CHAPTER ONE: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

SYNOPSIS: this is the chapter in which water is boiled, and poured and people share their thoughts whilst steam rises from a kettle.

WATER: something of biological necessity turning into something of cultural value. I am unfamiliar with the kitchen. I do not very often find myself cooking. When this assignment was distributed to the class, I immediately began to think about the project as an art project as opposed to just a dish for people to consume. Hearing that this class would result in a lot of collaboration, I began to think of what ingredients were the bases for most other things. I came up with water. Water could also be enjoyed by everyone in the class - it's i

mpossible to be allergic to it. Communities have historically been built around water, mesopotamia/fertile crescent.. And since this class is to become a community I thought it was fitting.

However, water seemed a bit dull, and in the context of the university, a brimming with students on their way to thayer's many tea shops, i thought it would be nice to make my own blend of tea. Making tea is also an activity my roommate and

I do for eachother, and our friends and our room is the "tea room" so in this way it is representative of my identity.

I painted the tea bags with food coloring for aesthetic (and fun!) purposes. the tea label was sewn on for a little added whimsy on a cold day.

If i were to do this again I would like to experiment with more blends of tea. i would also like to try to work on the packaging, and improve some design flaws: the label kept slipping off on some of the tea bags. I really liked the idea of adding food-coloring to the tea bags ( more people should do this its so rewarding to see the colors explode out when you add water!). I think it might be interesting to do special edition tea bags with landscapes painted on to the bag using food coloring. the possibilities areee endlessssssss. or little greetings on the tea bags. personalized notes.

I was glad that people made FOOD for the project, but expected more symbolism behind the ingredients they chose. I also think had circumstances been different presentation of the dishes could have been expanded upon. I really liked the material possibilities if Ashton's candy and felt that it was a good sweetener for the tea.