Wednesday Walk: Haunted Hoops
Wednesday Walk: Haunted Hoops
The omen of a black bear, a new take on Halloween, and the invention of the Danish diet
Welcome to Willoughby Hills!
Every Wednesday, I offer a few short ideas that I hope will inspire you to do some more reading, thinking, and exploring. Let’s take a little walk together and see where the path leads…
A Good Omen
We’ve been settling into life out here in Western Massachusetts, and it is really starting to feel like home.
Over the weekend, we drove to the summit of Mount Holyoke thanks to a tip from our neighbor. We could look out and see the entire Connecticut River Valley and even the distant skyline of Hartford. It was so beautiful!
Then just yesterday, I was walking our dog in the backyard. I was at the edge of our property, away from our house, and I heard some rustling in the brush nearby. I assumed it was a squirrel or a rabbit and didn’t think much of it. But suddenly, I looked up and there was a small black bear running out of the brush and into the woods maybe six or eight feet from my dog and me.
I was a bit startled- this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a wild bear. It seemed more scared of us than we were of it, which I suppose is reassuring.
I looked up the meaning of encountering a black bear, and here’s what one website had to say:
“The black bear symbolizes resourcefulness and self-sufficiency, demonstrating the power of adaptability. In some Native American tribes, they are seen as a symbol of transformation and healing. Black bears are also seen as a symbol of patience and determination.”
The transformation and healing piece especially resonated with me. This process of uprooting our family and settling somewhere new has been transformative and healing. I can’t help but wonder if this bear was nature’s way of letting me know that we are on the right path after all.
An Alternative to Candy
With Labor Day now firmly in the rearview mirror, it feels like we have made a hard turn into autumn here in the Northeast. I’ve started to notice the leaves in my yard beginning to change colors and the mornings are getting chilly.
The other day, I was in my local Costco and I noticed the store was full of Halloween items. It’s interesting how Halloween has slowly crept into becoming such a commercialized holiday, with oversize lawn decorations and inflatables now the norm at so many big box stores.
Last year, I wrote some reflections on the commercialization of the holiday, looking at how we emphasize the “treat” side of things over the “trick.” It’s not worth rehashing all of that again (feel free to read that piece here if you missed it the first time), but I was especially pessimistic about the hold that the consumption of candy has on Halloween.
My Costco was stocked with the usual oversized bags of candy, but I also noticed some alternatives to sugar now on offer. One was snack size packages of Pringles, which was a bit interesting, but the other wasn’t a food item at all.
Haunted Hoops is a collection of NBA basketball trading cards packaged for Halloween. I couldn’t see the inside of the cards at Costco, but they appear to have been on offer for a few years now, as there are past versions selling on eBay. The cards seem to have “spooky” theming without being specifically Halloween-y.
I would love to someday get back to a place where Halloween and other holidays can place less emphasis on overconsumption and random consumption, but I feel like trading cards are at least a nice change from candy.
Although perhaps there has always been the quirky neighbor or two that offers alternatives to candy. I still remember the woman who lived behind us used to hand out coins for the holiday. It was both a disappointment and a strange delight.
Eat Like a Dane
On Sunday, I wrote about the hope that Americans could one day learn how to cook again, and thus grow an appreciation for high quality foods. My inspiration for that story was an old school German woman I encountered years ago who made early morning trips to the farmer for eggs and the bakery for pastries.
In that vein, I wanted to share an interesting article from
’s great Substack titled “How to Change What People Eat.”In that piece, which was published last week, Beth describes how Denmark developed its food culture by authoring the New Nordic Food Manifesto. According to Hoffman:
“As the story goes, way back in 2004, the food in Denmark was terrible. People raised their kids on frozen foods and sodas. And while there were a few good restaurants in Copenhagen, by and large, the rest of Europe considered the Danish restaurant industry to be a joke.
But then, a few chefs began to think about how they could put Danish food on the map. As a region based in agriculture, surrounded by seas, and with mushrooms and wild plants galore, how could they get the population to appreciate the heightened gastronomy Denmark and neighboring countries could offer?”
The Manifesto has ten points to it, all of which focused on defining and refining a regional, seasonal, and unique cuisine in Denmark. The result? 26 Michelin starred restaurants in a country slightly bigger than the U.S. state of Maryland.
Hoffman is an Iowa farmer, so the rest of her piece looks at lessons that Iowans can take from the Danish to form their own regional cuisine, which could also reform the agriculture of the state. According to Beth:
“…the only way we can really change agriculture is if the culture around the food we eat leads the charge. If people experience the exceptional taste of a pasture-raised pork chop or the snap of broccoli picked that morning—only then will they begin to search it out for themselves.
And if the people who live in our bigger towns and cities where the bulk of the population resides—Des Moines, Iowa City, Waterloo, etc.—decide fresh, tasty and healthy is more important than cheap, bland and of questionable food value, then a new branch of agriculture in Iowa will arise to serve the need.”
I’ve talked a lot in this newsletter about my own shift to eating seasonally and sourcing from local farms. The more that I see how our diet is tied not only to our own health but to the planet’s health as well, the more importance I place on really shifting how we eat in America.
As Beth shows, if the Danish can do it, then so can we!
Read Beth’s full article here. She was also a guest on my podcast last year, so check out her interview if you’re interested in hearing more.
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Other Wednesday Walks
If you’ve missed past issues of this newsletter, they are available to read here.
Thanks for the shout-out Heath! And yes, if the Danes can do it, why can't we? Another element to the change in food culture in Denmark is that it has now spurred a major change in exports from the country--from cheap commodities to high-end, value-added goods. It is a great lesson for Iowa and other states. Enjoy the New England fall! It is amazing.