Raisins Throughout History; a Contemplative Practice

The main goal of the contemplative practice on raisins was to look introspectively at the modern processing of foods. When participating in the practice, however, I felt drawn in another direction. My mind kept wondering to ancient fields. It is believed, according to California Raisins among other sources, that the Phoenicians were the first to produce raisins. What I pictured during this practice was happy workers with beautiful sunsets over Mediterranean vineyards. The reality would likely have been much different.

Just like today, exploited workers likely would have worked long hours to produce raisins that, according to Sun-Maid, were frequently prized possessions of the wealthy across many civilizations throughout history. While the raisin is a relatively cheap commodity today, it represents a trend in agrarian history. Land largely held by the wealthy is worked by laborers, often too poor to afford the food they are producing, to make something the wealthy will enjoy. This was likely the case for many civilizations in which grapes were produced and is certainly the case for much of the fresh produce grown in America today. The raisin may bring a sweet smile to its eater but is a powerful symbol of the agrarian system that has remained relatively constant throughout time.

This contemplative practice was successful in engaging me in a new way of thinking about my food. I made links to a raisin that I otherwise would never have seen. I think that I took the exercise in a different than intended direction but I enjoyed the path it led me down.

 

Work cited

“History of Raisins and Dried Fruit.” Healthy Living, Sun-Maid, sunmaid.jp/healthyliving/history_of_raisins_and_dried_fruit_English.html.

“History.” The California Raisin Industry, California Raisins, calraisins.org/about/the-raisin-industry/history/.

7 thoughts on “Raisins Throughout History; a Contemplative Practice

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