PODCAST
Let us become more deep in our thinking:
Street Photography and Pork Belly (삼겹살) Thoughts
Some thoughts on Street Photography and some thoughts on Pork Belly (ssamgyupsal, 삼겹살):
Does Street Photography Need to Be Shot Without Permission, or Candidly?
Even the word “candid“, means more being straight forward and honest”— not about being “posed” or “unposed”.
Even the Latin “candidus” means “white”, from “candeo”— I shine.
Why the differentiation?
First, we must consider our our personal history and origin. Whether we like it or not, Henri Cartier Bresson is our granddaddy. Any notion of mobile photography, starting with the compact 35mm camera comes from him.
My personal theory is that Henri Cartier Bresson himself was kind of this pretentious fellow. If you watch these old documentaries on him, he himself loved to photograph other people, but he himself hated being photographed. I found this discrepancy quite cowardly; for a photographer to thrive, a photographer must be comfortable being on both sides of the lens.
Therefore, I think the reason why Henri Cartier Bresson was such a huge proponent of not interacting with your subject was that he himself was kind of antisocial. Maybe he lacked the courage to interact with strangers, and he preferred being a fly on the wall.
However, a lot of his famous photos were actually shot with permission or some sort of acknowledgment from the subject. For example, his famous photo of three women in a triangle composition; if you inspect his contact sheet, you can see there was a clear interaction between him and subjects.
Also, it seemed that Henri Cartier person had a passion for portrait photography. And this is the grey zone; certainly his subjects knew that they were being photographed, but what Henri Cartier Bresson was trying to do was capture his unique perspective of them which wasn’t his overt style of posing. What he seemed instead was something deeper, something more profound and interesting.
And this is the big thing about photography; photography doesn’t need to be about posed or not posed. Rather, you as an artist striving to make some sort of image that you yourself find beautiful and interesting.
Pork Belly (삼겹살)
Something I’m very curious about; why is it that in so many world religions Judaism, Islam, etc., eating pork is prohibited and is not considered Halal?
Some theories:
1. Is it really harder to digest?
Something I get very very suspicious about is when Asian people say that eating meat, red meat, beef, etc. is hard to digest. Their claims are not scientific at all; my personal theory is that it is a moralistic thing; because meat, beef is considered so expensive compared to just eating rice and noodles, being a person who eats a ton of meat, and only meat is considered immoral.
Also, if you grew up poor, or poverty stricken, there is a general Asian notion that everyone must suffer together. There is a funny Vietnamese saying that says something like, “if one horse is sick, none of the horses eat.” It is a basic notion of collective suffering and compassion.
2. Do not trust Bill Gates
One individual who I am very anti-and suspicious of is Bill Gates. It seems nowadays, he is generally seen with an aura of being ultra compassionate, and altruistic. But in truth, I think he is probably a closet asshole; I think history will show in the long run that he was in fact, probably more of a closet asshole than Steve Jobs, who was at least a more honest overt asshole.
I don’t want to court. Statistics, but I once heard some interview on the Joe Rogan podcast that Bill Gates owns much farmland in America. One low-key suspicion I have is this; anyone who promotes a plant-based lifestyle, and is generally anti-eating red meat, but they personally own a lot of farmland, and they make money from selling plant products should be avoided.
For example, there are lots of new Netflix documentaries about why eating meat is bad for you. However, who produces these things? A lot of these producers own pea protein protein powder processing factories and plants; the more of their plant-based protein we consume, the richer they become.
Just follow the money. The only people you could really really trust a little more is people who do not have financial conflicts of interest.
3. Is it true that everyone has a different digestive system?
A funny thing I heard is that apparently East Asians have a slightly different digestive system than northern Europeans; that apparently either the small intestine or the large intestine is shorter. I have no idea whether this is true or not, but, it certainly makes sense that from a global perspective, superficial genetic differences in our body digestive system are different.
As a funny example, when I was in college, and really into bodybuilding, there was this funny concept of GOMAD, which stands for a “gallon of milk a day.” The basic idea was that in order to get super super buff and put on a lot of muscle mass, just drink a gallon of whole milk a day, and do very very heavy squats at the gym.
But what I soon discovered is this; even though I enjoyed drinking whole milk in college, I could not tolerate a gallon of milk in a day. Even consuming Lactaid that I bought from Costco, did not help. Essentially I was farting all day, and my mom hated it.
Traditionally, East Asians, and people of Korean descent
do not have a long history of consuming cow milk products. However, if you’re a northern European, for example a Swedish person, you probably have more of a history of consuming dairy and cow milk products. There are lots of people who could drink milk just fine, but now I am so lactose intolerant that even eating butter or ghee (clarified butter which apparently has “no lactose” or “very little lactose”) gives me an upset stomach.
4. Koreans love to drink “mak-ggul-ee” and soju, beer and wine is a new concept.
It seems that universally, most cultures around the world enjoys some sort of ferment alcoholic beverage. For the Koreans, it is Soju and traditionally “mmak-ggul-ee”, which are alcoholic products which are extracted and fermented from rice products.
It is the more new recent addition that Koreans got into drinking beer, wine, etc. And actually my theory is that Koreans and East Asians cannot tolerate these alcoholic types of products well, as once again, there is not a history of exposure.
The same thing goes with gluten-based products, bread, etc. I am certain that historically, it was very very common for either the French, or the ancient Greeks to consume lots of bread, and red wine. But in Asia, east Asia, Southeast Asia, etc., it was mostly rice.
Therefore, I think it is a good idea to think about your genetic heritage, and in fact, if you desire to maximize your strength, adopting a certain diet, lifestyle, or living in a certain climate which accords to your genetic predisposition is a good idea.
For example, why is it that African immigrants get so miserable in London? And why it is so soul crushing for Vietnamese people to live in Minnesota? Typically if you look at skin pigment, it is a reflection of sun exposure. For example, the northern Swedish people have very light pigment, because during the winter months, there might literally only be 30 minutes of sun a day.
Being Korean is interesting, because Korea prides itself for having four distinct seasons, we have a very hot and humid summer, a snowy winter, and a chilly fall, and a beautiful spring. Maybe this is why I preferred living on the East Coast in Providence Rhode Island than in California. I actually quite liked the snow and the changes of seasons on the east coast in New England.
Certainly the great innovation of mankind is that we are able to disregard our genetic background and do as we please. However, if your life goal is maximal physical health, it seems wise to experiment with where to live, climate, altitude, etc.
5. Why do Koreans like to eat pork belly, ssamgyup-ssal so much?
It seems in Korea the typical go to meal is pork belly and soju. Even if you are super rich, there seems to be something very pleasant about the nostalgia of eating ssamgyupsal and soju in some sort of “ppojang-matcha” (imagine a scrappy outdoor eating pub) in the rain.
However, if you disregard background, I think most people would prefer eating beef over pork. Why? My personal theory is that beef, cows, oxen, etc. has greater amounts of nutrition than pork. For example, the ancient Greeks; why did they prefer to eat oxen and ox‘s instead of pigs and pork? the notion of a “hectacomb”; to sacrifice 100 oxen to appease the gods. Even the currency of the ancient Greeks were head of oxen; the notion of capital comes from “caput”, literally a single head of an ox.
It seems there might have been to practical considerations; you could use an ox to till the fields, or you could also eat them. Also back then, it seems that the preferred the fatty legs and thighs.
Another theory I have about beef is because it is so much more red than pork. I researched this, and apparently beef is more red than pork because it contains more hemoglobin, or oxygen. It is my theory that animal products with more hemoglobin or more nutrient-rich and dense.
For example, if you go to South America, they do not consider chicken as “meat”. Even my friend Tim Flangan when he lived in South America, when he would tell villagers that he was a vegetarian and didn’t eat meat, they nodded their head and cooked him chicken instead.
Even for myself superficially, eating fatty cuts of even the most organic chicken (free range, pasture, “walking chicken” as they call it in Vietnamese) is never as satisfying as eating pork belly, beef ribs, or beef belly.
According to people who subscribe to the notion of the ketogenic diet, the body is preferred source of energy is fat. I am also a little bit suspicious of this, because fat comes in many different types and flavors. As much as I love eating meat, when the meat is too fatty, it makes me feel nauseous. I like a nice blend of both fat and lean meat. It seems that if you fry pork belly well on the pan, it strikes a nice balance. As much as I love beef ribs and beef belly, sometimes it is too fatty for me.
6. Financial considerations
In most of the world, pork is almost always cheaper than beef. This holds true in both America and South Korea.
Why is this? It seems that it is easier financially to fatten up a pig then to fatten up a cow. Also, if you think about land, a cow requires much more space than a pig. I am also not certain if this is true, but apparently pigs are less discerning about what you feed them, which I think is the bias against eating pork, certain religious food-laws, to prevent their people from getting sick. It makes sense back in the day, following and being observant of strict religious food eating laws probably prevented many Jewish people from dying of disease, whereas non-Jewish people who did not observe such strict laws probably perished at higher rates.
Also, circumcision. The general superstition is that maybe in the past, the reason why people got circumcised was to prevent disease on the foreskin of a male child. However, the more historical account of an ancient Roman historian (TACITUS Histories) says that jewish people did it as a means to differentiate themselves from other non-Jewish people. In other words, it was a form of bodily differentiation, in order to strengthen the Jewish tribe.
For example, many halal laws require that certain types of meat and food be washed in separate sinks and containers. From a modern Western perspective, this probably did in fact prevent much disease.
But apparently nowadays, you don’t really need to cook pork that well as was once suspicious in the past. Even myself now, I am very reticent to eat pork that is not super well cooked, because of my personal if you’re ever getting sick. And this makes sense, playing it safe and not getting sick is generally a good idea.
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten sick from eating pork that wasn’t cooked well enough. In fact, I might have even gotten sick from this Japanese Yakiniku restaurant in Vietnam, maybe even from beef that was either not hygienically prepared or something.
Anyways, hygiene is very important. The reason I am also averse to eating street food in a lot of Asia and southeast Asia is that when you see them wash the dishes right next to the gutter, for me even a 1% percent chance of getting sick is not worth it.
7. How would I eat if I were Jeff Bezos?
If I were Jeff Bezos rich, a quadrillionaire I would probably eat only the worlds most expensive cuts of wagyu beef which according to my palate. Also, lots of fermented kimchi which was made without the aid of sugar. Also lots of dark leafy greens like kale, Collard greens, green mustard, etc.
It is my funny personal ambition to eat at least 4 pounds of meat a day, assuming that I also have regular access to a gym to lift weights. My personal ideal is being 200 pounds of pure muscle, at the height of 5 foot 11, with a 6-pack.
8. Is what you eat more important than your phone?
The nice thing about being a modern human is that you could eat however you want. You could either be a carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, etc. As long as there are no legal laws prohibiting the way that you consume food, it is all good.
My simple suggestion and thought is that at least for myself, our personal physique and physiology matters.
For example, when I superficially look at people who are either raw vegetarian or vegan, they simply look sickly and anemic. Also a lot of them are very overfat.
Also, I may be the only person that I know who adopts such a heavy carnivore diet, while also intermittent fasting, and not consuming any sugars, starches, snacks or sweets, and doesn’t drink alcohol. I am unique in this regard. Also, the only person I know who could deadlift 551 pounds and does not even consume protein powder.
Your body physiology doesn’t lie. Also, your personal physique doesn’t care for your political thinking and affiliations. For example, I think it is totally legitimate that many people desire not to eat meat because of religious observances, or their own personal ethical reasons. However, that which seems to be categorically false is that one could become the world strongest human being, on a pure of vegetarian or vegan diet.
Once again, do you think Patrick B, the famous vegetarian strongman — do you think he could deadlift 502 kilograms (1,200+ pounds)? I think not. Also, you must consider that most likely, all vegetarian or vegan bodybuilders, fitness idols, competitors are also probably on some sort of steroids, testosterone enhancers, etc, as long as the steroids or testosterone enhancers are “plant-based” (my joke).
9. I care for value
Currently between me and Cindy, I could afford to buy two Lamborghinis. Therefore in theory, I could technically afford to eat however I please. But at the end of the day, I think I still care for value. Being here in Korea, that is why I still prefer to eat pork belly, because it is the most “bang for the buck“ type of meat There. For me it is incredibly delicious, easily accessible, and quite affordable.
Also, my great joy of Costco and the Costco business center back in the states; how I could buy beef ribs for so cheap at the local Costco business Center, also, being able to buy 100% grass fed frozen meat burger patties from Costco.
10. What you eat and your artistic creation?
My personal passion is turbo thoughts. That is, coming up or thinking of certain ideas and thoughts which I personally find interesting and meaningful, and I have a strong desire to share them with others.
I am very certain that what you decide to eat affects the types of thoughts you have.
Or, how you eat. That is, how many meals a day you decide to consume. For me, no breakfast or lunch, only one insanely big dinner once a day. This gives me more clarity of thought during the waking hours, and while the sun is up. Also, I eat Ramadan style; I only eat once the sun sets, and I do this every day, and have done it every day for nearly 6 years. People often asked me if this is hard, actually not really. At least I could drink water, coffee, and tea. If you are observing Ramadan, you are not allowed to even drink water!
11. Why notions of calories is unscientific
There is a notion of “scientism“, that is, something sounds more scientific and “truthy” if you attach numbers to it and quantify it. For example, the calorie myth. The idea that let’s say the average human “burns” about 2000 calories a day, and as long as you keep your calorie limit under that mark, you will not get fat.
I am under the suspicion that the Coca-Cola corporation, which even owns “topo-chico” desires the calorie myth to propagate. Why? If you think about it, let us say that you eat a “healthy diet,” of 1800 calories a day. Therefore if you just drink “just one“ Coca-Cola soda, you will not get fat.
However, this logic makes absolutely no sense. That is, let us assume that you did in fact, “require” 2000 calories a day. Then what if you eat only 1999 calories a day, for a whole year? In theory, you should “lose weight” (when Americans talk about “losing weight” what they mean to say is lose fat, body fat, adipose tissue). But this does not happen.
What we must think instead is hormonal; that when you consume a sweet product, even a “0 calorie” product, like Coca-Cola zero, your body reacts to the sweet substance by pumping more insulin into your body. This huge surge of insulin into your body is what spikes your fat deposit mechanisms.
If you think about it, almost all modern-day diseases are based on metabolic disease, or “metabolic syndrome“, that your body and hormonal system is going haywire, because of the frequent and high spikes of insulin signal in your body. And what spikes your insulin the most? White sugar, brown sugar (which is essentially just white sugar mixed with molasses), high fructose corn syrup, modern day fruit, starch, starchy vegetables like potatoes and broccoli, bread, rice, flour, beer, wine, etc.
12. Why do I care about this so much?
Apparently, a lot of new scientific research is starting to suggest that Alzheimer’s is actually “type three diabetes“. And diabetes, assuming that it is not type one diabetes, is purely affected by what you eat and drink.
Also, at the end the day, technology doesn’t really matter that much. What actually matters more is what you eat and drink. And how you eat and drink.
Also, thinking about my son Seneca. One of my great concerns is once he enters school, and public education, what kind of crap they will feed him. This thought alone makes me want to try to attempt some sort of hippie schooling system instead.
13. We will probably be OK at the end of the day
Thinking about myself, I grew up on cocoa puffs, and all this Costco frozen food, corn dogs, and hot pockets. I actually did turn out just fine, discovering diet and fitness as a result of becoming a very fat 12 year old, on account of the fact that I ate at least three hot pockets a day.
What I am personally interested in is this; how to adopt a certain diet, and mode of eating, which can maximize the individual human potential.
Then my takeaway point is this:
Disregard politics and ethics when it comes to food and beverages. Instead, just strive to think about what gives you the most physiological power, zeal, and strength.
ERIC
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Other thoughts to ruminate on
- Is it better for individuals of Asian an East Asian descent to drink green tea instead of coffee?
- Is living at a higher elevation, in which you have a higher altitude, and the quality of the air and the oxygen levels are different, does this contribute to more interesting and elevated thoughts?
- The future is bilingual; and it does seem that English is the dominant language. Therefore in order for you to thrive, write it both in the local language and English.
- Why Chinese in Mandarin is not the future; first of all, it is too hard to learn. Secondly, culture, music, etc. Mainland Chinese people will listen to BLACKPINK, who sing and rap both in Korean and English. Also, young rich young Chinese kids like Balenciaga shoes, Kanye West Yeezy sneakers, etc.
- If you feel that your health is poor, perhaps going to some sort of mountainside retreat for a month or two is actually a good way of recovering. Something about the clean mountain air, the clean mountain water, and the quiet is quite rejuvenative. 
Other thoughts
- Assuming it is not snowing, and assuming it is not insanely cold, it does seem that Vibram five fingers shoes are supreme. 
- No two rocks are alike; the infinite curiosity of Seneca picking up rocks of varying sizes shapes and forms, and throwing it into ponds and rivers; he never bores of this. Also, when I look at all the rocks, there might be 100000,000,000 rocks. Maybe 1 billion rocks is more interesting than 1 billion dollars.
- Currently being here in the mountains side, no gym. A good way of physical fitness is just sprinting up the hill, doing chin-ups inside the house with a chinup bar, and throwing rocks around. 
More thoughts to come!
ERIC