40th Edition – Food – Pike & Hurricane

Who brings the food to your table?

Nina Kolarzik — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 07:25:25 +0000

People try to buy food locally, but who is producing that? Sweden for example used to be an agricultural country, but today it focuses on other sectors. Who is feeding us now? Not everything can be done by machines. With the expansion of education in our modern service society, few people are willing to do the agricultural work, which implicates low payment for physically demanding and dangerous tasks. I want to take a closer look on that issue and reveal some of its less appealing sides since we are mostly unaware of the problems surrounding us.

There is a universal pattern where farm work gets outsourced to cheaper work forces who are dependent on the employment. In the US mainly by Mexicans, in Australia, Asian and European Backpackers and in Europe for example East European migrant workers are used as cheap labour. I chose to focus on Scandinavia, because the Schengen Agreement makes this practice particularly easy and it is a case study close to home for the students of Malmö University.

Sweden is lacking workers in the agricultural sector, so farmers are searching for workforce elsewhere. In seasoned times, thousands of foreign workers come every year to work in the rural areas, which causes debates about the social and economic implications of these working arrangements. The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions provides reports about the employment and working conditions of migrants in the EU. With 10,3 percent non-national workers, Austria has one of the largest migrant work forces, in Sweden you can find 4,6 and in Norway 3,9 percent. However, there are thousands of undeclared workers, mainly employed to sectors where no special skills are required. According to the Eurofound, those illegal employments often have “negative implications for their working conditions”.

In construction or care services it is common to employ migrant workers as well. Agriculture is losing its significance as an employer in comparison to the service sector, but it still exists especially for seasonal work such as planting and picking.

Working with sunshine in the garden – or not?

The open internal EU borders are a tremendous economic advantage and a great chance for many individuals. Individuals assert how happy they are with their seasonal jobs which allow them to earn during summer a lot for their families when they return. After the EU enlargements to the East, many citizens from the new member countries left for the West to find a good life there. For a range of them that was also the case. But reports about exploitation, underpayment, lacking insurance and discrimination of the workers through the local population do also exist.

The question is, whether these working arrangements are a blessing or a curse for the workers. It gets problematic, when taking advantage of cheaper labour force turns into pure exploitation. For the employers, seasoned foreign workers have the advantage of demanding less wage, plus they are an opportunity to bypass social security services and taxes. That undermines the national law and brings the workers into danger, who have no insurance in case of an injury or sickness. Most of their jobs are not only physically demanding but also risky and bad for the physical health. Overly long working hours and too short rests are also a part of those problematic working conditions. They have fewer opportunities of training and advancing from unskilled, low-trained jobs, if they come without a special qualification. That is a sort of discrimination against this group by the employers, existing also in Sweden. Irregular employment and the migration status make it additionally hard for the workers to fight for their rights and they are not well represented in trade unions. This is why some media use the words “Modern Slavery”.

Global capitalism and the pressure of producing cheap products forces agricultural landowners to outsource their work to foreign workers. Agencies like the Danish “Baltic Workforce” appear, and they are specialised in placing Eastern European workers into employment by promising the companies that they can save that way up to 30 percent on salary.

A reminder for when you buy your next apple

It is necessary to see the reports always in relation to other factors such as age or sex, that also affect for example the wage, which means that differences to national workers do not only depend on the migration status.

And not all foreign workers have “so-called ‘3D’ jobs: dirty, dangerous and demanding”- that is just the first association when you talk about migrant workers. But they make up a big amount and those jobs are the ones that are connected to social and market challenges. Which is why this article tried to recall to your mind, what is happening in front of our doors.

Photo credits:

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The Döner and foreign policy

Julia Glatthaar — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 07:03:22 +0000

Denn Döner Macht Schöner

Turkey is known for many things, up and foremost for its food: Burek, Baklava, Kötbullar (yes, you read correctly, basically your whole life has been a lie) and, of course, the highlight of German-Turkish relations, the most fantastic … DÖNER.

Döner can be eaten the traditional way (professionals can eat it whilst walking or running to work), or in one of its chicken, vegetarian or vegan variations. It is one of the best foods to eat when going to Germany, and then, when travelling onwards to other countries, it will be the most disappointing experience of your whole trip.

In other words, Döner is great, and Döner is exciting.

Foreign Policy on the other hand is something many people often don’t really think about. It is complex, complicated and often gloomy and discouraging. However, it is also something very important and a topic we do not think enough about.

So, by analysing foreign policy through the theoretical framework of Döner, I hope to make foreign policy a bit more accessible.

Turkish-German relations

German-Turkish relations date back a long time. Today, this relationship is manifested in the epitome of awesomeness – the Döner. If you have ever been to Berlin, the capital city of the Döner Empire, you will most likely remember a harmonious setting. People from all cultural backgrounds sitting and standing in or around their favourite Döner joint, sharing the experience of this meal together. Whilst you may remember this multicultural setting as being very peaceful, behind closed doors, as always when you have two different and strong personalities coming together, conflict is unavoidable.

Turkish Delights? No thank you.

Germany currently holds the largest diaspora of Turkish citizens in the world, but the immigration process, even after all these years, is as poisoning as a Döner, which has been lying in the sun for 7 days. From the Turkish side, government actions from Erdogan have put a huge strain on the relationship of the political leaders, which of course, affects the civilian population as well. And there are problems lurking everywhere.

For instance, the comedian Jan Böhmerman, became a huge threat to relations on an international level., solely by publishing a poem. Moreover, there are other issues, such as the EU-Turkey immigration deal, which only contribute to making things less than perfect. And finally, there is the problem, that the Döner is not the only thing that is crossing Turkey’s borders and coming to the land of Lederhosen and Dirndl. Erdogan himself seems to try and imitate the ways of the Döner, only that this Turkish delight is not particularly welcome on the GDR’s territory. This became particularly evident during 2008, 2011, 2014 and recently in 2017, when Erdogan tried to secure his presidence through rallies for the 1,5 million Turks living in Germany who are eligible to vote. The German government and population did not like the idea of Erdogan’s visit, due to German reporters being detained in Turkey, as well as the precarious human rights situation in the homeland of the Kebab.

Since the Döner showcases, that the merging of these two cultures is possible, it seems that this simple dish should function as a role model for these two countries.

Bringing the heat – Must Germany return to the Currywurst?

However, Turkey is not the only cook who is spoiling this Turkish-German recipe. Germany, instead of quietly eating a Döner and being happy, has added to the heat, by acting like this horrible drunk person in your favourite Döner store who suddenly starts throwing food around and insulting the owners.

The bad taste of Islamophobia has taken control of the mouths off many Germans, and has spread political right-wing food poisoning all over the country. Threats towards the Turkish communities have become more and more prominent and thereby effectively undermine any positive progress made in immigration processes. In addition, Mosques and the holy sights of Döner stores have more frequently become targets of attacks and so called ‘Döner murders’.

Sadly, many see Turkish culture, language, food, anything as a threat to “the good culture and traditions of Germany”, with one exception: football heroes such as Khedira.

Instead of embracing the multicultural setting, Germans fear the impact of of Turkish immigrants. Moreover, the current political climate and myopic views on Turkish immigration, which often just get equated with ‘something Islamic’ leads to sabotaging the everyday lives of millions of Turkish people who contribute to what is German society. Yes, immigration does have an impact on the country and brings a number of challenges to the eating table (which can be overcome), but does Germany really have so much to fear?

When I compare the deliciousness of Döner, to ‘good, traditional German currywurst’, the horrible mess of sausage, if you can even call it that, smothered in disgusting, luke warm chilli sauce, it is very clear: Germany can and should learn a lot from their Turkish partners, fast.

By Julia Glatthaar

Pictures:
Image 1 by Nicolas Nova, Döner Kebab, (CC BY 2.0)

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How Much Is The Fish? The Price of Overfishing

Merle Emrich — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 06:45:52 +0000

Fish is one of the most popular foods worldwide. Yet, the high demand and unsustainable fishing methods come at a price that might prove fatal for coastal fisher communities and indigenous peoples, as well as for the maritime ecosystem.

Within the Time Wave

Let me take you on a journey 30 years into the future. It is the year 2048 and the last fish has been pulled out of the sea. It is flapping on the deck of a huge fish trawler between algae and jellyfish the number of which has drastically increased over the last three decades. It is the result of an insatiable demand for fish and increasingly effective fishing vessels that have emptied the oceans. And true, for a while the fishing industry had been profitable but once fishing had reached a point where more fish were caught than the populations could naturally reproduce, its days were counted-and with it those of the balance of the oceans, the maritime ecosystem as we knew it.

Back to 2018. The EU is the world’s biggest importer of fish and most of it comes from developing countries. There, overfishing does not only threaten the balance of the oceans but also the social and economic situations of coastal communities that are based on and around fishing.

Culture on the Hook

During the mid-1900s a number of governments sought to increase the availability of protein-rich foods through an increased fishing capacity. The fishing industry was subsidised and favourable policies were agreed upon. Eventually, the fishing industry became so big and powerful that it began to replace local fishers. Through the competition of the fishing industry, and the rising number of fish being caught, the catch of local fishers was – and is – getting smaller and smaller leading to them being unable to sustain themselves which in turn not only leads to cultures and traditions disappearing, but also to problems, such as piracy, that are relevant for the Western world that at the moment still profits from a mass consumption of fish.

The life and traditions of many indigenous coastal communities are centred around fish and fishing. Fish is not only vital for them to sustain themselves, but also for their culture. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s culture, for instance, is closely connected to the salmon and its migration. If the fish that these communities build their traditions around disappear, their cultures will disappear, also. And while many of these people only have small boats to use for fishing, the fishing industry uses highly developed equipment and large ships that move closer to shore lines and into native fishing areas as the number of fish in the ocean decreases, threatening traditions and the environment alike.

Always Look on the Bright Side

If we continue fishing the way we do right now, the oceans will probably be empty by 2048. But there are still enough fish in the seas, so that most species’ populations could be restored, scientists argue, and international actors such as the UN are trying to change things for the better by offering guidelines for sanctions against illegal fishing. On a European scale, the EU parliament has worked out a number of measures in order to battle overfishing in the North Sea. The common fisheries policies (CFP) is supposed to ensure fair competition among fishers and make fishing more sustainable, for example through catch limits between 2015 and 2020. But while it is a swimming stroke into the right direction, success is not guaranteed. And in addition, Great Britain is considering pulling out of the agreement as part of Brexit, making it one country less that takes the threat through overfishing seriously.

Responsibilities, however, do not only rest on the shoulders of political institutions. Companies, as well, have to be accountable for the consequences of their businesses. And some of them have already stepped up to the task. The Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) is an initiative of nine Asian, European and US American companies to reform fishing practices. The surface of our overfished oceans might be churning, underneath, though, hope waits in the deep sea.

But while New Zealand, Australia and the US have shown that fishing reforms are possible and impactful much remains to be done. There are still many loopholes through which sanctions can be avoided and a lack of regulations put on commercial fishing. To prevent fish and indigenous traditions from dying out political institutions, the fishing industry and we, the consumers, need to sit in one boat. Effective laws must be past, restrictions put into place, and we need to see a change in the consumers’ attitude.

By Merle Emrich

Photo Credits

Trawler by Jon Anderson, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Fish by Jeremy Keith, CC BY 2.0

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