At last week’s Rose Cafe, Andres Simores and his wife joined us to speak about their country, Brazil. Before this Rose Cafe, I had only heard of Brazil in the context of Rio Olympic Games and occasionally the Zika virus. I imagined Brazil’s main ecosystem to be a rainforest.

Andre showed us images of the many different types of ecosystems in Brazil. These ranged from salt marshes, the rainforest and even more desert like environments.

Andre also spoke about the education system at Brazil and how public universities there differ from the universities here. Him and his wife also explained the difficult political situation in the country.

All in all it was a great talk and it definitely moved Brazil up on my list of countries to visit.

Last week Dr. Robins gave a fascinating talk on the evolution of fat in America. Prior to his talk, I had only thought of fat as a nutrient in a chart on the back of food packages. I did not realize the huge business run on the sale and production of fat.

Dr. Robins explained that different fats can be manipulated to create similar flavors. As a result, large food manufacturers use the cheapest fats and manipulate their flavors to their liking. The industry of food prospers on cheap fats, keeping the American people away from many fats that are actually good for us.

Another interesting idea from Dr. Robin’s talk was about fat extracted from fruits and vegetables. Although this fat is thought to be healthier, there are some serious repercussions. Many vegetarians or vegans refrain from animal fats, and prefer to use vegetable fat. However, the production of vegetable fats actually helps mass animal fat production companies. The remains of the vegetables, after the fat has been extracted, provides cheap feeds for animals. Dr. Robins provided a very interesting perspective on an issue I did not realize was this complicated.

Last Wednesday, Dr. Ziegelman visited the Flora Rose House to talk about her research on the Great Depression’s impact on food in America. She shared pictures of the breadlines and of other recipes created to cope with the depression. The term “Square Meals” was coined during this period. These meals referred to meals that were affordable and barely filling.

Dr. Ziegelman also shed light on the creation of processed food. The progressive movement lead to a spike in scientists coming up with theories of certain ingredients being better than others. These findings, in combination with a common goal of ending world hunger lead to the rise of process foods.

I thought Dr. Ziegelman’s comments on eating as part of American culture were very interesting. She implied that the great depression and difficulty in finding affordable food could be the reason why food is not the center of bonding within the family, as it is in other cultures. Fast food and “2 minute noodle soup” seem to be the more “American” option, other than on occasions like Thanksgiving. In contrast, several other cultures socialize and bond exclusively over breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Dr. Ziegelman’s research was incredibly interesting, especially because it was about the history of something as simple as food, something we are fortunate to eat every day. The historical artifacts she shared helped me understand how current American eating habits and recipes evolved.

This past week at Professor Enn’s Rose Cafe, a few students gathered in Professor Blalock’s home to discuss the politics surrounding the immigration ban. As a Muslim American, I was particularly curious to hear the thoughts of my peers regarding the ban. As one student pointed out, there are some constitutional gray areas regarding the President’s power over non-citizens of the United States.

My family is originally from Pakistan; a country selectively discluded from the list of largely muslim majority countries that have been banned. Some say this is due to Donald Trump’s business ties to Pakistan, while Trump apologists claim it could be because of the Pakistani governments previous assistance to America during the Afghan war. Yet, I know of international students from Lahore and from Karachi here at Cornell, who fear that Pakistan will soon be added to the list of countries banned from the United States. These students are reevaluating their decisions to study abroad or visit family overseas – for weddings or for funerals- out of fear for losing the privilege of reentering this country and completing their education at Cornell, a school they have already invested so much of their time and money into.

My freshman year at Cornell I was sure that although not everyone has equal chance at being accepted and enrolled at Cornell, once we are here each student does have more or less equal opportunities to succeed. This no longer holds true. Our muslim peers on visas from these select countries cannot study abroad, they cannot be hired by the same companies, and they have to spend extra money on summer and winter housing.

Listening to Professor Enn and the other Rose Cafe attendees this past week gave me hope. I was comforted by the majority opinion the students held- that the muslim ban was inhumane and immoral. One student brought up that we should make an effort to have supporters of Trump or his policies feel more included in our discussions. While a nice gesture on the forefront, I can not find it in me to be inclusive of an individual who believe banning refugees from asylum in America is the correct move for this nation. I do not feel the need to make someone who holds this inhumane and inherently immoral belief feel included and supported.