I took a short course with Prof. George Kung a few years ago. Kung is a math prof but he is also Chinese. The class was about the basics of the Chinese spoken language. I didn't do my homework and am still basically ignorant of Mandarin or any other Chinese or Asian language. One thing I did learn was that the Chinese have traditionally felt that one should eat foods that are in season. The link goes to a web page about traditional Chinese medical and health advice. If you scroll down the page, you can find that winter is associated with the kidneys. And, you can find a list of foods that support the kidneys.
When I go into the grocery store these days, I see small plastic containers of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. The blueberries I just bought say on the carton that they are a product of Mexico. I see asparagus in the store that is marked from Mexico or Peru.
Intermarriage of people who were separated by great distance and by custom and fear and prejudice is happening all over. I read or heard Spencer Wells, one of the National Geographic specialists in genetic analysis of human migration and ancestry say that such analysis is going to be impossible at some time in the future because modern societies are so fluid and travel and intermarry at a rate that is mixing all the human genes up. I guess a long time ago, the genes of humans were more or less in one place and maybe we are returning to that situation.
Modern highspeed intercontinental travel mostly depends on oil products. I don't know what this flying all around will do when we get to real oil restrictions. There has been publicity about South American roses being flown to New York. Now that it is almost Valentine's Day, that is probably in high gear. A German scholar wrote years ago about yogurt being created in Germany using a great deal of transportation here, there and elsewhere to get the entire manufacturing process carried out.
A couple of years ago, I saw an article entitled "What Will We Do Now that Blueberry Season is Over?" I suppose there are some shocks and dissatisfactions in store for us when foods over there are not available over here. Meanwhile, I am eating the blueberries.
