I want to sort of continue with the diet theme for this
week. We are tracking what we are eating
and blogging about the journey for the month of April so why not continue with
it? I am sure that anyone that has read
my last blog post will attest to, I am a proud baker. Now let’s for a moment explore what this over
used word “artisan” really means Vs what main stream retailers and the media
has made it out to be.
Definition of “artisan” Via the Oxford dictionary states –
“a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves
making things by hand”. To further elaborate on this would be to get
the definition of “artisanal” as it applies to any artisan trade. The Oxford definition of “artisanal” is -
“relating to or characteristic of an artisan - (of
a product, especially food or drink) made in a traditional or non-mechanized
way:artisanal cheeses. So when I think of the definition of the
word “artisan and artisanal” my thoughts are of a hand crafted product made in
small batches by a skilled tradesperson who takes great cake in making things
by hand, a “one of a kind” type product”.
Now I am going to direct your attention to my passion which is baking. I
want you to think about how many times you have seen the word “artisan bread”
when you walk through a grocery store? I
can tell you for a fact that every large supermarket uses this “marketing terminology”
for the perception that it employs to the consumer. I can also tell you that most every loaf of
bread in that is marketed in this way does not fit the Oxford dictionaries
definition of artisan or artisanal in any way.
Consumers have been duped by mass media marketing into thinking that the
products they are buying are made by artisans or are artisanal in nature are
quite the opposite. They are mass
produced products made in large “bread factories” with little to no “made by
hand” applications. How can this be
artisan or artisanal? Well it’s not; it’s
just marketed this way to get you to think in your rush home after work that
you are buying something that is good for you.
Well in fact that is quite the opposite, these large bakeries are
putting dough conditioners, preservatives and chemicals into the dough to speed
the process as fast as possible in order to produce as many loaves of “artisan
bread” that they possibly can in a single shift! These chemicals such as SSL (sodium stearoyl
lactylate), azodicarbonamide, DATEM (diacetyl tartaric esters of mono &
diglycerides) are added to the dough to speed up and strengthen the dough during
this high speed process. I still can't even properly pronounce them or spell them correctly and yet they are in our food supply...
“High speed
process”… artisan and artisanal… in the same sentence? How can than this be? When we reflect on the definitions of these
two words, can they be used in the same sentence that “high speed process” is
used? No, but that is the truth behind
what you as a consumer are buying and what these supermarkets are selling to
you.
When I wrote
my blog last week, I never really touched on what it means to call yourself an “artisan”
and what it really means to produce “artisanal product”. The products that I make, I can proudly call “artisanal”
as they are made in very small batches, made completely by hand and each loaf
is unique. I use only the best
ingredients that I can find, the process is very long (upwards of 24 to 48
hours) before the product is ready to be consumed. This dedication to the very best ingredients
and to the very best process will in most cases allow people who are “gluten sensitive”
to be able to eat my bread. When I set
out to do this was I concerned about “gluten free”? Not at all.
I was most concerned about producing the very best bread that I knew how
to make. I wanted to take all of my
years of experience in the trade, everything I learnt and apply it to my craft. I wanted to make a loaf of bread that most
people have never tasted, one that was of very high quality and something I
could be proud of.
When I think
of martial arts and what it is to be a “martial artist” I think the very same
things apply. I see similarities between
the two. Like any artisan, we are
applying ourselves to be the very best kung fu martial artist we can. We are learning our trade from masters in the
kwoon just like I learned from masters in my trade. It took me many years to get my level of
craft to where it is and the same can be said about kung fu. I applied and dedicated myself to learning
and seeking out everything I could from people I respected so that I could be
the very best baker I could be. The same
is with my kung fu training; I am seeking out and learning from every Sifu in
the school as well as my peers.
It is this
dedication that will eventually lead you to being a true artisan in your chosen
craft. This is the dedication that I
will need in order to become the very best kung fu martial artist that I can. This process of mastery is the process that I
have followed as an artisan bakery long before I had ever heard or read “Mastery
by Stewart Emery”. When I reflect upon
what Mr. Emery has written about Mastery, I see pieces of what I have applied
to my professional craft. I see area’s
that I need to improve upon, but I now see a road map of how to be a better
artisan and a better martial artist.
Mr. Repay
Student of
Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain,
Alberta
Follow me –
ianrepay@blogspot.com
