How to Eat with Awareness and Purpose (w/ Sean Sherman) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Overview

This episode explores the transformative power of indigenous food systems, featuring Chef Sean Sherman and ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk. The discussion delves into the cultural, historical, and ecological significance of indigenous cuisine, foraging, and sustainable food practices, while highlighting the importance of reconnecting with the land and its natural resources.

Notable Quotes

- Cities like New York or Chicago or LA, you can find food from all over the world, but can you really find food from the land that you’re standing on? – Sean Sherman, on the rarity of indigenous cuisine in mainstream dining.

- I walk on the land differently than a lot of people because I never really feel alone. I have my plant friends and relatives and allies there with me. – Linda Black Elk, on her connection to plants and nature.

- If we can control our food, we can really control the power that we have for our future. – Sean Sherman, on the importance of food sovereignty for indigenous communities.

🌳 Reconnecting with Indigenous Food Systems

- Sean Sherman’s restaurant, Owamni, removes colonial ingredients like dairy, wheat, and cane sugar to focus on indigenous foods native to North America.

- The menu prioritizes ingredients from indigenous producers, ensuring food dollars support native communities.

- Sherman emphasizes the cultural erasure that has led to the lack of Native American restaurants and aims to normalize indigenous cuisine for future generations.

🍃 Foraging and Plant Knowledge

- Linda Black Elk, an ethnobotanist, educates on the relationship between people and plants, showcasing native plants like juniper, pineapple weed, and stinging nettles.

- Foraging is presented as a way to connect with the land, but sustainability and respect for plant ecosystems are emphasized to prevent overharvesting.

- Black Elk highlights the historical suppression of indigenous food practices, noting that Native Americans were only legally allowed to harvest traditional plants starting in 1978.

🔥 Cooking with Purpose and Place

- Sherman demonstrates a dish featuring bison marinated with sumac and maple sugar, paired with hand-harvested wild rice and local plants like bergamot and fireweed.

- The flavors are described as reflective of the land and season, offering a sensory connection to the environment.

- The preparation underscores the importance of using local, seasonal, and culturally significant ingredients.

🌎 Food as Culture and History

- Sherman and Black Elk discuss how food is more than sustenance—it’s a vessel for history, culture, and connection to the land.

- The suppression of indigenous foodways is tied to broader efforts to erase Native American culture, but reclaiming these traditions is a step toward cultural revitalization.

- Sherman envisions a future where indigenous cuisine is as accessible and normalized as other global cuisines.

🌱 Food Sovereignty and the Future

- Sherman advocates for indigenous communities to regain control over their food systems, from cultivation to preservation.

- He emphasizes learning from ancestral knowledge while adapting it to modern contexts to create sustainable food futures.

- The episode concludes with a call to view food as a means of empowerment and a way to reshape cultural narratives.