HOW TO BECOME AN ECO GASTRONAUT | V1

One early Sunday morning, Cheeku makes an announcement-

“I want to be an explorer! Not just any old explorer, a one of a kind ultimate explorer who everyone will want to follow! I’m going to be a radical ruler who everyone will remember.”

Ma-“Oh? But what will you explore?”

“Insects of course! As only I have the nerves of steel to inspect creepy crawly squirmy wormy bugs.”

Ma- “Cheeku, entomologists already do that for a living. “

“Then a seafarer, and travel to unknown lands and exotic islands that no one has come across yet. I need a boat- pronto!”

Pa-“We can’t possibly get you a boat Cheeku, where would we keep it!”

“Better yet an astronaut and I’ll zoom through the galaxy in a quest to find eerie aliens with bogey brains and slimy skin!”

Ma-“Your age and size probably doesn’t qualify you for space training sweetie. Maybe when you’re older?”

“AUGHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Blast these dreary dismissals!!!”

“Dadu, everything is getting in the way of me becoming an exceptional explorer.”

Dadu-“Well Cheeku, perhaps you don’t have to come up with glamorous grand schemes. Can’t you think of something in your everyday life that you haven’t fully explored yet? ”

“Everyday life? How would you know anything about becoming an everyday explorer?”

“Oho! Well cheeky Cheeku, if I’m so clueless how did I come to be the only Balcony Botanist around?”

“What does a balcony botanist do Dadu?”

“You see, I love to study nature, like a botanist. But I’m too old to go outdoors every day, so I explore the possibilities of potted planting! Plants that grow in pots need looking after, unlike plants that grow in the *wild, and thanks to my extensive research and investigation- my balcony garden is thriving!”

*Nature has the ability to sustain itself in any form of difficulty. Ecosystems of plants and animals have been around for thousands of years and though they have evolved into something new, they still sustain themselves. To sustain means to be able to support yourself independently and keep going. To be sustainable means to be capable of living and providing for yourself with as few bad effects on the environment as possible.

_

Slurping on a sweet smoothie later that morning, Cheeku thought of all the things he loved; guava jelly and mango chutney, pea soup and garlic toast, the blueberries that came by post, from Nani. Dal and pickle with parathas, cheesy macaroni, spaghetti and bakes, not to mentions flavoured shakes. He loved the aromas that tickled his nose, the delicious yumminess that titillated his taste buds, and the tingling warmth that filled his tummy when chomped and gobbled.

“I LOVE FOOD! I’ll be a food explorer, there better not be another! I’ll look into every angle of food”

“Ma, I’ve got it. I’m a food explorer, and I’m going to start now. Quick, give me some seeds, some food growing seeds.”

“Please?”

“Please!”

_

So Ma gave him 4 soaked peanuts that were meant to be in a tangy salad, and a bunch of coriander seeds that were to be blitzed into masalas. For pots Cheeku got hold of a bucket that had a broken handle and an old cookie tin that was a bit rusty.

The Balcony Botanist helped him pack in some brilliantly brown soil that was moist and cool when he squished it between his smooth fingers.

“Now plant the peanuts or Arachis Hypogaea an inch and a half into the soil and make sure they are spread out. The roots will need space once they start sprouting the shelled nuts. The coriander seeds or Coriandrum Sativum will go into the cookie tin. Sprinkle them about a quarter inch into the soil. Marvellously done Mr. Explorer!”

“So when will my peanuts and coriander be ready to eat? In an hour?”

“More like 336 hours for the coriander, and at least 1800 hours for the peanuts!”

“WHAT?!!”

“Plants take time to grow Cheeku, you can’t rush nature. Your coriander will be ready in 2 weeks time. But it’ll be almost 3 months before the leaves of the peanut plant turn yellow. That’s when you’ll know they are ready to be eaten. Till then water them everyday-but not too much mind you, and be patient.”

“Euch! Fine I’ll just get busy food hunting in the meanwhile.

“Ma, Pronto! We need to get to the closest supermarket; I need to study the intricacies of the indigenous hunting gathering techniques.”

“Oh good, you can strap on a shopping bag and help me carry the fruit and vegetables that we’ll buy.”

“But they sort and pack everything in neat plastic bags for you at the supermarket anyway!”

“Well these bags are a lot more comfortable to carry and if you have this you don’t have to worry about shuffling shifty plastic that might tear any minute, besides this bag is superbly stylish. And who ever said you can only buy food from supermarkets?”

_

So Ma and Cheeku set off food hunting or rather shopping with their shopping bags stylishly slung over their shoulders.

Inside the super market it was cool and clean There were isles of food in shelves that gleamed Carrots, onions, tomatoes and beans And the *apples were shiny and beamed. *Illustration showing the processing+ export+ import of apples “You know Cheeku, most of the fruits and vegetables sold here are chosen because they don’t spoil over long journeys on trucks and trains or ships and planes to reach the shelves. Not because they are tasty or healthy. ”

“*TRAVELLING FOOD?!!”

*Food miles are the distance that food travels from the farm where it is grown to your plate. It measures things like the amount spent in food packing, petrol used for transport, and the Carbon dioxide released in the air to make food reach our homes. It tells us about the impact our food has on the environment.

“That’s right. So by the time they reach the kitchen and your plate they aren’t very *fresh.”

*Fresh food tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.

“Is there a place where we can get food that grows close to us and doesn’t have to travel?”

_

So Ma took Cheeku to a *Farmers Market.

* A Farmers Market is a place where farmers sell their grown fruits and vegetables directly to people who want to buy them instead of selling them to a shop or store first.

Now as we know Cheeku is an ardent adventure seeker. He dreams of scaling the Himalayas and scavenging through the Savannahs. There weren’t any isles or shelves in the Farmer’s Market, just lanes with mountains of food fresh from the field. Fruits in curious colours and stripes. Vegetables in strange shapes with spikes. On carts and mats in cubbies and rows, and each person had a bag of their own. The market was loud, the hustle and bustle exhilarating.

Cheeku wiggled his way to the front of the crowd, and jumped into towering piles of cabbages, gourds and turnips. He inspected each item with care. The smooth firm skin of each tomato, the bright even colours of the greens. He smelled the sharp tang of lemons and the heady scent of musk melons. He haggled and gaggled to get bargain prices for Ma, and hitched up his shopping bag that was fast filling with food.

The farmers smiled and giggled at the tiny inspector.

“We don’t see too many children around here mister. What’s a boy your age doing in a fruit and vegetable market?”

“I’m a food explorer Mr. Farmer, till now I’ve grown my own ground nuts and coriander. I’ve come here to inspect the indigenous food fare and I only want fresh and hearty produce. Do you have anything interesting to offer?”

“In fact I do! You must sample my *organic harvest. It’s fresh as this sunny Sunday morning.

*Organic food is food that is grown without using un-natural fertilizers and pesticides that can be bad for the soil and water that is underground and especially for you if you don’t wash them properly before eating them. Organic food is good for the planet as it grows a variety of plants together in one place, and uses only natural fertilizers. This helps the soil keep all its nutrition which helps plants grow. It also saves resources like petrol and energy.

Ma bought the plumpest pumpkin from the organic farmer and they set off for home.

_

On reaching they headed straight for the kitchen and Cheeku sorted their shopping. He felt the curious texture of the cauliflowers, separated the beets from the pomegranate, the bitter gourds from the bottle gourd, and shook the mud off the spinach and mint.

“My food knowledge is now unparallel, my senses have been tweaked, and I am ready to take on followers. Ma- I’m off to impart my knowledge, fill the hollow heads of prospective pupils with wonder at my brilliance, prodigy, and super ability...”

Ma-“Why don’t you call your friends over for some tea instead? And stop with this disciple business. A true leader shares all his discoveries so that awareness spreads. And when word on your discoveries spreads- you just might get famous Cheeku!”

So- should we make some cookies to go with your tea?”

“Tea?!! I’d rather have cake and smoothies!”

So Cheeku tied his apron tight...

“Stop monkeying about!”

And they made pumpkin cupcakes and banana chocolate smoothies:

Pumpkin Cupcake recipe illustration

Banana Chocolate smoothie recipe illustration

He then called Puttu and Pingu, Minty and Chintoo, Bobo, Toto and Chimpu, and lastly the twins Britty and Barkhu.

He invited the Balcony Botanist, and even Pa hung around.

He laid out the table with brightly coloured mats, and everyone sat around chomping their cupcakes and slurping their smoothies having a toasty old time. But this wasn’t a tea party!

“I have called excitement seekers to share my food wisdom that I have generously gathered for everyone’s benefit. But there are limitless quests that await us. Together, but with me as your grand, garrulous leader, we can become the greatest *Gastronauts!”

* The term Gastronaut has been coined from the Latin word gastro- meaning stomach and the Greek word naut which means sailor. No not a stomach sailor- a food explorer!

“I’ve heard of Gastronauts before”

“Let’s not just be Gastronauts- *Eco Gastronauts! What we’ll do won’t just affect us, but everything around us. We’ll be avengers of the environment, saving the planet with every bite!”

* The Latin term ‘eco’ means how living things relate to their environment

And after a lot of bickering and chattering, consoling and quarrelling, accompanied with a preposterous amount of bites, scuffles and tears; the eager explorers decided on their fantastic name and wrote down a set of guidelines for future food explorers to follow-

HOW TO BECOME AN ECO GASTRONAUT

Definition: A Gastronaut is a person who explores and enjoys the world of food, the way an Astronaut explores space. True Gastronauts are people who not only explore food, are fantastic chefs, and daring eaters, but they also investigate food cultures and how they affect the planet. Eco Gastronauts figure out how our food can help the planet, and they spread the word to others to spread awareness so we can be happy and sustain ourselves for at least a billion (no gazillion) years more. Ways to become an Eco Gastronaut: >Buy food that grows locally.

• To have farmer friends

• To ensure you get fresh, healthy, yummy food

• To reduce our food miles >Try and grow food

• Its hard work, it’s not for everyone and it’ll test your abilities.

• You’re NOT the leader. Growing food is fun! >Learn to recognise food

• To be a true food expert, you have to know what you’re looking at. >Get busy in the kitchen

• Understand Food safety

• Because cooking is cool!

• Sharing food brings people together >Learn to recognise tastes

• To become taste experts and a trained tongue that can distinguish flavours .

• So that you can come up with your own gastronomic recipes. >Spread the word, recruit more people to the cause, and find more Eco Gastronauts! (Cheeku, Chimpu, Chintoo, Bobo, Britty, Barkhu, Minty, Pingu, Puttu and Toto.) Your signature here ...............................