Episode 27: So What? Thoughts on the 2018 Season (SOLO Episode)

Photo by Nat Caron Photography

I’m not going to lie - I took a break from interviewing this November to avoid burning out. I didn’t want to resent having to interview people (when I truly LOVE connecting with them), and I didn’t want to just ask the same questions on repeat without a positive energy coming through. So that meant relying on the episodes I had banked, and also means you get a solo episode from me today!

A good friend of mine operates by a “So What? Who Cares?” approach to her research and work, and I’ve quickly adopted that to sharpen the impact and relevance of my own work. This solo episode centres some of the main lessons and thoughts I’ve had about AnthroDish using the So What/Who Cares approach. It occurred to me this past month that I don’t really share my own thoughts or reflections on the show the way that other podcast hosts do. Part of that is intentional, as I like to let these interviews speak to the ideas and issues I’m passionate about - but I thought it would be fun to put together some key takeaways I’ve personally had to wrap up the 2018 season, and share some of the changes I’m considering for the 2019 season.

With that being said, AnthroDish will be going on a two week HIATUS after this episode - I speak a lot about slowing down and connecting with the land and food we eat, but I’ve found myself rushing around a lot more lately, and want to remember to practice this myself. We’ll be back on air January 8th, 2019 for the new season, and starting off with a super exciting interview with one of the co-hosts from The Dirt Podcast! So let me know your thoughts about the 2018 season on social media - what did you love/like/dislike, what themes do you really wish we explored, or what guests do you think would be great additions to the show? I so value the connections I’ve made since starting this show, and I want to honour what YOU as listeners want to hear from this show as much as I can for 2019.

Until then - I hope you enjoy this solo episode and time with your families for the holiday season. I know it can get stressful and busy (coming from a mum who’s daughter was born on Christmas Day), but always remember that you can slow down, say no to parties or events that don’t really feed your soul in any meaningful way, and focus your time on the people you really want to celebrate life with, whoever that community may be!

Episode 26: Reconnecting to Family Foods with Allergies with Kalyn Fantasia

I first met this week’s guest, Kalyn Fantasia, at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend (shoutout to Sarah Van Den Berg!). The theme of the party was “Identities,” so we spent much of the evening moving from a group of relative strangers to friends that shared thoughts about their identities from the depths of their hearts.

When Kalyn shared her stories and experiences (all while kneading dough to make fresh gnocchi), I was immediately impressed by her strong connection to her history and cultures, and the ways she negotiated these while having many intolerances and allergies - and thankfully, she was happy to share these stories with you this week! Born and raised in Toronto, she is a multi-hyphenated artist/manager (depending on what day you ask her!) and she is an artist manager for local Canadian bands, as well as a photographer, amateur painter, and homemade foodie.

As a long time allergy kid with a growing list of food intolerances, Kalyn had always had a strong connection to the food she ate and a stronger understanding of the effects of food on her body. She spends at least 3 hours a day in the kitchen and finds pleasure in putting in the work to create comforting meals she can eat without worry. She’s been recently exploring the ways in which family history, food, and identity are related, and how these interconnect with modern food and modern food intolerances. This conversation reflects her passions and interest in exploring all of these interconnections, and it felt like such a privilege to interview Kalyn about this.

Listen in the player above, or download on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio!

Episode 25: Eating Disorder Recovery & Health at Any Size with Dr. Andrea LaMarre

With the holidays comes many social gatherings that are often centred around food. For some this may be filled with joy, but for others, this may cause a lot of stress and anxiety around eating or body image. That’s why this week, I’m speaking with Dr. Andrea LaMarre on eating disorder recovery and health ay any size. Based out of Guelph, Ontario, Andrea is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo. She recently earned her PhD at the University of Guelph, where she studied eating disorder recovery from the perspectives of people in recovery and their supporters.

In this episode we speak about experiences of eating disorders and recovery, and Andrea breaks down some of the common assumptions surrounding these experiences – about what an eating disorder looks like conventionally, what bodies and experiences are legitimized and which are often left out, and ways in which researchers like her are challenging the social, cultural, and psychological barriers to accessing recovery. She’s doing incredibly important work with thoughtful and engaging approaches for communities, and I think it’s important to speak more to the diverse ways disordered eating can manifest in our lives and bodies - particularly during times of the year where we have less control or agency over what we eat.

Listen to the episode in the player above, or download on any major platform!

Get Social with Andrea:

Twitter: @andrealala

Instagram: @andrealamarre

Website: www.andrealamarre.com 

Some of the many folks whose work has inspired Andrea: 

People who do work on dismantling body oppression:

Deb Burgard: http://www.bodypositive.com/

Desirée Adaway: http://desireeadaway.com/

Sonya Renée Taylor: https://www.sonyareneetaylor.com/

Virgie Tovar: https://www.virgietovar.com/

Be Nourished: https://benourished.org/

Nalgona Positivity Pride: https://www.nalgonapositivitypride.com/

Marcella Raimondo: http://www.marcellaedtraining.com/

Carmen Cool: http://www.carmencool.com/

Karin Hitselberger: https://themighty.com/u/karin-hitselberger/

Corbett O’Toole: https://www.corbettotoole.com/

Kaley Roosen: https://twitter.com/kaleyroosen?lang=en

Carla Rice: http://www.carlarice.ca/

Cocimientos: http://nedic.ca/provider/9895-cocimientos

Some eating disorder scholars who inspire me:

Rebecca Lester: https://artsci.wustl.edu/faculty-staff/rebecca-lester

Helen Malson: https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/HelenMalson

Karin Eli: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/people/540

Paula Saukko: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/socialsciences/staff/paula-saukko/

Episode 24: Seafood Fraud and Ocean Health with Andrew Lewin of Speak Up For Blue Podcast

As someone who researches water quality and health outside of this podcast, I’ve been wanting to explore the connections between water and food on AnthroDish for quite some time. This week we’re finally diving into this theme (heh…sorry) with Andrew Lewin, a marine ecologist and the founder of the website and podcast Speak Up For Blue. A self proclaimed oceanpreneur, Andrew helps people become more aware of issues facing the ocean and helps guide them to make more environmentally and ocean-conscious choices. As the CEO of Speak up for Blue media and communications, he is building a network of podcasts on marine science and conservation.

In this interview, we explore the ways that climate change and ocean health interact with human fishing economies and vice versa. We break down what exactly a seafood tax deficit is and what it means for local marine systems, the impact of the Trump administration on marine system health in America, and explore the important emerging issue of seafood fraud and what that means for fish consumers. Andrew is great at breaking down the complex ways that politics and biology interact in fishing economies - this is certainly something I found daunting at first, but he does a wonderful job explaining these ideas in engaging ways.

Listen to the full episode in the player above, or download on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or iHeartRadio!

Resources:

Documentaries (Available on Netflix!):

• End of the Line

• Blackfish

• The Cove (Andrew warns to watch out for the ending, as it gets a bit gory)

• Mission Blue

News:

• Deep Sea News: http://www.deepseanews.com/

• Southern Fried Science: http://www.southernfriedscience.com

Get Social with Andrew!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ 
SUFB Podcast: http://www.speakupforblue.com/podcast 
Email: andrew@speakupforblue.com

Episode 23: The Business of Baking with Olivia Yetter

Whether you like the holidays or not, there’s no denying the comfort that winter baking brings. There’s a tremendous amount of art and chemistry that’s involved, but we often don’t think about the business side of bakeries as well. This week we’re exploring the business of baking with one of my all-time favourite bakers, Olivia Yetter!

Olivia is a Toronto-born cook at a vegan restaurant called Fresh. In her spare time, she owns and operates OY’S Joys, an artisanal custom made bakery based out of her home in Kensington Market. OY’s Joys focuses on hand crafted, homemade, flavour forward ingredients in their treats and plated desserts.

Olivia prioritizes using ingredients that have been grown or crafted locally, such as freshly milled organic flours, cold pressed oils, free range eggs, fresh fruits, and more. Sustainability is at the heart of OY’s cooking and baking. Though she’s not creating healthy treats, Olivia’s desserts are made with real food and have been carefully flavour profiled for an elevated taste experience. Olivia is quite experimental with her baking and always interested in trying to new flavours and experiences. We explore all of these ideas in this episode and break down what it means to be in the baking business, both for creativity and experience!

Listen in the player above, or download on any major podcasting platform.

Get social with Olivia:

Website: www.oysjoys.ca

Instagram: @oysjoys

Episode 22: Food Taboos and Pregnancy Loss in the Indian Diaspora with Anu Lotay

Pregnancy is a fascinating time for many reasons, but key among them is the intensity of food taboos and perspectives on what is or isn’t good for prenatal health. My guest this week, Anu Lotay, is an anthropology PhD candidate at the University of Victoria and research director at VPIRG. She explores the unique and challenging field of pregnancy loss for women and their families in the Indian diaspora. She seeks to understand the roles of culture, transnational family networks, gender differences, and experiences with Canadian healthcare systems to manage infant loss.

In this episode, we explore how the role of food taboos and beliefs impact pregnancy within Indo-Canadian women, and how pregnancy loss is understood or experienced in relation to food. Anu discusses how food is seen as not only physically nourishing or harmful during pregnancy for Indian women, but also how food prep and sharing is used to symbolize different experiences and shape relationships between pregnant women and their mothers or grandmothers. Indo-Canadian women engage with multiple and often competing guidelines for pregnancy and loss in Canada, and Anu expertly navigates this complex issue throughout the episode.

Listen in the player above, or find on any major podcast platform!

Resources:

• Khiara Bridges book

• AAA Meetings

Get Social with Anu

• Twitter and Instagram: @anulotay

• Website: www.anulotay.com