Dispatch 001: Field book thoughts and inquires (raw)
Date: Unknown

Original working title: “Last of a dying breed: The lobstermen of Winter Harbor, ME”

On Work

There is a human quality behind aspiration or collective ideologies behind the idea of work and culture. Why do we work? How do we work? What leads us down “Career” paths, is it environment, upbringing, other external stimuli or focus. Why do we end up where we end up in the working world? Why do some struggle to find a place, while others are suited to climb the corporate ladder, thus obtaining the white ideal of success. Struggling to find a place or earning through work, one wonders why our identity is so closely tied to title? Particularly within the corporate juggernaut that is contemporary United States Capitalism. Consumption of every tangible resource imaginable…we’ve turned into a normalcy. Rapid expansion in development has changed our natural world greatly/drastically accelerating  and shifting ecological processes at a rate unseen or unmeasured or recorded in human history. 

That said, as consumers (we must) ask ourselves-particularly (in this case) (in this study) where our food comes from. Specifically, I speak in this instance of Maine Lobster. A New Englander born and bred the lobster has always been a symbol of the riches of our coastal waters. The seasonal high and appetite for such tasty crustaceans being summer, with innumerable methods of preparation, the taste for the humble Maine lobster has grown internationally along with morphing into a food of luxury and class. Present day consumers do not lack variety and options when it comes to accessing the sweet meat year round. However, what they may lack is a deep understanding of supply chain processes, or shall I say the inquisitiveness to ask where does this clawed specimen on my plate come from? 

These questions and observations lingered in the back of my mind, while I found myself driving the 440 miles North East towards Winter Harbor, ME late last fall.

Rough notes from notebook- (Radio chatter!---lobstermen)

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