Learning Through Our Food
An oral history project
Data Collection and Visualization by Grace Lihn
UC Global Food Initiative Experiential Learning Fellow
Development and Animation by Cassidy Hsieh
Afshar Hassani
DESCRIPTION
Afshar Hassani studies chemistry at UC Berkeley. As someone from the Baha'i faith, he is part of the Berkeley Baha'i Club, which he helped start. He is also part of the Iranian Students Cultural Organization.
EXCERPT
What motivates you to stay in the organizations that you're in?
"Well, at least for the Berkeley Baha’i Club… I know the future will look a lot better when people start having a very unified mindset. That’s what motivates me to be part of that club, is just what the Baha’i teachings are in general and how, for example, one thing we do when we do our service as Baha’is is we teach children’s classes and junior youth [classes]."
Dennis
DESCRIPTION
Dennis studies geography at UC Berkeley. He is a member of the Students of Color Environmental Collective.
EXCERPT
Is [the Food Pantry] a space where you feel welcome? Or how does it make you feel?
What motivates you to stay in the organizations that you're in?
"I haven’t really used them all that much. Well, I used [the Pantry] when – when I first moved to Berkeley, I lived in a house in south Berkeley, and I would try to go grocery shopping. And then it got to a point in the semester where I just wouldn’t have time. So then I would go to the Pantry to get canned goods and things, so that way I could make quick meals. Because I would just not have time to eat or make food – and that’s what I was really determined to do: make every meal for myself. But then it became impossible by all the high expectations that were kind of thrust on me, coming to Berkeley... It was a lot more academic, I think. So the Food Pantry was a place that [for me] was kind of like, 'Yeah, because of this, I’ll be able to eat today.'"
Naomi Primero
DESCRIPTION
Naomi Primero is the current Board Chair of the Berkeley Student Food Collective, where she has been a member for three years.
EXCERPT
What keeps you committed or sustains you at the Food Collective?
"I love that it’s a community. It’s the difference between community and society, as we just talked about. The BSFC [Berkeley Student Food Collective] is totally a community. And you see – it’s not just a matter of seeing the same people over and over again. The fact that it’s a community that’s built on food, I think is important. The fact that we can talk to each other about the things we put into our bodies – something about that makes our interactions so much more personal. Because diet is personal. The food we choose to eat is personal.
So every time someone comes in and maybe asks you for a recommendation, that’s a personal interaction that you’re having. And those interactions – and talking with the people who come to the collective and see it as a radical and acceptable, and really in some ways healing, place to be – is what keeps me coming back to the collective."
So every time someone comes in and maybe asks you for a recommendation, that’s a personal interaction that you’re having. And those interactions – and talking with the people who come to the collective and see it as a radical and acceptable, and really in some ways healing, place to be – is what keeps me coming back to the collective."
Salina Isaq
DESCRIPTION
Salina Isaq studies sociology at UC Berkeley. She is actively involved in the Muslim Students Association and volunteers for the Middle Eastern Children's Alliance. As a campus employee, she is also part of the Undergraduate Worker's Union.
EXCERPT
"It’s hard being Muslim in today’s political climate. Especially if you wear a hijab as a woman, it’s hard to do so without being judged or people making assumptions about you. But being in the Muslim Student Association shows that we can be progressive liberal students and be Muslim at the same time. It’s a tricky balance. I grew up with this faith and later chose to continue with it. I want to show that the work I do in the community with refugees is meaningful. But even I’m still navigating this balance between my faith and the work I do."
Stephanie
DESCRIPTION
Stephanie studies sociology at UC Berkeley and is an officer in the Berkeley Undergraduate Sociology Association. As a former campus employee, she is also a part of the Undergraduate Worker's Union.
EXCERPT
Do you know of the campus food spaces? What is your perception of them?
"I’ve been to the Food Pantry. It’s awesome. The location’s not very good though. It was hard to find. There’s another entrance, which is easier. But you get lost looking for it, it’s like maze. They need more people advocating for it."
Vanessa Oliphant
DESCRIPTION
Vanessa Oliphant is an African American Studies major at UC Berkeley. She is passionate about educating youth and was a teaching fellow in the Breakthrough Oakland residency program in 2015.
EXCERPT
"I had EBT starting sophomore year because my roommate had EBT. If you have work-study, you qualify for EBT. But even then – because my mom didn’t know how to cook; we lived off of 99-cent burgers from McDonald’s and stuff – so I didn’t know how to cook. Buying EBT was like – what does that look like? What does food look like when you’re actually eating? So I would just go to Walgreens and buy all these frozen foods and just eat that. I don’t know, it wasn’t until recently that I started eating vegetables and going to Trader Joe’s – [before this] I never went to Trader Joe’s in my life – and buying lettuce heads and stuff. There’s really no guidebook on eating healthy."
Vinita Gorti
DESCRIPTION
Vinita Gorti is a first-year student at UC Berkeley. She is passionate about community service and is a part of the Rotaract Club on campus.
EXCERPT
"Everyone [in Rotaract] is very nice... And it’s kind of intoxicating at times, but it’s very sweet. It’s nice to be around that. It’s a lot of a good happy type of people, so you get that kind of vibe coming around. You just know that everyone’s happy to be there and everyone wants to be there, so it makes you want to be there... (Is that what keeps you coming back?) Yeah, for sure. It’s definitely the people... And it’s kind of like there’s a path forward too, out of college even. Like, you’ll join a Rotary Club later. And that’s really nice. It’s nice that it’s a total thing; it’s not just a club in college... It doesn’t end at a certain age."