Vassar Quarterly - Spring/Summer 2017 - 15

Karl Rabe / Lai, Alan S. Orling

Vassar Today

notion. "We've barely scratched the surface of the
potential that this new industry provides for us," he
told the audience.
For those unable to imagine a farm hopping with
crickets, Bachhuber described the set up: The climate
in the building in which the insects are housed is a
sticky 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the air is rife with
the cricket pheromones, which Bachhuber insists have
a delightfully calming effect on visitors to the farm.
To assuage any lingering doubts about crickets,
Bachhuber served insect-adorned sundaes, an artistically arranged dessert of vanilla ice cream, crushed
grasshoppers, and grapes soaked in cricket bitters, all
presented in glistening martini glasses and topped off
with a golden straw. Nearly everyone partook in the
gourmet treat. (One satisfied guest described the insect
garnish as "a little salty.") Many were surprised at their
willingness to indulge in such culinary adventures.
While most of the experiential lectures focused on
the future of food, some looked to the past. Michael D.
Garval '85, Professor of French at North Carolina State
University, bemoaned the chef's historical struggle to
be taken seriously. Although everything from home
baking to haute cuisine has found its niche in today's
media-from amateur baking shows like The Great
British Bake Off to profiles of the world's cooking elite
in Chef's Table-masters of cuisine have not typically
risen to celebrity status. Garval recounted the story of
a chef whose likeness was captured in a statue that was
presented at the 1888 Parisian Culinary Exposition-
not in bronze or marble, mind you, but in the humbler,
more ephemeral medium of lard. This fatty memorial
melted away both physically and in the public's collective memory. "The chef is truly ineligible for memorial
commemoration," Garval lamented.
But in her presentation, Marni Kessler '87, Associate
Professor of Art History at the University of Kansas,
noted that food itself has captured the imagination of
artists since the dawn of humanity; its visual representations can be found in everything from Ancient

"Food isn't just fuel,
It's something
spiritual. Food is
our way to care
for one another,
and to have that
ability is the most
important thing
there is."
-Chef Bun Lai

Clockwise from top: Kevin
Bachhuber's provocative take
on dessert-insect-adorned
sundaes. Chef Bun Lai's sushi,
made with invasive species of
fish. Bachhuber at work. Chef
Bun Lai in his popular New
Haven restaurant, Miya's.

Egyptian hieroglyphics to Renaissance still-lifes
overflowing with food and wine. Most renditions of
food in art, she noted, are indicative of their historical
and geographic context.
Gina Rae La Cerva '06, from Yale University's
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, talked
about how our pursuit of delicacies can often have
unintended consequences. One case in point is the
edible bird's nest. Created out of the swiftlet's saliva,
this centuries-old delicacy has entranced both
emperors and modern foodies alike. It is traditionally
dissolved in water to make a soup, but is also used to
make jellies. Today, it is a hot commodity in a global,
multibillion-dollar, global market. (eBay lists the
delicacy at about $500 per pound.) The harvesting
of these nests has reduced the swiftlet population in
Borneo by 95 percent, but demand remains high. La
Cerva urged the audience to consider the sources of
food and their consequences.
As guests filed out of Alumnae House at the close
of the conference, the haunting melodies of composer
Jonathan Middleton and researcher Robert Bywater
reverberated through the building. Made up of sequences of proteins converted into music, the "molecular"
tunes reminded guests that the future of food is an
ever-changing landscape.
-Elena Schultz '19
VA S S A R Q u A R T E R LY

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vassar Quarterly - Spring/Summer 2017