Debate | Issue 2 | Food by Debate Magazine

debate Issue 2 | Food | March 2022

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EDITOR Nam Woon Kim ASSOCIATE EDITOR Vivien Whyte FEATURE WRITER Petra Shotwell LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE WRITER Briar Pomana CHIEF NEWS REPORTER Justin Hu NEWS WRITER David Williams SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Zainab Mustafa ILLUSTRATOR Yi Jong ADVERTISING Jesse Jones jesse.jones@autsa.org.nz PRINTER Nicholson Print Solutions DISCLAIMER Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AUTSA, its advertisers, contributors, Nicholson Print Solutions or its subsidiaries. This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (“AUTSA”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AUTSA. Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA). Follow Debate! debatemag.com debate_mag autsadebate debate@autsa.org.nz

From the Editor

AUTSA fills two vacant roles at the first SRC meeting

Health Minister visits AUT to announce new funding for student mental health

Don’t Want To Catch Omicron? Researchers Say Open A Window

The Politics of Boil Up

My Favourite Uses of Food in Fiction

Giveaways

WWPD? What would Papatūānuku do?

What’s On

The Tie Between Queerness & Veganism: Fact or Fiction? 3

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From the Editor Let’s talk about Russia. Alas, this is not a touching story about food (you’ll find plenty of that in the rest of this issue though!). However, you are welcome that I’ve spared you all from yet another story about how I was bullied for my school lunches. About a week or so ago, I saw a tweet that suggested removing the newest Batman movie from Russian theatres. I thought it was satire, but then it turned out to be sincere, and then it really happened. This train of thought could apply to far too many things in our cursed timeline, but it’s really breaking my brain here that we’re cheering this on. If you look online, you’ll find a diverse gallery of sanctions that range from Russian cats and their handlers, to services like PayPal. Many reply that Ukranians have it worse, but I can’t get behind this framing which compares suffering to justify the blanket antagonism of anything related to Russia. Not being able to watch the latest

Hollywood blockbuster isn’t world ending - ironically, internet piracy is Russia’s bread and butter - but banning PayPal, for example, has serious implications for people whose livelihood relies on Twitch. And combined with broader economic sanctions, ordinary Russians are being disproportionately harmed.

them to stay and fight in a country that’s being isolated like North Korea? Why are we so quick to accept this level of harm as necessary collateral when historically it hasn’t worked either? Historically meaning as recent as the past month, most notably in Afghanistan where sanctions have created a humanitarian crisis.2

Central to this desire to target Russian civilians is the notion that they are partially responsible and that it will motivate them into action. But is that fair, and will it work? Your ordinary Russian person is surely no more responsible for this invasion than your ordinary American for the invasion of Iraq, or any other crimes committed by the state. At the time of writing, more than 10,000 protesters have been detained in anti-war protests across 56 cities in Russia - and that’s only the ones we know about.1 Not to mention, people have already been resisting Putin and the oligarchs for years with minimal success. Now, without jobs or access to income, how do we expect

By the time this reaches print, I hope that, at the bare minimum, a ceasefire is in place. Russia made the world a more dangerous place when they launched their invasion of Ukraine, and plenty has been said already from activists within Russia to Ukranians across the diaspora that also contextualises these events. I’d encourage you to tap into these voices directly rather than only rely on your usual sources of news, whether that be TikTok or local broadcast television. And in showing solidarity and support, let’s not get swept up by nationalism, and a culture war that’s so far had a restaurant threatened for selling poutine.3

1. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/6/detentions-across-russia-anti-war-protests-monitor 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/world/asia/afghanistan-migration-refugees.html 3. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/french-poutinerie-tells-customers-it-s-not-linked-to-russian-president-after-threats-1.5804493

AUTSA Fills Two Vacant Roles at the First SRC Meeting By David Williams (he/him) AUTSA student reps successfully elected two students to the previously unfilled North Campus Representative, and Diversity Affairs Officer at the inaugural student representative council meeting. The student association was hoping to fill the positions after last year’s SRC elections left many roles on the council vacant due to low turnout from candidates. Candidates for the two unfilled positions were voted on by SRC members. Nathan Fehr was successful in his bid to be the North Campus Representative. He emphasised his previous experience in student governance during the election. “I've been involved with the SRC in my undergrad, having been the first Student Wellbeing Officer and holding a position as Student Director on the AUTSA Governance Board.” Fehr has a Bachelor of Science doublemajoring in Biomedical Science and

Molecular Genetics, and is currently doing a master's in Biomedical Science. His goal on the SRC is to assist others to continue working during this challenging environment. “I hope to promote the sense of community currently at the North Campus while also promoting togetherness during these seemingly unending interruptions to our learning.” Tasfia Mahmood triumphed in the election between her and Joanna McDonald for the Diversity Affairs Officer. She believes that diversity is a powerful tool to bring people together. “Diversity isn’t merely meeting a quota of various skin colours, beliefs, and identities. It’s about understanding that different perspectives shaped by your values and your life are vital for society to progress.” Mahmood is thrilled by her election and the reception she has received from other members of the SRC. “Everyone is passionate about their portfolio and has a keen sense of wanting to give back to the community, especially in the Covid environment.

So far, everyone has been super lovely and welcoming.” Her goal as Diversity Affairs Officer is to embrace and celebrate the mix of cultures on every AUT campus. “I aim to incorporate future cultural celebrations and facilitate spaces where students can be educated and learn more about one another - the way they act, the way they see the world, and how their upbringing plays into their identity,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to create a space where respectful discourse and dialogue regarding your identity is not only normal but encouraged.” AUTSA’s Academic Vice President Macauley Cunningham said he was delighted with the newly selected representatives. “I know that [Nathan] is a capable member who will definitely perform well in his role. Although I had not met Tasfia previously, she has gotten off to a running start in her role, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results she is producing.”

Health Minister Visits AUT to Announce New Funding for Student Mental Health By David Williams (he/him)

could afford to make mistakes.

Health Minister Andrew Little has announced a $3.8 million package for student mental health support at Auckland universities.

“That is something that I have reflected on many times over the past several years,” she said.

He announced the package during a visit to AUT’s city campus, alongside Green Party mental health spokesperson and Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick. Little said the funding would target the 80,000 tertiary students in Tāmaki Makaurau. “We know that Covid has been disruptive to everybody, but when you’re studying too, and when you rely on contact with your classmates and your lecturers, and just doing the social things too.” Meanwhile, MP Chlöe Swarbrick recalled a visit to AUT’s Student Hub in 2018. While talking to students about their mental health and the support they needed, she said a student had told her that they didn’t feel they

“The mental health and addiction enquiry showed us that all of us are born with biological predispositions towards potential, and it is our environment that can turn those things up a notch or down a notch.” Outgoing AUT Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack, speaking in front of members of AUT’s Are you okay? service, outlined the services the university already had in place for student mental health. He said the $3.8 million would help the university expand the services that are already in place. The newly-announced funding package comes from the 2020 budget where $25 million was set aside to support the mental health of tertiary students.

The Labour government has been previously criticised for the slow rollout of tertiary mental health support. In a recent Newsroom article, New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) president Andrew Lessells described the $2 million allocated in 2020 as a paltry amount. “There is a huge problem with mental health in our tertiary institutions and there isn’t the support available currently to really deal with that.” When asked if he thought the $3.8 million would be enough to help students in Auckland, Little said universities had a level of services already, and that the new package was just topping that up. “Looking at services like 'RUOK - Are you okay?' - it’s very peer led and that is very much where the future lies. So, I am confident that this is a good start. This will continue to roll out in subsequent years,” he said.

Don’t Want To Catch Omicron? Researchers Say Open A Window.

By Justin Hu (he/him) An infectious disease researcher says better ventilation is key to slowing Omicron’s spread as health officials believe the beginning of semester has turned out to be a “nationwide super-spreader event” in uni halls. Otago University public health researcher Julie Bennett told Debate that universities should improve indoor ventilation if air quality testing shows that current ventilation is poor. She also says that poor ventilation is playing a key role in how people are continuing to catch the virus.

In the past year, Bennett says the scientific community has settled on newer research that shows Covid-19 likely spreads primarily through the air and much less likely through other methods like on surfaces. “At the very beginning, people were concerned the virus was spread through really close contact with touching and coughing - which it is,” she says. “But as we’ve gone along, we know now that it's actually spread through really small aerosols.” Infectious liquid aerosols can be expelled from a person’s mouth or nose and Bennett says they could linger around in a room for hours.

The public health researcher says seeking out fresh air when spending time with others is a simple step to reduce your chances of catching Covid – alongside mask-wearing. “You want to have as many doors and windows open as you can, or being outside if that's possible – essentially you want to have as much fresh air around you as possible,” she says. “People initially heard at the beginning of the pandemic, and when we didn't know as much, to clean your hands etcetera, and so it took time for people to get their heads around … that it's actually airborne, [which is] why masks are so important too.”

The warning for people to recognise the role indoor fresh air plays in the spread of Covid comes as New Zealand is in the thick of its Omicron wave – which is hitting young people and students hard. By early March, people who were under 30 made up for over half of all new reported Covid-19 cases. With large outbreaks at several university residence halls, DirectorGeneral of Health Ashley Bloomfield has referred to the new uni semester as a "nationwide super-spreader event". At Victoria University in Wellington, there are over 600 cases of Covid-19 in halls of residence. With 2,500 residents in total, that means over a quarter of all residents have tested positive. Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack told the AUT Council in its February meeting that the university was aware there had been positive cases in its affiliated student accommodation. Speaking to Debate, Bennett says universities should use carbon dioxide as a proxy to test the ventilation of high-capacity rooms and other spaces on campus where students gather. “In something like a lecture theatre, you could have carbon dioxide monitors, which is what they are starting to do in schools, and the recommended level is that it needs to be below 800 parts per million and that's an indication that the ventilation

in the room is doing what it should. And you know that it will be a safer environment to be in,” she said. “If it goes above that, it's not good and something needs to change.”

In the past year, Bennett says the scientific community has settled on newer research that shows Covid-19 likely spreads primarily through the air and much less likely through other methods like on surfaces. The public health researcher said larger-capacity environments, like classrooms, should have mechanical ventilation, which would bring outdoor air inside and dilute the quantity of any particles from an infected person. In a statement, AUT spokesperson Alison Sykora says the university had considered indoor ventilation as part of its response to Covid. “The majority of our buildings have mechanical ventilation systems which deliver fresh air at levels greater than World Health Organization recommendations,” she says. “The few buildings that don’t have mechanical ventilation are generally occupied at low levels and have opening windows which the occupants can control.”

Meanwhile, Bennett said other measures would be needed if air quality testing showed a room couldn’t be sufficiently ventilated mechanically or by opening windows. “There could be behavioural things you can do, like have fewer people in the room, or have people leave the room every hour and let the room try to refresh itself.” She added that the use of high-quality N95 or equivalent masks would further help slow the spread. Bennett said including booster vaccinations in vaccination passes would also help make a more safer environment. Sykora says the university had recently installed new systems to improve its provision of fresh air and that it was following Government guidelines on masking and distancing. “Some of our more modern buildings have UV systems and we have recently fitted more of these systems.” At AUT, there had already been over two dozen exposure events reported across the university’s campuses before semester one had even begun. Though under phase three of the Government's Omicron response plan, close contacts at these exposure events, or any others on campus, will not need to isolate if they don’t have symptoms.

The Politics of Boil Up By Briar Pomana (she/her) Illustrated by Yi Jong (she/they) A boil up is a staple in many households throughout Aotearoa. Its contents differ from whānau to whānau and there is much debate about what ingredients make up a ‘proper’ boil up. However, most agree that you need a few pieces of meat, some starchy veggies, and some sort of greens. Doughboys are also a common occurrence – which are basically balls of water and flour smashed together and dropped into the pot. In its truest essence, a good boil up is one that is made to warm the insides and soothe the soul. Whether eaten all at once or devoured the morning after, boil ups can be as versatile and multifaceted as the families that make and enjoy them. All I could find on the internet regarding the origins of the boil up point to it being an inexpensive meal that was made mostly by Māori families with offcuts and earthy vegetables. Some sources say that the boil up was an iteration of the Irish boiled dinner. Others say that Māori have always been making some form of boil up, albeit without the iron pots and meat, and that it has always been a staple in our diets. At its core, boil up is our survival and resistance. There hasn’t

been a revolution in this country without a good boil up to accompany it. However this salty hearty dish came about, it has been simmering on our stoves for generations and will probably continue to do so. My mum has her own way of doing boil ups which differs slightly from how my Nanny does hers. I love both dearly and will happily oblige to either. Both will first slowly cook their meat on a steady boil and this process usually takes most of the afternoon. They’ll cook our potatoes, kūmara, and sometimes pumpkin separately so as to not over-starch the meat broth. They’ll add the greens and doughboys towards the end, closer to an hour or less before serving. Mum and I also will have a raw onion and a few slices of white bread and butter on the side. And if Nanny knows we’ll be over for dinner, she will make sure to leave these out on the table. Most of the time after we’ve finished our first feed, we’ll throw whatever potatoes or kūmara we have left into the pot with everything else. Personally, I am quite fond of a second day boil up for breakfast and even prefer it over a freshly made one. I’m a fan of that point in a day-old boil up where the kūmara and potato have broken down and are mashed up among the greens.

The only difference between my Nanny’s and mum’s boil up is that my Nanny makes the biggest doughboys you will ever see in your entire life! They are the size of a child’s palm and are fluffy as bread inside. My mum’s are smaller, about the size of a golf ball, and are made with more water so they’re much more dense and chewy. I prefer these doughboys but again, each to their own.

In our family we prefer a lamb neck chop boil up with watercress or puha. Unfortunately, we live in Tāmaki Makaurau so often we have to compromise and have spinach instead. We really felt the distance from our small town roots last year when Mum and I were feening for a feed and were on the hunt for some watercress. We had bought a few bunches at a locally owned fruit and veg shop - even saying that makes my rural Māori-self shudder to think Mum and I actually paid for watercress when I’ve grown up my whole life picking it from storm drains and riverbeds. The bunches were decently sized and smelt like home so we were super hyped that we were finally going to have an old school boil up. Our excitement was dramatically obliterated

when we got home and ended up having the most bitter watercress I have ever tasted in my entire life. I didn’t even know watercress could taste like that. It was horribly sour and because we hadn’t tested it beforehand the kawa of the plant seeped into everything. Mum reckoned that the grocers must have picked the little yellow flowers that appear when watercress is no longer safe to eat. We forced ourselves to finish the pot out of pure shame and were even too embarrassed to tell Nanny what we’d fallen for. As you can imagine, the stomach cramps were next level and it served us townies right. I vowed from then onwards that I would never trust watercress that I hadn’t picked myself or that hadn't come in some old plastic shopping bag that someone of reputable picking skills had dropped off to my house. Growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for us to have a cabbage and sausage boil up. This version was generally used when there was a lot of whānau to feed on a more limited budget. Buying a bag of 20 sausages stretches a lot further than even a value pack of bacon bones from the Mad Butcher. The same applies for cabbage. Every time we had a cabbage boil up I would reenact that scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Charlie says something along the lines of “Cabbage soup again?!” I once met someone who had only ever had cabbage and sausage boil ups - which wasn’t anything to sniff at, but the only imagery I associate cabbage and sausages with are grey skies, sludgy muddy paddocks, layers of jackets, and cups of tea. Sometimes I will crave a cabbage boil up just to be transported back to those times because although we were dirt poor, we were together. Now that my brothers and I are older and all living in different cities, it’s that closeness I reminisce on.

A boil up is not a single person's meal, it is something to be shared and passed down.

Sometimes I will crave a cabbage boil up just to be transported back to those times because although we were dirt poor, we were together. Now that my brothers and I are older and all living in different cities, it’s that closeness I reminisce on. When I went to boarding school at thirteen I was introduced to carrots in boil ups something I had never considered before. In theory it made sense. Our hostel matron Whaea Marama would cook one big boil up every year and only as a treat or for a special occasion. Not only that, it was the only time that we would get to have fresh white bread and butter with our dinner. A massive treat in our eyes. When you were a junior at school, you were roped into the kitchen to help Whaea Marama prep. Jobs included peeling spuds, kūmara, and, again, to my surprise carrots. Sacks upon sacks of these huawhenua would slump on our kitchen countertops, and you had to

be a skilled acrobat to move around in our hostel kitchen. Which in part ensured that when Whaea Marama assigned you a job, you stuck in that same place she set you until your job was done. The hum of the old radio we had set up in the corner and the flow of gossip and laughter reminded me of home, being in the kitchen with my own mum. For many of the girls that came to our school, home was a turbulent place and some were not fortunate enough to have mothers let alone stable environments, so I feel that being in that kitchen with all of us would have been a great comfort for them too. It’s the ways in which food can heal and bring us together that makes it so relevant in Māori culture, and I’m sure other cultures worldwide. The politics of boil up are apparent. Not only in the ways in which we each bring what we can when we can, but also how it is enjoyed. A boil up is not a single person's meal, it is something to be shared and passed down. It fills and fuels us no matter what ends up being thrown in the pot. We each bring something different to the table and a good boil up recognises this. It brings us together and mirrors our own existences. Boil up is a cultural reference to us as people living here on these lands. It places us in our individual identities and binds us and these diverse experiences. Life is so much better when we’re all boiling away together. A good boil up is one that nourishes, strengthens, and unites the people. Anything else is a stew.

My Favourite Uses of Food in Fiction By Nam Woon Kim (he/him) | Illustration by Yi Jong (she/they)

Food in fiction is undeniably appetising, but this is not that kind of list. Instead, here’s a round-up of three times where the food was yum and meaningful. Some say the curtains are just blue, but I’d argue that a hamburger isn’t just a hamburger. As a window into politics, character, and even the artist themselves, food is a versatile tool - more symbol than prop. Spoilers ahead for Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car.

Family Burger Chainsaw Man Kicking off this three-course meal is a spoof of McDonald's and American fast food in general. This family-friendly establishment is introduced late in the story where Chainsaw Man’s brand of horror-comedy meets the terror of working in fast-food. Everyone knows hospitality is a shit gig, and for a chapter Fujimoto drops us off in the worst shift ever. Chapter 85, ‘Bloody Good Gut Feeling’, reunites us with Kobeni, one of the few remaining named characters still alive. Having literally gone to hell and back, Kobeni swapped the life of hunting devils - each representing a specific fear like bats, or darkness - for life in the service industry. Any hope that she’s escaped to a better life is immediately dismissed, however, as the burden of emotional labour reveals itself through an abusive team. Every order at Family Burger is delivered through an exaggerated, ensemble performance that Kobeni hasn’t quite nailed yet. She whispers to the void, wishing to be saved, and a hero appears in the form

of the Chainsaw devil, hungry to eat. The stage is set as Kobeni tries to deliver the burger in one piece before her entire team is murdered by murdered by this unruly customer. For a series that featured an homage to Napoleon Crossing the Alps in the same scene as a Sharknado tribute, Chapter 85 sees Chainsaw Man reach new heights of absurdity in a silly, but strangely cathartic critique of modern work. This critique is a staple of the story where devil hunting itself is a spoof of how expendable working people are, especially in Japan. Dressed in your standard black suit and tie, devil hunters face off against everything from zombies to Evangelion angel-esque kaiju just to secure a bonus and put bread on the table. It’s the latter which drives the story from Chapter 1, where our destitute protagonist, Denji, dreams of a life of hamburgers and other such luxuries. By taking the story to a fastfood chain where food is ‘cheap’ and mass-produced, the story comes full circle. Food in fast-food chains (see: Dunkin Donuts), and in capitalism as a whole, is often wasted, and yet people like Denji continue to go hungry.

That Family Burger is a satire of American food is worth noting here. McDonald's as a symbol of American capitalism is well-documented and nothing new in fiction, but in the broader context of Chainsaw Man’s middle finger to exploitation, it becomes more potent. The reality is that America and its companions in the global north, including us, have the resources and potential to feed its people. If all of this seems like a reach, only a handful of chapters before we saw our first glimpse into politics outside of Japan. In what is now one of my favourite depictions of an American president, the faceless head of state makes a deal with the Gun Devil - in exchange for using its power, he offers a year of every American citizen’s life; that’s basically how the US. response to Covid has gone down with respect to the economy. One of genre fiction’s biggest strengths, especially horror, is in depicting the violence hidden from our daily lives. Chainsaw Man thrives in this space as a transgressive, but meaningful, series that uses food to elevate its story.

Special Herbs Metal Fingers (MF DOOM) If you ask any fan of hip-hop where to start with the legendary MF DOOM, chances are you’re going to have at least three different places to start from and MM..FOOD will be one of them. This album seemed like the obvious choice here - songs like ‘Rapp Snitch Knishes’ speak for themselves, and there’s fewer drinks from the tap I like better than ‘Guinesses’. But, while listening to his music while putting the rest of this piece together, a more understated choice presented itself through the beat tapes he released as Metal Fingers. As the name Special Herbs suggests, each song is named after a herb (or an eclectic ingredient), and each volume documents the beats he made for his own discography and others. The result is a dense collection of his work as a producer that can be enjoyed simply for their craftsmanship, or to figure out which song each herb was extracted from. My favourite cuts include Lemon Grass, a great pairing for chicken, and Zatar, which goes great with a flatbread and olive-oil so I’m told. Knowledge of his work is by no means necessary to appreciate these herbs, but it does make exploring this compilation more rewarding as you try to place each song. It has been more than a year now since MF DOOM passed. On top of inspiring the best of the underground today, from Ka to Earl Sweatshirt, his legacy is a style

of production you can find packaged in one place: Metal Fingers’ Special Herbs.

Invited for dinner Drive My Car Only visibly in-frame for half a minute or so, a Korean dinner shared between colleagues takes the last spot here from a movie that lives up to its reputation as the understated, indie darling of last year: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car. For context, this scene appears relatively early in the movie. As the opening credits hit about forty minutes after a prologue that ends in tragedy, Drive My Car settles into a story that seems only concerned with the protagonist’s work. Yûsuke’s latest project is putting together his vision of Dostoevsky’s Uncle Vanya, a meticulous, multilingual performance delivered in Japanese, Korean sign language, and Mandarin, among many more. This job places him in a quiet corner of Hiroshima where he reluctantly accepts to be chauffeured from the residency to his hotel - a disruption to his daily ritual where he’d recite lines while driving. After a rehearsal one evening, one of the festival’s coordinators, Yoonsu, invites Yûsuke and his driver, Misaki, to dinner at his home. What appears to be a narrative detour becomes a turning point in the movie as we dig deeper into the themes of understanding each other. There are few activities I consider more intimate than dinner. Much like many

other moments in the rest of the story, Hamaguchi captures this magic without us noticing. There is no hiding at dinner. Between you, the food, and the company shared, there is a bridge to honesty that even the most stoic of us cannot escape. Before Yûsuke and Misaki even walk in, they learn that tonight’s hosts also include Yoon-su’s wife, or as she was known as: Yoon-a, one of the actors in the play who successfully auditioned in Korean sign-language. This reveal is not treated with any drama, and the evening progresses as we wonder what else is there to know. This is the situation Yûsuke finds himself in, and quite refreshingly, no time is wasted on breaking the ice either. Lesser stories would fumble around, but Yûsuke is reserved, not awkward. Everyone settles in, and we watch as they get to know each other a little more. With food, barriers dissolve; this extends to the invitation itself when one welcomes another into their home. Perhaps for the first time since the events of the prologue set several years prior, we see glimpses beyond Yûsuke’s stoic workmanship here. It is no coincidence that this transpired over dinner where the colourful cast extends to the food itself. The contents of dinner itself are, from my recollection, your standard Korean side-dishes ranging from stirfried japchae to kimchi. But it’s not the food itself that’s important. Food is an excuse, a setting, and a language of its own.

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By Vivien Whyte (she/her) When you see fish in the supermarket it may seem perfectly normal to look down and just see fillets. Looking down at these two little rectangles, it’s easy to forget the actual animal they came from. One with a head, eyes, spine, wings, and a tail. However, these fillets only make up around 35% of the fish. Because most Kiwis only eat the fillet, the remaining 65% will end up in landfill. The Kai Ika Project aims to change this by making the most out of this 65%. The project is a collaboration between LegaSea, the Outboard Boating Club of Auckland, and Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae. Together, they recover the previously unwanted parts of fish and turn them into healthy kai which volunteers from the marae then distribute for free to hundreds of families and community groups. Dallas Abel describes the marae as “the heart and soul of our distribution operation”. Through their collective efforts they encourage us to rethink the way we look at food, our relationship with the environment, and highlight the importance of communities in making change. What is the Kai Ika Project’s kaupapa? “Firstly, we want to be the best at recovering previously unwanted fish heads and frames. Secondly, we aim to address food insecurity.

"In South Auckland there are fast food restaurants on every corner and more McDonald's than health food stores. Unfortunately, this is where we see a lot of lower socioeconomic groups [that] don’t have access to good quality kai moana. Many of whom are Polynesians who have, for hundreds and thousands of years, been eating seafood and kai moana. Yet these days, don’t have access to it. So, we’re trying to address the food insecurity of good quality, culturally appropriate kai.

the beach than actual fish in the sea. There’s a big disconnect and dissociation with the food we buy and where it comes from. As Dallas says, “It’s so basic and it’s just strange how we’ve all adapted to just take the fillets.The fillets are the only thing people eat but they don’t think about the fact that the whole fish is edible.”

"And thirdly, LegaSea is a marine conservation group. We believe that maximum utilisation is conservation. It’s basic fisheries management. How do you have more fish in the ocean? You kill less fish. And how do you kill less fish? You use more of the fish you do catch. It just makes sense.”

“It’s almost like fish don’t swim in the sea anymore. The only place you see them is in the supermarket or in a Filet-O-Fish burger. Or covered in breadcrumbs. And it means that people disassociate fish with the actual animal and that’s what’s being instilled in us. It’s being pushed by every retailer to just eat the fillet.”

Utilising the whole animal is no new concept. Both my Sāmoan and Chinese ancestors knew how to respect their food and not waste two thirds of a fish just because they only wanted to eat the pretty fillet. My tīpuna understood the connection between our food and where it came from. In many other cultures, fish heads are considered an absolute delicacy. And in te reo Māori, the head of the fish is literally called rangatira kai. Unfortunately, living in Aotearoa nowadays this food knowledge hasn’t been embedded into our food systems. In fact, most of us will have probably seen more fish n chips on

How does Kai Ika bridge the gap between what we see on supermarket shelves and the actual animal itself?

When do we stop to think about the entire fish as an animal giving up its life for two little fillets? “Just over a third of the fish is what we consume and then the rest is out of sight, out of mind. People don’t have to worry about the fish head and frame because all they’re doing is buying a piece of crumbed hoki at Countdown.” “As a by-product of our project we are putting the onus back on people to realise that these fish aren’t just the fillet and we need to show fish a bit more respect by utilising more of the fish. If you don’t want to use it that’s fine, just give away the rest of it to people who do want to eat it.”

What does Kai Ika’s motto “He kai te rongoa, he rongoa te kai/Food is medicine and medicine is food” mean to you? “I’m half Fijian and I know that as a Polynesian, I respond really well to good quality kai moana. "Healthy food straight from the garden, straight from the ocean has healing powers. Both physically and mentally. This is what the Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae believe in as well. They heal people with their kai and kai moana. Even with their māra kai, they grow 10,000 kūmara every year just so they can share it with the community. Building that community around food and bringing people together to be part of something special is medicine.” Where do you see the Kai Ika Project in the future? “We’re really trying to push for commercial fishermen – if they can utilise more of the fish they catch, they won’t need to catch as many. For example, in Iceland they use almost 90% of the fish they harvest by also finding biochemical, pharmaceutical etc. uses for it. They don’t have to catch more fish to make more money, they just need to be smarter.”

“How do you have more fish in the ocean? You kill less fish. And how do you kill less fish? You use more of the fish you do catch. It just makes sense.” “Economically you also see a lot more value through feeding people. We want to continue building in Auckland first as there’s a lot more we can recover. We’re recovering almost 2,000kg of fish heads and frames every week, but estimate that there’s over 10,000kg we could potentially recover. They’re right at our footstep but as a non-profit our resources are stretched to the limit. We’ve got everyone doing every little thing, helping as much as they can. With limited resources we can only do so much. Our next step is to look for more fundraising tools to make sure we can do more.” “Our ultimate goal is to feed more families. If you recover more fish, you feed more families”

What’s your favourite fish dish? “Fried fish wings. The collars, throats, wings. What people don’t realise is that the discarded pieces of the fish are the most delicious, sweetest, and nutritious parts. When you think about eating a steak, you want to dig in and get all the bits close to the bones because they’re the best, tastiest parts. The same thing goes for fish. The best parts are hidden in the pockets of the wings and frame.” “You just take the wings, flour, salt, garlic. Coat that, put it in some garlic and oil. Serve it with some rice”. Easy! The Kai Ika project is looking to expand further by educating people on how they can turn the whole fish into pieces of protein they can cook. They have recipes for soups, stocks, smoked fish pie, cooking whole fish, taretare, and Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup. And if you’re interested in free kai, you can head to their “Free Fish Heads'' app – which facilitates peer to peer donations of fish heads. “It’s basically Tinder for fish head lovers”. You can find out more at their website: kaiika.co.nz/ or follow them on Instagram: the_kai_ika_project

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What's On

Yona Lee: An Arrangement for 5 Rooms Where? Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki When? February 26 - October 2 What? The Auckland Art Gallery’s first new exhibition of 2022 showcases the work of Yona Lee, a New Zealand-Korean artist with a growing international reputation. Within the context of a global pandemic, restricted borders, and a changing relationship to public and private spaces, An Arrangement for 5 Rooms negotiates the relationship we share with domestic and public spaces and objects. Cost? Free

Te Pō Where? Papatūnga, Parnell Station When? 10 March - 26 March What? Te Pō is an exhibition featuring the mahi of artists Wai Ching Chan, Tira Walsh, Tom Tuke, Katie Middleton, Gabi Lardies, Abigail Aroha Jensen. It is the result of six months spent not making art, but getting to know each other. This restful time involved learning a little about the local Māori histories of Parnell, taking a trip to Rotorua, and participating in various workshops to reflect on the meaning of making art today. The resulting artworks emerged from this period of reflection, learning and whānautanga to be displayed together at Papatūnga. Cost? Free

March Free Movie Screenings

Takeout Kids

Where? Gus Fisher Gallery

Where? The Spinoff

When? 3 March - 31 March

When? On demand

What? Gus Fisher Gallery is hosting free weekly film screenings relating to their current exhibition, I Multiply Each Day. This is your chance to see work ranging from classic British cinema through to contemporary Indigenous filmmakers. Films include Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1986); Waru (2017), a feature film by eight Māori directors; Vai (2019), by nine Pasifika directors; and a special screening of Michelle Williams Gamaker’s Dissolution Trilogy (2017-2019).

What? And for those of you at home - perhaps relaxing or in isolation, here’s a slice of local artists you can enjoy from the comfort of your own bed.

Cost? Free

A new Spinoff video series by New ZealandChinese filmmaker Julie Zhu highlights the lives of four young New Zealanders growing up in their parents’ restaurants. Follow these tamariki as they juggle school and friends with family life centred on a restaurant or takeaway shop. And with it, gain insight into whānau, service, and kai. Cost? Free

The Tie Between Queerness & Veganism: Fact or Fiction? By Petra Shotwell (she/they) Illustration by Yi Jong I’ll admit it – I love tofu; hummus and crackers are one of my favourite afternoon snacks, and sometimes I even dabble in a bit of fake ‘chicken’ when I feel like getting really serious. But are my meatless cravings really a result of my queerness? Is veganism truly a component of the gay agenda? Which absolute peanut decided that queer = vegan? I’m merely a vegetarian, so already I’m seeing flaws in the system. Then again, technically I’m bisexual, so perhaps being part-gay just makes you part-vegan. Is it just the gold star gays who are gold star vegans? Until recently, I never thought much of this stereotype. Maybe because I knew there couldn’t possibly be truth to it. Of course not all queer people are vegan – can you imagine? Every single well-dressed, power-walking homosexual on the street, eating nothing but vege. Presuming it’s just another empty stereotype, I’ve proceeded to ignore it as long as I’ve known it. Then it reached breaking point: my partner told me that the incredible tofu I cook is the ‘gayest thing’ about me. This is when I knew the joke had gone too far. I can guarantee you, my tofu is not the gayest thing about me.

A quick search online reassures me that I’m not wrong in thinking this stereotype exists. People are strangely and obsessively interested in the connection between queerness and veganism (alas, I have joined them). However, most of what I found was focused on unpacking the relationships between the two. What interests me today is unpacking why such a stereotype exists, whether it has any factual basis, and at its roots, is it just another example of white people determining a new social norm and deciding it’ll make sense for everyone? One thing’s for sure: the discourse supports the stereotype. In Stats NZ’s most recent ‘Household Economic’ survey, they identified 1 in 20, or 4.2%, of adults in Aotearoa identified as LGBTTQIA+. 1 This seems painfully low. The survey consisted of 31,000 respondents, which, while being a vast number, still doesn’t necessarily accurately represent the entire country. But that’s the latest data, so I guess we’ll go with it. A separate poll suggested that approximately 6% of New Zealanders were vegetarian or vegan.2 While I’ve openly admitted to not fully trusting the first set of statistics, based on what they tell us, there are more vegans than there are queers. This tells us that not all vegans are queer, but still, all queers could be vegan.

The most bizarre, recurring idea in this topic was the thought that ‘coming out’ as vegan is just as hard, if not worse, than coming out as queer. Firstly, I don’t even think I feel comfortable using the term ‘coming out’ to describe announcing your veganism. I could write a whole thesis on the meaning of ‘coming out’, and I promise I wouldn’t discuss veganism even once. Secondly, and maybe I’m missing something here, but this seems like a dramatic over-exaggeration. Last time I checked, veganism doesn’t put you in a position to be abused, criminalised, or killed (correct me if I’m wrong). In one article, the writer discusses how coming out as gay to her family was no big deal, but ‘coming out’ as vegan was met with an hour of being screamed at.3 In that particular case, I suppose it makes sense: if she had an easy time coming out as queer, of course ‘coming out’ as vegan was more difficult for her. But doesn’t it show a whole lot of privilege to be able to say that? Of course, the comparison is subjective, depending entirely on each individual’s family dynamic and values. But, it seems a little far-fetched to say that veganism as actually on par with being queer.

Another piece I read swears that the overlap is real based on the display of pride flags in vegan cafés, and the fact that most of the writer's past girlfriends have been vegan.4 Don’t get me wrong, these things do suggest a connection here could be real. But more importantly, they suggest that super vocal queers who happen to be vegan are probably more likely to be super vocal about both. Perhaps that’s what we are looking at here: queers aren’t necessarily all vegan, but when we see both ‘fringe’ identities in one place, it’s memorable. After navigating a handful of offensive opinion pieces, it was time to do some investigating of my own. Because I am technically Gen Z, I turned to Instagram. The majority of my followers are queer, and I’m (happily) not even close to insta-famous. I did, however, hear from over 350 people across diverse sexualities and dietary choices, with a whole lot of valuable insight to share. Of the 291 self-identified queer people who responded, 33.6% were vegan or vegetarian, compared to the 26.9% of the 89 straight respondents. I’m no expert, but this difference isn’t exactly significant. Much more important than these numbers, however, are the opinions regarding why the stereotype exists in the first place. What I thought would be a funny exploration of why lesbians like hummus and bliss balls turned into an intense breakdown of masculinities, misogyny, and both racial and economic privilege. Aside from one person’s idea that the stereotype came from Newtown, the most common thoughts were as follows:

Firstly, being vegan and being queer are both identities which society has deemed ‘alternative’, ‘liberal’, ‘woke’, and even ‘radical’. Historically, society tends to lump alternative groups into a single box: the ‘Other’. If you fit into one minority group, it’s easier for society to pin another one onto you. Perhaps our Western society created this stereotype almost out of habit and familiarity, because “western society loves stereotypes.”

What interests me today is unpacking why such a stereotype exists, whether it has any factual basis, and at its roots, is it just another example of white people determining a new social norm and deciding it’ll make sense for everyone? Secondly, that queer people are likely to have higher levels of compassion, empathy, and environmental consciousness. More than 25 people shared this thought, and one anonymous respondent stated that “suppressed people care about suppression”, which leans into the idea that queer people and vegans are alternative groups. Another stated that “because of the harm we have faced in the queer community, we have a greater understanding of the pain we see in animals.” It’s no secret that queer people have been oppressed for, you know, all of time. Is it a stretch to suggest that those who have been harmed are more likely to empathise with others who have also been harmed? I think not.

1. https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/1-in-20-adults-identify-as-lgbt-in-major-social-survey 2. https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/healthy-living/v/vegetarianism-veganism/#:~:text=A%20national%20poll%20in%202019,6%25%20were%20vegetarian%20or%20vegan.

Thirdly, that the stereotype is inherently misogynistic, and that historically, ‘real men’ eat meat and are straight. One respondent put it simply, saying “masculinity is fragile” - a perspective I am much familiar with. ‘Toxic masculinity’ was a trending term throughout the responses. ‘Strength’ is a dominant trait of hegemonic masculinity, therefore, caring about oneself or the environment makes you ‘soft’, and is “viewed as an admission of weakness”, as one respondent suggested. This suggests that being vegan means that you are somehow less strong, less dominant, less aggressive, and therefore less of a man. This perspective is, need I say, problematic at best. I won't get started on what it truly takes to ‘be a man’, but I will say, being vegan won’t ruin your chances. Another important area of my research focused on how perspectives varied across cultures. My own opinion going into this was that the stereotype had to be an idea which originated in Western society; the west has a vast history of viewing minorities as ‘other’, and making assumptions about people they know nothing about. Based on my own knowledge, food is an incredibly important part of many cultures and some would say foods carry their own identities. I would assume that it is a white, Western perspective that would think it necessary to add new meaning to food trends, such as the idea that veganism is inherently queer. With that, I wanted to know how veganism and vegetarianism are perceived in Indigenous cultures. The majority of respondents to this question answered from a Māori or Samoan

perspective, all of whom suggested that this stereotype isn’t a part of their cultures as far as they know.

Perhaps that’s what we are looking at here: queers aren’t necessarily all vegan, but when we see both ‘fringe’ identities in one place, it’s memorable. One respondent stated that while she is a vegetarian “for our gorgeous Papatūānuku”, in her experience, while not many people are vegetarian, there is “never judgement about being vegetarian at tangi or other gatherings.” Another explained that in her opinion, veganism/vegetarianism is “frowned upon in Indigenous culture” and that it’s her belief that this stems from the fact that “meat is a fundamental part of traditional meals.” She also offered her thoughts on relevance of queerness in this discussion, stating that a person who identifies as LGBTTQIA+ is already seen as different in Samoan culture, so in correlation, their veganism/ vegetarianism is therefore “expected or loosely accepted” – if their identity is already seen as different, it’s easier to accept different dietary preference as well. While the answers throughout the survey varied, all shared a common thought: privilege. Only privileged people can afford to be vegetarian or vegan. Many respondents stated that they only eat meat when it’s home kill,

which not only seems like a smart and progressive way to eat meat if you’re going to do it, but also dramatically increases affordability. Vegetarian alternative protein options are also incredibly expensive, even more so than meat. One respondent indigenous to Canada stated that commercial hunting and poaching have a “very negative effect" on those communities “who rely on hunting and governance over land.” Another respondent surmised that “we live off the land, but never take more than you need” – another responsible way to eat meat, if you choose to. Reducing individual meat consumption may be better for our environment, for Papatūānuku, but that doesn’t change the reality that having the option to do so is a privilege. I, a mere bisexual with the privilege to choose to be a vegetarian, have absolutely no authority to determine what approach to meat you ought to take; whether veganism is definitively politically correct; or whether eating meat actually, factually, has anything to do with queerness. I can, however, conclude that veganism and queerness are each perfectly capable of existing independently, but are also pretty sweet when they’re paired up side-byside roasting cauliflower and toasting chickpeas. It’s clear that there are abundant connections between queer and vegan identities, however, I think it’s safe to say that this fictitious stereotype is likely to be the figment of a Western, fishholding, steakand3vege, hegemonic man’s imagination. But, I think I’ll allow hummus to carry on as lesbians' favourite snack.

3. http://www.jarrymag.com/jarrybriefs/comingoutasvegan 4. https://www.curvemag.com/blog/health/why-are-so-many-lgbt-people-vegan/ 27

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