossed the border to labor in these fields. On a cold November day, this crew of Mexican migrant workers picks brussels sprouts on a ranch outside of ville. Many people love this vegetable, and serve it for dinner on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Native people in the U.S. point out that Thanksgiving celebrates the beginning of the European colonization of north America, which drove them from the lands where they lived historically. The brussels sprouts came with the colonizers. While the Romans probably grew and ate them, the first plants came to this continent with the French to the colonies of Quebec and the Atlantic seaboard.Today the people picking in this field may be immigrants to the U.S., but in a longer historical view, they are the descendents of indigenous people whose presence in north America predated Columbus and the arrival of the brussels sprouts by thousands of years. Now they cross the border between Mexico and the U.S. as migrant workers, many speaking indigenous languages as old, or even older, than those of the colonizers - Mixteco, Triqui or Nahuatl. In the soft conversations among the workers of this picking crew, and other crews harvesting the sprouts, you can hear those languages mi xed with that of the Spaniards.Brussels sprouts may be a colonizers' vegetable, but it has many healthy properties. It contains sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, both of which are believed to play a role in blocking the growth of cancer. In yet another irony, in non-organic fields, picking crews often get exposed to the agricultural chemicals that are one important cause of the explosion of cancer in the U.S. Farm workers get much higher doses than the supermarket patrons who buy the produce they pick.But it's a job. Putting the food on the table is really one of the most important jobs people do, and one that gets the least acknowledgement and respect. So the next time you decide on brussels sprouts for dinner, first, don't boil them. It removes those healthy anti-cancer chemicals. And don't overcook them either - that's what produces the sulfur taste many people don't like. But then, when they're out th ere on the table, remember who got them there. For more articles and images, see http://dbacon.igc.org See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migratio n and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press, 2008)Recipient: C.L.R. Award, best book of 2007-2008http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002 See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the USCommunities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575 See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html-- __________________________________ Bacon, Photographs and Storieshttp://dbacon.igc.org__________________________________