Integrating Aboriginal food into the UBC food system : scenario #4

In order to understand how to integrate Aboriginal food into the UBC food system, a situational analysis has been conducted. In this analysis, we focused our research based on the Aboriginal community. The initial steps in our research involved setting interviews with Hannah Lewis (Aboriginal program liaison), Rick Ouellet (Student and Community Development Officer) and Denise sparrow (owner of Salishan Catering). Subsequently, a discussion board was held at the UBC Long House during the Feast Bowl event. Through our method of research, we were able to determine who our key stakeholders were. The key findings from our interviews were that Aboriginal food is constantly evolving through every generation; thus, it should not be romanticized as static set of cuisine. Also, in the Aboriginal community, food is used as a vehicle for community connection and sharing. Through the open-ended discussion board at the UBC Long house, some of the key finds were that most respondents favored the idea of integrating Aboriginal food into the UBC food system. However, concerns were raised that the UBC Food Services focuses primarily on economic profitability, turning the food into a commodity, where ultimately the cultural context in the food would be lost. Before integration of Aboriginal food into the UBC food system can commence, we recommend that UBC Food Services and the Aboriginal community to establish a common vision through meetings, committees and etc. Subsequently, we recommend increasing land availability for production of Aboriginal crops and implementing Aboriginal cooking classes. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat